Mac OS X 10.3 (“Panther”) will be unleashed this Friday and Mac shops are planning parties and special events to celebrate. Following are some of the Oct. 24 festivities.
Tekserve, New York’s largest Apple Specialist, will have a “Think Panther” event from 7:30-11 p.m. There will be live music by Andy Stein and His Swing Quartet, refreshments and raffles. A 15GB iPod will be raffled every hour on the half hour starting at 8:30 p.m. For every copy of Panther sold, Tekserve will donate US$5 to the Defenders of Wildlife charity.
Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., will be holding their “Mac OS X Panther Release” event at 8:01 p.m. (yes, you read the time correctly). Western’s University Computer Support Services (UCSS) will introduce Panther in Horrabin Hall 53. The demonstration, which will be led by UCSS Research and Instructional Consultant Dean Roberts, is free to the campus community.
Panther will be available for purchase directly from Apple through the UCSS Computer Store Web site. Prizes will also be given away. For more info, phone 309-298-1127.
First Tech, the Twin Cities’ oldest Apple specialist, will be hosting a “Panther Release Party” at 8 p.m. that includes free beer and pizza. Anyone who buys a copy of Panther gets a $10 gift certificate for the Green Mill Restaurant and a free copy of MacSoft’s Civilization III. First Tech is located at 2640 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn.
Apple’s own Retail Stores are having “Night of the Panther” events on Friday, with many store locations staying open until midnight to feed demand for Apple’s operating system upgrade.
Many CompUSA locations — in particular, those that feature Apple Stores-Within-A-Store — are also having “Night of the Panther” events. Give your local CompUSA a call or check Apple’s Seminars, Training & Events Web site for more details or locations near you.