Mac Geeks Unite At Sea

Inside what looks like an ordinary classroom, students gathered for what seemed to be a usual computer seminar. But the computer users were far from common, reported CBS News contributor David Pogue.

The computer enthusiasts were having their computer seminar at sea, on a cruise ship to some exotic Pacific islands.

It takes a pretty hard-core computer lover to attend a seminar like it. After all, it wasn't exactly local. The attendees came from places such as Dayton, Ohio; Woodland Hills, Calif.; Battlecreek, Mich.; Holland and Bavaria, Germany.

One couple was even there on their honeymoon. And the seminar isn't cheap.

The cruise is about $2,300. The convention is $1,000. The total spent for the trip can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $5,000.

But then, the attendees are part of an extremely dedicated group. They are Apple Macintosh fans.

They know all too well that their computer represents less than 5 percent of the United States computer sales. They are an oppressed minority.

So for them, this isn't just a computer conference. It's a chance to spend a week with kindred spirits, fellow members in the cult of Macintosh.

But even if they have only 5 percent of the market, they would say Mac users have 95 percent of the passion.

The Mac users on the cruise are people who develop emotional bonds with their computers.

"My wife and I jokingly refer to [our laptop] as the new addition to the family," said Don Tillman.

They even name them. On the cruise, some of the names given to the Macs were Toto, Elsie and Power Thang G4.

Stephen Ragatz didn't just bring his Mac to the seven-day ocean cruise; he brought his whole family and all of their Macs.

Plenty of families on cruise ships spend time sitting on deck and chatting. The Ragatz family does its chatting electronically — sending instant messages.

"For me, there's two big advantages of I-chatting over talking," said Jonathan Ragatz. "I can talk to each individual separately without anyone else hearing. Number two, I can still listen to my music at the same time."

The cruise isn't just about sitting around talking about bits and bytes. Every other day, the ship pulled into an island port, so both geeks and non-geeks can get a closer look at tropical life.

At Fanning Island, 1,200 miles from Hawaii — a place so remote, they don't even have Internet access — the geeks have no choice but to shop, swim, and experience actual contact with human beings. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made.

On other stops, the participants can sign up to ride a helicopter, hike up a volcano or tour a giant telescope nearly three miles above sea level.

There's plenty to do when the ship is at sea, such as catching a musical, dancing and swimming at any of the three pools on the ship.

But most of the Mac-heads were surfing — Web surfing. For $225, one can buy as much wireless Internet access as he or she can stand. And the folks on the Apple cruise can stand a lot of it.

"For our anniversary, he bought me an unlimited Internet account on the ship," said Mrs. Ragatz.

So what makes Mac fans crazy enough that they'd come all the way to a cruise ship for a get-together?

"You start it up and the Mac smiles at you and everything is great from then on," said Dori Smith. "No Windows PC has ever smiled at anyone."

For the Mac maniacs, the Pacific islands live up to their reputation of being paradise. No, it's not paradise for them because of the glittering seas, the perfect sunshine and the breathtaking vistas. It's perfect, they say, because of the wireless network, the celebrity authors and the Star Trek convention that happens to be on the same cruise.

"There are a lot of Mac celebrities on the ship," said Rachel Ragatz. "And they can't get off!"