September 4th 2010

The next meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on Wednesday, September 8 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

This is our return-from-summer meeting…and what a summer it has been! So much to talk about from Apple and beyond. We will be covering a wide variety of topics, trying to be sure there is something for everyone, whether your focus is Mac, iPod, iPad, digital photography or something else.

Topics that we will get to will include, but are not limited to:

• Apple’s Special Event announcements – an (almost) all-new iPod line, new features in iOS, and a revamped Apple TV.

• A free training course for all you budding videographers who want to do more than play with iMovie

• Moving your email to the cloud…and loving it.

• Moving all your photos from those shoeboxes in your attic to your Mac – the hard way and the easy way (and yes, there is an easy way).

• A cool utility and free service that will sync all your passwords on all your Apple devices (yes, devices, not just Macs)

• Some new and cool iPhone and iPad apps

That’s where we will start. To find out where we end up, you’ll have to join us. But before you do, be sure to take a look at the hardware and software you’re not using. We are introducing a new feature at HAC meetings: The $5, $10 and $20 sale table. The rules are simple:

1. Bring in your *working* hardware or software, with a piece of paper describing what it is, what it does, confirm it functions, and any other details a prospective buyer might need to know. Include your name and some identifying aspect of your appearance (”the guy wearing the Windows t-shirt”) so the buyer can find you.

2. Put one of three prices on it: $5, $10 or $20.

3. Attendees will pick and choose, and hopefully we’ll all get to trade some gear at a good price. We do ask that you limit your sale items to four per meeting, and that you make a donation to the group of $1 for each item sold. You’re on the honor system for that one; we won’t hunt you down.

4. Please, folks…no junk. Old equipment: yes. Dated software: yes. Junk: no.

5. You’re responsible for taking unsold items home with you. If you leave it, you have donated it to the group.

Don’t worry…with all that, we will still be doing our infamous Question and Answer session, our Meeting-After-The-Meeting Dinner where we will all share our summer adventures, and more.

Start the fall of ‘10 off right with all your Mac friends at HAC. See you there!

May 13th 2010

No, we’re not gone. We’re just on summer break due to the Hershey Public Library’s schedule, and our members’ vacation schedules. We’ll be back with a vengeance on September 8, 2010. Stay tuned for details!

May 13th 2010

Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus was the featured speaker at our May meeting as part of his annual Mid-Atlantic MUG Tour, and delivered a brand new presentation, “The Best Apps in Life Are Free.”

To help you find everything Bob talked about, here is a list of links to all the products and services:
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April 20th 2010

The May 12 meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will take place starting at 6:30 PM at the Hershey Public Library.

If it is May in Hershey, it is time for our annual visit from Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus!

Bob will once again include the Hershey Apple Core as a stop on his Mid-Atlantic MUG tour, and we are honored to have him.

What to expect? Bob is hard at work on his latest offering, iPad For Dummies, so it isn’t hard to guess at least part of his presentation will be focused on Apple’s newest device.

Bob is also the author of a library full of Mac books, including iPhone For Dummies: Includes iPhone 3GS and Mac OS X Snow Leopard For Dummies. He is a frequent, favorite speaker at Mac User Groups, columnist for The Houston Chronicle and The Mac Observer and a member of the MacNotables panel.

We will also be taking Bob out for dinner as part of our regular Meeting-After-The-Meeting, so plan to join us and make it a full evening with Dr. Mac.

April 10th 2010

The April meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on April 14 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

There isn’t really much happening right now, right? Wrong! The iPad is here, and we’ll give you an up close and personal look at the iPad WiFi (the 3G isn’t available yet). How does it measure up as a video device? An ebook reader? A web device? A productivity tool? We could go on and on, but those are just some of the things we will talk about, along with the obvious question: should YOU buy an iPad?

We’ll also touch on the iPhone OS 4.0 announcements, answer all your questions in our infamous Question and Answer session, and share some fun at our Meeting-After-The-Meeting dinner.

You could stay home and do your taxes but what fun would that be? We will see on you April 14 to talk iPad.

Also, mark your calendars now for our May 12 meeting so you don’t miss Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus delivering his “State of the Mac” address live and in person at HAC, as part of his Mid-Atlantic MUG tour.

March 5th 2010

The March meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on March 10 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

Chuck Joiner and Joel Persing made it back from San Francisco and a successful and fun Macworld 2010, and will share their experiences in the conferences, on the show floor, at the parties and beyond. There were plenty of cool new products show and iPhone apps demonstrated. They will talk about what turned their heads, what they brought back with them, and what you should be looking to add to your arsenal of Mac and iPhone hardware and software.

Our meeting is also on iPad Pre-Order Eve Eve (yes, that’s a new holiday. Look it up.), and we’ll be talking about who is going to get one, which one to order, why you would want one, and all the latest news on Apple’s revolutionary device.

What would a HAC meeting be without our legendary Question-And-Answer Session, and the Meeting-After-The-Meeting dinner? Get there early, plan to stay late with all your HAC friends.

February 7th 2010

Sorry folks…there’s no meeting of the Hershey Apple Core in February. No, we didn’t prognosticate the weather (though that would have been a really great story to tell you).

Both Chuck and Joel will be in San Francisco for Macworld 2010, and in spite of the dozens of volunteers we had to lead the meeting, we just couldn’t make a choice.

We’ll be back on schedule in March with a report from the year’s biggest and best Mac event, the latest on Apple’s iPad and much more. See you then!

January 10th 2010

The next meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

This month, we’ll take a look at the very best iPhone apps. With more than 100,000 choices in the iTunes App Store, it can be a challenge to decide which apps to invest in. We’ll show you some of our favorites in a wide variety of categories as well as a few iPone tips you may have missed. We’ll also be asking you to reveal your favorite apps and what they do for you.

What would a HAC meeting be without our always popular Question and Answer Session, and our Meeting-After-The-Meeting dinner at Fuddruckers? Come out and join us for our first meeting of the new year…and the new decade.

December 7th 2009

The next meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on Wednesday, November 11 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

“Tis the season to be giving (and receiving) gifts. What should you give? What do you want to get? What should you want to get? The December meeting of The Hershey Apple Core will not only give you some ideas, but also provide you with the opportunity to share yours as well. Have a gift that you think is worth giving or getting? Bring along your list.

We’ll also have our ever-popular Question & Answer session, and a special holiday version of the Meeting-After-The-Meeting at Fuddruckers where all of the HAC officers will be dressed as Santa Claus. (No, not really, but it will be fun anyway.)

Come celebrate the holidays the Mac way, with your friends at HAC.

November 10th 2009

The next meeting of the Hershey Apple Core will be held on Wednesday, November 11 at the Hershey Public Library, starting at 6:30 PM.

This month, we’ll take a look at a variety of cool pieces of hardware for Mac, iPhone and beyond. No, we’re not going to tell you, you’ll have to come and see, but rest assured that there will be something for everyone.

If all goes as planned, we’ll also demonstrate a new video conferencing and recording option that is available to anyone, live with a Mac luminary from the West. Want to know who? You’ll have to join us to find out.

All that, our always-popular Question and Answer session, and the Meeting-After-The-Meeting Dinner. What else are you going to do on a Wednesday night that will be half as much fun?