In 1984, it took guts to own a Macintosh. After all, the rest of the world was colored  Big Blue, and the Mac was not IBM compatible, the standard by which personal computers were measured. Even the term Personal Computer had been co-opted, laughably, by a computer running a most impersonal operating system.
Now, Macs run on a processor co-developed by IBM. Big Blue hard disks thrum inside Power PC's. The iMac is king, and Apple, once written off as an interesting experiment in computing, continues to confound the experts with innovative products and hordes of enthusiastic users.
Like us. We've been here through it all.
Gold Coast Mac was formed in 1984 by members of the Miami Apple Users Group who wanted a sharper focus on Apple's new computer. In the 15 years since, the group has grown from a small handful of enthusiasts meeting in a conference room, to more than two hundred active members meeting at the Miami Museum of Science.
Once we gave demonstrations with the entire group huddled around a 9 inch black and white screen; now, we offer state of the art projection equipment connected to a Macintosh G3, all purchased through member fundraising with the generous assistance of our reseller partners.
We publish a monthly newsletter, on paper and on the net; we offer monthly special interest groups for everyone from the new user to the most advanced; we operate this website, a telefinder BBS system, and a telephone information line; and we've negotiated special member only discounts at local resellers.
While other Macintosh User Groups struggle to meet the changing face of computing, we have embraced older users buying their first iMac, younger users using the Macintosh at school, and we have reached out with our expertise to those who cannot afford a computer, donating new and recycled Macintosh computers to community organizations. We have partnered with local resellers CompUSA and Computer Village to share our expertise with their staff, improving the computer purchase experience for everyone.
Apple Computer called us Evangelists in the Aisles, and on any given weekend you can find our members at computer stores, handing out literature, passing along straight advice, and answering tough questions without sales talk.
It's been a bumpy twenty plus years. When we started, the Internet as we know it was science fiction. Today, it's the force behind the computer explosion. Macintosh was considered a toy; today, there are huge changes. The iMac is the best selling computer of all time, iPods are ubiquitous, and companies are scrambling to produce pale imitations. Both Mac and PC computers use Intel processors, Windows can run on a Mac, and people at switching to the Mac platform at an ever increasing rate.
As we move into a new milennium, Gold Coast Mac will continue to adapt to the needs of Macintosh users, and continue to serve the community. We invite you to join us!
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