Mac mavens call Old Westbury home
In PC vs. Mac commercials, “PC” is played by a middle-aged man in a suit, and “Mac” is played by a 20-something in jeans and a T-shirt. But one group in Old Westbury defies that marketing strategy.
The Long Island Mac Users Group, which calls itself LIMAC, was founded in 1984, the year the first Mac model was released. Massapequa’s Donald Hennessy, 65, founded LIMAC after he brought questions about his Macintosh to the Long Island Computer Association and was unable to get answers.
“The Mac was my third brand of computers when I bought it in 1984,” the retired surgical technician said, adding that one of the main draws to the Mac was its ability to adjust font sizes and faces. “I love the Mac.”
Later that year local Mac users started gathering monthly as a part of a Mac special interest group under the Long Island Computer Association. Then LIMAC was born, and members have met at NYIT since, initially to compare notes and find solutions to some of the problems they experienced with their $2,000-plus machines. Last Friday the group dove into the world of apps after a general question-and-answer led by consultant Bradley Dichter of Islandia.
North Baldwin’s Geoff Broadhurst, 63, leads a beginners class for LIMAC. The 25-year veteran of the organization gave a presentation to more than 20 members on free apps for the iPad and iPhone, Friday, including Flashlight and iBooks, two tools he deemed key to Apple device owners.
Broadhurst used a specially designed camera to project the iPad onto a screen behind him and opened one of the books on his iPad and showed off all of the features the device had to offer, highlighting brightness adjustment, bookmarking pages and adjusting font sizes.
“It’s a neat little device,” he said, smiling. “And, [unlike buying books] I don’t have to go out and buy the large-print edition.”
LIMAC meets once a month and invites users of all ages. For more information, or to become a member, visit www.limac.org.
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