In its iconic “1984” ad, Apple promised that Macintosh computers would revolutionize the world.

In the 40 years since the Super Bowl ad dropped, Jefferson City’s applejac club has strived to help its members understand and harness the power of their Apple tech.

“Those were the days before the internet, so you couldn’t just ask a question. You really had no way of being able to get any other information. If we had a problem, we had to take the computer back to the store to ask what to do,” said George Kopp, a founding member and the current vice president of the organization.

“So when we first met, we decided it would be nice to have a group of folks that were all interested in the same thing so we could all just sit down once a month and talk about your problems,” he added.

The club hosted its 40th anniversary celebration Tuesday during its December meeting. It currently boasts 80 dues-paying members, up from a half dozen when it began.

One of that first group, Kopp bought his first Mac in 1984. At the time, he said, the technology was advanced compared to PCS, which many users found inaccessible.

“Everything (on PCS) was command-key-controlled, so to do word processing, you had to put command codes in for everything — put a code in to say, ‘I want this to be bold’ and then another code in to say, ‘I want to stop the bold.’

“It was very different on the Mac — it was all what you see is what you get, and that’s the real thing that caused the Macintosh to take off.”

While remarkable for the time, he said that for people today, it would be hardly recognizable.

“When we formed, there was only one Macintosh computer, 128k of memory in it and no hard drive,” he said. “It ran on a single 400k floppy disk. The operating system and the programs and all your data were on a floppy disk.”

While not impressive by today’s standards, early Mac computers were a welcome change from the world of PCS, according to applejac President Peggy Landwehr. When Landwehr saw her father struggle to remember the different command codes for his computer, she decided she wanted to learn how to use a Mac.

A friend connected her to Tom Piper — another founder of applejac, who passed away earlier this year — who introduced her to the club, which she joined in 1991.

“Especially back in the early days, I would come home from every meeting so charged up. I was so excited,” Landwehr said. “I couldn’t sleep those nights — I just got this rush. It was so interesting.”

With knowledge from the club and determination, Landwehr taught herself how to use her new computer and created her own cookbook.

“I had a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and I wanted to learn how to use a computer. A year later, I made a … family memory book and cookbook,” she said. “Back then, not everybody had a computer, and I typed the whole thing (for them). I would get up before the kids woke up and type away.”

Landwehr said that since its inception, applejac has focused on helping its members understand advancements in Apple technology and how they can use those innovations in their own lives.

“Every month, we have a topic of interest, we always have the latest news from Apple, we have a Q&A, and then we also have someone who does tips and tricks,” she said. “Sometimes our Q&A things go for a while, because everybody brings their questions. There are no stupid questions.”

Longtime members like Kopp help to answer these questions. Landwehr said she “can count on one hand the number of times (they) have not been able to answer.”

“People feel very welcome,” she said. “George has the patience of Job. He’s just amazing.”

Landwehr said that even after nearly three decades with the club, she is “still learning every meeting.”

The club’s teaching mission — reflected in its name, applejac, which stands for “joint aid and comfort” — has not been limited to its members: Over the years, it has also taught classes to middle- and high-school teachers and residents in nursing homes.

For its members, however, it has also provided an opportunity to showcase their personal interests by teaching the club a lesson on how they use technology for their work or art.

“One of the members of the board, Mark (Snell), has done a ton of genealogy research using a genealogy program, and he’s talked about that,” Landwehr said.

“Our most-attended meetings this year was the one that Julie Smith gave on photography,” she added. “She gave us a few tips on how to take photos using an iphone, how to process it and change it and edit it to your needs.”

The advent of the internet spelled the end for many computer groups — including two in Columbia — because it allowed people to find answers on online forums rather than having to go to physical meeting halls. But Kopp said there remains an important role for local organizations to play.

“What we have found, though, is that when you post a question in some forum on the internet, you can get an answer, but you don’t necessarily get the right answers, and people pontificate about how much they know rather than trying to answer you in a civil way,” he said.

On the other hand, going to a local group can provide people with reliable information from people they trust.

“Being able to (come to a meeting) or use our local website, you know who you’re talking to,” he said. “You have contact with us, you’ve met us at a meeting.”

Because “the younger-generation people, by and large, don’t really need to come to a meeting to get help,” Kopp said the club is “mostly older.”

Kopp said another reason applejac has continued to thrive in recent decades is because in-person tech support for Apple products is hard to come by in the region.

“Being in a small town like this, we’re smart enough to realize we are never going to have an Apple store, or (one in) Columbia, or any place close,” he said. “It’s going to be Kansas City or St. Louis.”

“If you lived in St. Louis and had these problems and questions, you can sign up to go to the Genius Bar there and talk to the people at Apple,” he added. “But our membership has no place (to go), so we’re the ones who still provide that support.”

In his four decades with the club, Kopp said he’s been regularly surprised by the continued advancement in Apple and other technologies.

“Over the years, we kind of thought, ‘Well, eventually we’ll cover everything.’ But platforms just continue to change and improve,” he said. “Just this last year, with IOS 18, Apple added 250 new features into the iphone operating system.”

“It’s been amazing,” he added. “Every year, you think ‘They can’t do any more. This has got to be everything,’ (but) the (innovations in) features continue to come over and over and you get more and more value.”

More information on applejac can be found on the group’s website at https://applejac.typepad.com/.

To listen to Landwehr and Kopp discuss the club’s history and impact with News Tribune Managing Editor Gary Castor, check out their recent episode of the Tribune on Tap podcast at https://news-tribune-on-tap. castos.com/episodes/applejac-celebrates-40-years.