Contests — Contest winners from November, a description of
the Christmas contest, and NO description of the
prizes. (See below!)
 
Erik J. Barzeski — The Birth of Apple II
I've always wanted to coin a term — it's one of my goals in life. I will begin my voyage by not "coining" a term, per se, but "modifying" one instead.
The Apple II was the best pre-Macintosh personal computer, bar none. I'd like to recycle that term — Apple II — into a more modern and applicable definition. I want to call the Apple Computer, Inc. revealed by Steve Jobs on 10 November 1997 Apple II.
With the G3 Macs (PowerPC 750 processors), an online store, build-to-order assembly lines, Rhapsody, MacOS 8, QuickTime and... (I could go on forever), Apple is poised to make a HUGE impact in the next five years and beyond. It is widely known that computing wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for Apple, and we all know that computing of the future relies and will rely heavily on Apple technology. With the above reasons (and many unlisted), Apple's not only prepared to "stick around" for some length of time, but to dominate.
There's one thing standing in the way: stupidity.
Apple must be intelligent. Hopefully, the years of misguided or completely non-existent Apple advertising have passed. Hopefully, the years of underproduction of great machines (can you say 600/350?) are gone. Hopefully all, or at least most, stupidity has left Apple Computer, Inc.
People, a.k.a. "the general public," are stupid too. Some of them believe that Pentium and Windows are the BEST pair out there when in fact the MacOS is better and PowerPC chips are faster, among many other reasons. Why? Marketing, bad press, and a whole heap of other things. People need to re-open their minds to Apple, the PowerPC, and the MacOS. Will they do it? Gradually, but this is something that will take LOTS of time. Only by acting smartly can Apple have any hope of turning the public's perception into something positive.
That in mind, Apple II was born on the tenth of November, 1997. Mark this date in your calendar — the first year of any baby's life is quite interesting. Let's check back in a year to see how this Apple II is faring. My guess is that it will be a great year.
  Erik J. Barzeski
erik@applewizards.net
 
Erica J. Marceau — What Apple Means to Me
This time of year, many people are taking note of what's most important in their lives. They're looking back at 1997 and planning ahead for 1998. Since the Macintosh has been such a big part of my life, it was only natural for me to reflect on what Apple means to me.
I still remember the first time I ever saw a Macintosh Color Classic. It was in junior high school, and the computer lab was the first place I went. After using the Apple IIe throughout grade school, the Color Classic's graphical interface was something new to me. Nonetheless, I took to it like a bird does to flight. A few bruises as one is starting out, but after a bit of practice, there is no limit to where one can go.
I didn't realize then what impact that computer would have on my life. How could I? It was just a computer to me. I didn't know about MS-DOS, Windows, Bill Gates, Apple Computer or even Steve Jobs. To me, the Macintosh was an intuitive computer that I loved spending time with. I did plenty of that through the years. When I went to high school, I used the Apple IIgs to do all of my school work and I just liked to poke around and see what I could do.
It wasn't until junior college that I first saw Windows 3.1 and began to learn more about the people and companies behind these computers. I was shocked to learn that Windows was the computer of choice for many people and that it had a larger market share. I tried using Windows, and the horribleness of it was astonishing to me. How could anyone willingly create something so awful? I turned into a Macintosh Evangelist virtually overnight and began learning everything I could about the history of computers and what had caused such a thing as Windows' dominance. As Erik states in his piece above, it was lack of advertising. I had never used a Windows machine throughout my public education, so I didn't need advertising to convince me to buy a Macintosh. However, everyone at the college was the typical mind-numbed robot who spouted things like market share and higher user base to justify their claims that Windows was the best.
After getting my first Macintosh, a Performa 6300CD, I had the opportunity to play around and learn more about the MacOS than I had before. I got on the internet and began corresponding with people all over the world. I met many wonderful people and got involved with a-World and now Apple Wizards. I discovered new hobbies such as playing computer games, programming, writing, editing, and so much more. I even changed my major from Aerospace Engineering to Computer Engineering / Computer Science, because I realized that I love computers.
I know that my life will be associated with Apple Computer, Inc. and the Macintosh for a very long time. Perhaps for the rest of my life, and I don't regret that one single bit. I have walked down interesting paths with the Macintosh at my side, and I know that I will walk down many others before my journey is through. I have confidence that those paths will be interesting and exciting as long as I have the opportunity to have the Macintosh at my side.
  Erica J. Marceau
erica@applewizards.net
 
Contest Information
  December Contest
Do Not Open until X-Mas Day!
Oooh, do we have a great contest for you! Our December, 1997 contest is a special one entitled "Do Not Open until X-Mas Day!" What does this mean? Well, it means that we're not going to tell you what the prizes are until X-Mas day! Ha! We'll leave you wondering right along with the earth's children.
By the way, if you don't celebrate X-Mas, the rules still apply to you! Apple Wizards does not endorse one religion over another (other than the Macintosh religion, of course), but this is the contest we've chosen.
At any rate, stop by the website at http://www.applewizards.net/ and fill out the contests form (click the "Contests" picture in the navigation bar at the left of the website).
How will you win? Well, here's how: you will be given 3 chances to GUESS what the prizes will be. The people (we don't know how many yet) that are closest to naming the actual prizes will win one of the prizes. Feel free to visit our website, shake your monitor to listen to the prize contents, and pester your friends. You won't find the answer anywhere because we're keeping it a big secret, just like your parents used to do!
 
November Contest Winners and Answers
The November contest consisted of a simple quiz. Here are the correct answers:
1. Apple is ranked higher on the Fortune 500 than Microsoft (True/False)
Answer: TRUE
2. How many bytes are in a kilobyte? (Hint: it's not "1000")
Answer: 1024
3. How many issues of Apple Wizards have been released?
Answer: Six (6)
4. What is the code name for Apple's NeXT-based operating system?
Answer: Rhapsody
5. What is the name of Larry Ellison's company and what is his position with Apple Computer, Inc.?
Answer: Oracle and Board Member
The winners of the November Contest were as follows:
Quake — George Castor of Portland, OR
Warcraft Battle Chest — Shaheen Beg of Philadelphia, PA
