Today, I want to officially welcome you to the All-new MAChelp Magazine website. Although the look of the site really hasn’t changed all that much other than the logo, we would like you to know that our mission, while still is all about helping you to learn more about your Mac, is really all about living the Apple lifestyle. Be it through using your iPod Touch, your MacBook Pro, your MacMini… maybe even your old candy-colored iMac. I’ve been using Macs for almost 20 years and I love them.

The first Mac that my family owned was a Performa 578. This baby was screaming speed demon at a full 33mhz. I realized that I needed my own Mac and picked up a second-hand Mac IIsi for about $300. Now, this one was slower than the Performa, but I was able to pop it open and overclock the processor on it. I remember installing a system extension called “Kaleidoscope” that allowed you to change the look of the finder on the OS completely. After that, the first PowerPC processors were coming out and I realized that I needed one of these monsters. I bought my first “new” Mac at a WalMart of all places. It was an open box, so I thought that this was a great deal I found. Of course, when I got home, it would not start up. I tried to return it, but the store wouldn’t take it. Great. So I called Apple. They sent someone to my house to fix it! Yeah. That made me a fan for life there!

This magazine sits in my office

Around this time period, one of my all-time favorite magazines appeared. MacAddict magazine. This magazine was incredible! It was full of all kinds of great news about the Mac and it even came with a CD full of programs! Back at this time, if you had any internet access at all, it was dial-up, so downloading large programs and files was out of the question, so the CD was a fantastic addition to this magazine.

As time passed, I had gone through iMacs, iBooks, MacMinis, iPods and all kinds of applications from Apple. I was even a member of their Consultants Network for a number of years (I still maintain different Apple Certifications). One thing that always remained through all of Apple’s changes. That was their constant commitment to quality. Even in the bad old days of Gil Amelio, Apple was producing great machines. Of course, there were a few missteps here and there, but by and large, they came through when it mattered most.

Why do I tell you all this? So you know that I am passionate about Apple and their products. However, if they release a product that I don’t think is up to their standards, I will tell you. On the other hand, I will ring the bell when I think they’ve got another knockout. So, if you love the Mac like I do, be sure to stop on by everyday and check out what we’re talking about. We plan on having some great features, some tutorials, a podcast now & then and perhaps a video or two as well! Hopefully you’ll be entertained and even learn a little bit along the way.

Your Editor,
Brian Sakowicz