The end is near – MWSF 08

Actually, the end is NOW. For Macworld Expo 2008, that it. And what a week it has been.

For starters, I left Michigan thirty-seven years old, and return thirty-eight. This is the first birthday I have been away from my wife and kids. In all honesty, I don’t care much about my own birthday, but it means a lot to the kids, and because of them, and my beautiful wife, I regret not being with them today.

This week has gone by both quickly and slowly, depending on my schedule. Mornings and nights in the hotel seem long, but once we hit the showroom floor at the Moscone center, it seemed there were too little hours in the day to get everything done. One thing I learned this year is not to schedule too many private meetings with companies. I think I have better luck simply roaming the showroom floor. Then again, the private one-on-one meetings gives me the opportunity to build relationships with the companies whose products we will be reviewing over the coming year.

While written about by a few of the other writers here, I have to say that the JBL / AKG sponsored acoustic concert by Shaw Blades was fantastic. Let me try and set the scene for you, as it is not easy to visualize.

The entire concert was in a pretty small room with a small stage. The audience sat right in front of the band. To listen, we all wore the AKG K920 wireless headphones. Because all the sound from the concert was routed through a mix board, and then to the headphone wearing audience, what we heard sounded much like what you would hear in the recording studio. But I have to say the AKG K920 headphones, which are wireless, sounded better than any headphones I have ever heard. The concert sounded ten times better with the headphones on than without. It was odd and really, really great at the same time. The reason it did not sound as great without the headphones was because all the equipment and setup was geared around the mix board and the headphones, not for an open-air concert. It was amazing, as Guy, Larry, and Bill Palmer can attest.

I sat in the front row, so close to the stage that I could not stretch out my feet! Never been that close in my life. Really amazing.

(Photo by Larry Grinnell)

And for those who don’t know, Shaw Blades is made up of Tommy Shaw of Styx fame, and Jack Blades from Night Ranger. Both were also in Damn Yankees. Both super talented.

After that concert, we spotted Sinbad, a regular staple at big Macintosh and Apple events. He was gracious enough to give us ten minutes of his time to be interviewed for our podcast, which you can listen to yourself on show 166. While we had a problem with our recording gear for the interview, I deemed it too entertaining not to use it on the podcast. And if you simply cannot hear it good enough, look for a transcription of the interview in an upcoming issue of iProng Magazine.

(Photo by Larry Grinnell)

Our one-on-one meeting with Microsoft on Wednesday was shorter than I would have liked, but informative just the same. I have not had the chance to really dig deep into the new versions of Microsoft Office 08 for the Mac, but I do have a copy and plan on looking at it in the months to come. It is a very impressive software release, marking the last major application to go Intel-native. The Microsoft people were very nice, even after Owen Rubin grilled them pretty good.

The Harmon Kardon interview on Thursday was fun as well. They have a really neat GPS unit coming out, soon with iPod integration, and I am looking forward to learning more about it. I already have the Drive + Play 2 in my car at home, and that is a fantastic devise. Look for a full review soon.

Probably my favorite time was the day before the official Macworld Expo kicked off, and that was the Podcast Listener Meet on Monday. That was a very fun time. We recorded the podcast (as well as video taped it) in the Moscone South building, and then all gathered for some needed food afterwards. This is something I would like to expand upon next year, possibly making the date and time after the expo has begun, and more of our listeners are actually at the show. I received emails from listeners saying they would have liked to attend, but that they did not get into town until Tuesday. Point taken and lesson learned.

Meeting with the rest of the MyMac crew was, as always, simply fantastic. More on that in another post!

I am off to get some sleep and prepare for my eight hours of air travel and long lines at the airport tomorrow. I leave S.F. at 9AM, returning (I hope no delays) in Grand Rapids around 6:30PM, then an hour drive home and some much needed rest on Sunday. I am tired to my bones, my feet are killing me, and I am running out of clean clothes. That being said, I would not missed Macworld Expo 08 for almost anything!

Lastly, I have to thank my wife and kids for indulging me once again. My wife is a real superhero, staying home with the kids (which include a seven-week old son) and getting the other kids to school and home every day while the snow comes down. Love you, Julie, and I will see you soon!