Apple Fires Its Own Mac Users Group

It’s been a somewhat-well-known part of Apple history. The local Mac users group has always been welcomed and meets on Apple’s own world-famous Infinite Loop campus.

Well, until yesterday.

Yesterday the Silicon Valley Mac Users Group (SVMUG) was informed by Apple Corporate Communications that Apple would no longer be supporting any local or community meetings on their campuses. This appears to be pointed directly at SVMUG, it is the largest event that Apple has supported with monthly meetings that is not company-directed.

This once again highlights the difference between Apple and Google, something that Steve Jobs himself touched on during a private Apple employee town hall. Google routinely welcomes tech-savvy meetings on a broad range of topics to be hosted on their Mountain View campus, often on products that could arguably be viewed as competitors to Google’s own offerings.

The SVMUG has announced that all future meetings are on hold, until the group can locate a new meeting space. Apple did not give advance notice to SVMUG leaders, making their next meeting almost an impossibility to maintain.

Members of the SVMUG have commented to TechNews.biz and others with mixed reactions. Some agree with the SVMUG statement that many companies are bolting down for security reasons as well as the economy. Others noted that this was less of a concern with SVMUG since Apple employees handled everything from opening doors to chaperoning members from the security door through to the meeting room.

More critical members of SVMUG that this is symbolic of a more major trend away from the Mac for Apple. Combined with the lack of Apple at Macworld Expo next week, Apple appears to be focusing more on the iPod Halo Effect to drive Mac sales, than direct community-evangelizing of Mac hardware.