Macintosh user group report

Abstract

Hardware A number of attendees expressed interest in the justannounced new Macintosh computers. Several people reported on their experiences with them. There seemed to be general agreement that the Classic is underpowered for lab and faculty use, although it is popular among students because of its price. The Mac IIsi may be a popular lab computer once its hardware is better understood. The LC is seen as a replacement for some Apple II equipment in some situations and as a good solution to the color problem. The SE/30 remains a good choice for those individuals needing fast computation and transportability but who have little interest in external interfaces. Large-screen-display equipment was ofconsiderable interest. The new top of the line seems to be the Sony SuperData, an extremely high-quality color video projector. It takes Macintosh output and sells for around $14,000. Other projection equipment noted included the Kodak: Datashow overhead projector unit-although suitable for text and classroom use, its LCD display is far too slow for most research applications. The Proxima large-screen monochrome display was rated as good by one experienced user. It works fine with the Mac II line, but it requires an adapter card. Someone reported seeing information on a Mac II card that produced a standard video output signal that could be processed through an ordinary VCR. There was a question raised on tape-backup units. No one had any particular experience to report; MacWorld