Mini'app'les

the Minnesota Apple Computer Users' Group, Inc.

Meeting Announcements

Mini’app’les Topic Meeting, Tuesday April 21 at 6:00 p.m.

by Pete Bockenhauer
A battery icon with a lightning bolt through it.

Rechargeable Batteries

Still buying alkaline AA’s and just tossing them when they die? (you can recycle those FYI!) Rechargeable battery tech has improved over the years and pricing has come down quite drastically the past couple decades. Lets discuss the different types of battery chemistries available and decide which ones are best for your devices.

DATE

Tuesday, April 21

TIME

6:00 – 8:00 PM

IN-PERSON

Augsburg Park Library (Small Meeting Room)
7100 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield, MN 55423
Google Maps / Apple Maps

ONLINE

Zoom conference room
Please email [email protected] to request the meeting link or RSVP on Meetup and it will become visible.

Category: ,

Mini’app’les Social and Q&A Meeting, Tuesday April 7 at 7:00 p.m.

by Pete Bockenhauer
Illustration of person sitting at a computer on a video conference waving to the other meeting participants

Social and Q&A Meeting

Come join us for a virtual social and Q&A meeting! There is no set topic and you can come and go as you want. You can also bring any questions or problems you have that you’ve been wrestling with.

DATE

Tuesday, April 7

TIME

7:00 – 8:00 PM

ONLINE

Zoom conference room
Please email [email protected] to request the meeting link or RSVP on Meetup and it will become visible.

Request Access Link
Category: ,

Mini’app’les Topic Meeting, Tuesday March 17 at 6:00 p.m.

by Pete Bockenhauer
An iPhone with different emojis sitting over every icon and widget on the home screen. Emojis including the skull, thumbs down, vomit face, pile of poo, etc.

Stock App Replacements

When you get an Apple device, there are apps already installed to cover the vast majority of functions you would want to do. Most of these stock apps serve the vast majority of people just fine. However, maybe one or a few of those apps are lacking in functionality. Or you don’t prefer the decisions Apple has made.

Thankfully, we have other choices! There are many alternatives to these stock apps that offer more functionality, different design choices, and are more likely updated more often with new features.

Join us this month and hear about some great stock app replacements.

DATE

Tuesday, March 17

TIME

6:00 – 8:00 PM

IN-PERSON

Edina Library (Conference Room)
5280 Grandview Square, Edina, MN 55436
Google Maps / Apple Maps

ONLINE

Zoom conference room
Please email [email protected] to request the meeting link or RSVP on Meetup and it will become visible.

Category: ,

Mini’app’les Social and Q&A Meeting, Tuesday March 3 at 7:00 p.m.

by Pete Bockenhauer
Illustration of person sitting at a computer on a video conference waving to the other meeting participants

Social and Q&A Meeting

Come join us for a virtual social and Q&A meeting! There is no set topic and you can come and go as you want. You can also bring any questions or problems you have that you’ve been wrestling with.

DATE

Tuesday, March 3

TIME

7:00 – 8:00 PM

ONLINE

Zoom conference room
Please email [email protected] to request the meeting link or RSVP on Meetup and it will become visible.

Request Access Link
Category: ,

Mini’app’les Topic Meeting, Tuesday February 17 at 6:00 p.m.

by Pete Bockenhauer
A futuristic, high-tech meeting room where silhouetted figures sit around a circular glowing table. In the center, a large, vibrant blue holographic human brain composed of digital circuits and neural pathways floats as the focal point. The background features a dark, cinematic cityscape at night with glowing skyscrapers and geometric data connections spidering across the sky.

AI Comparison

In our upcoming session, we are moving beyond the hype to conduct a hands-on comparison of the premier AI models available to Apple users in early 2026. We will be evaluating ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), and Gemini (Google) against the backdrop of Apple Intelligence. Our goal is to determine which “brain” deserves a spot in your Dock based on three critical pillars: Creative Logic, Multimodal Performance, and Privacy.

We’ll dive into how these models currently interact with macOS and iOS—from using ChatGPT as Siri’s “knowledge extension” for complex reasoning, to utilizing Claude’s superior coding and document analysis within local developer workflows, and leveraging Gemini’s massive context window for deep research. We will also discuss the latest Apple Intelligence updates, focusing on how on-device processing maintains your privacy while handling daily tasks like notification summaries and “Visual Intelligence” through the camera.

DATE

Tuesday, February 17

TIME

6:00 – 8:00 PM

IN-PERSON

Edina Library (Conference Room)
5280 Grandview Square, Edina, MN 55436
Google Maps / Apple Maps

ONLINE

Zoom conference room
Please email [email protected] to request the meeting link or RSVP on Meetup and it will become visible.

Category: ,