A computer user basically uses a computer to do the following:
1) Surf the web,
2) Check email,
3) IM chat,
4) Download/purchase digital media files,
5) Manage/share your digital photos,
6) Watch movies,
7) Play games, and
8) Author documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Anyone who does more with their computer than the above and isn't afraid to tinker with the operating system or install/remove programs usually considers themselves a "power user". One thing I just realized is that all the things a "Power User" does in a Windows or Linux environment as compared to a regular user is trivially easy to do in Mac OS X, to the point where the distinction is meaningless.
Am I a power user if I surf Hacker News with Internet Explorer 6? What if I surf Yahoo News using IceWeasel with thirty extentions?
Manage/share your digital photos
Am I a power user if I use iPhoto to remove red-eye from pictures taken with my DSLR? What if if I use Lightroom to do the same thing with pictures from my crappy old point-and-shoot?
Play games
Am I a power user if I play Crysis on my eMachine? What if I play Solitaire on my overclocked quad-SLI i7 "rig"?
Anyone who does more...usually considers themselves a "power user"
I don't, which is why I'm perpetually confused by the term. It doesn't really seem like a useful distinction.
Anyone who does more with their computer than the above and isn't afraid to tinker with the operating system or install/remove programs usually considers themselves a "power user". One thing I just realized is that all the things a "Power User" does in a Windows or Linux environment as compared to a regular user is trivially easy to do in Mac OS X, to the point where the distinction is meaningless.