Necks craned, cameras flashed, and cheers erupted as the group jumped to its feet in applause and appreciation. Not only did Woz help build their favorite computer, he was one of them. “I have a special fondness for user groups,” Wozniak told the crowd. Woz recounted his own experience years ago, as a user group member too nervous to speak up. Instead, he would go home after meetings and work harder on refining and creating his ideas. “I tried to design better because I was too shy to talk at the meetings.”

He focuses now on “helping teachers to teach,” which brought him to the breakfast. On behalf of the User Group Academy, Woz presented over $20,000 in grants for user group school programs. Grants went out for integrating computer technology, upgrading materials, launching multimedia programs, and creating a database for special education.

Mitch Mandich, Vice President of Worldwide Sales, also spoke at the breakfast, detailing Apple’s retail strategy. His message combined with the grants, awards, and User Group Program Manager Diane Cohn’s introduction of the User Group Advisory Board fueled the crowd’s energy. The tailgate party excitement continued as they left Moscone Center for VIP seats at Steve Job’s Macworld keynote address. Sports fans never had it so good.

— Marya Figueroa