A word from the editor – finally in print

This is a very special issue of shuffle for many reasons. First, this is the first ever issue of that is being printed and distributed to various locations around the Emirates, which is very exciting. So it’s with strong feelings I write this editorial. On one hand this can mean great things for our user group in terms of getting publicity and signing up new members to our community. On the other hand it also means there is more pressure to keep producing a high-quality newsletter each month. I am convinced that we’re up to the task and increased membership numbers should mean we can share the job of writing articles between more members which would be good. Second, the same day this issue comes out, EmiratesMac User Group is organizing its first major event, the Special AppleTV Event. A lot of work has gone into getting it all arranged and we hope as many people as possible will enjoy it. I would like to extend my sincere thank you to the people who have worked hard on this event and to the sponsors who support us. We hope to be able to make this sort of event into a recurring feature since we believe there is a pent-up demand for Apple-related events of this kind. Third and final, it’s now one year since our web site went live. It was in early April 2006 that EmiratesMac.com first came to life. In that brief period of time, we’ve reached over 700 user registrations on the site, we’re seeing some 12,000 unique visitors per month, and by all accounts, the site is growing all the time. As a good example of how popular the site is, right after Apple had announced the iPhone in January we received an email from a sales executive at one of the largest mobile phone retail chains in the Emirates. The question they had for us was “Can you please let me know your Company Details and the proposed distribution model for the Ipod Phone. Also if you could indicate its availability as well as proposed cost price/selling price it would be helpful in evaluating the opportunity.” And we get similar kind of requests at least a few times per week, I guess showing that we’re having an impact. So we hope you enjoy a printed shuffle, an AppleTV event, and increased activity on the site. And remember, this is just the beginning.

by Magnus Nystedt