So, after three years of being a Mac fan I made it to a Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
The event is naturally one of the key focal point for the Mac faithful, such as we are, and nowadays with the brand awareness and profile that Apple’s product launches have attained you can guarantee that the event gets wall-to-wall coverage. And in previous years, I have wondered what that buzz is actually like there on the show floor when the news from the keynote hits.
I was fortunate enough to have a business trip to Palm Springs (in itself a rare occurrence – mostly my work keeps me in the UK) that fell during the week of Macworld. Palm Springs is close enough to San Francisco that I was able to engineer a three day stopover there to allow me to attend the first day.
Of course, I have also had the opportunity to meet learned colleagues and devoted followers of MyMac.com, and that in itself has been fantastically enjoyable – I will talk about that in a separate post.
But as I write, sat here in the media room at Moscone Center, I am surrounded by not only MyMac writers but also what feels like a large portion of the entire Apple community. Across the table from me, the guys from iLounge are sorting through their product shots, and at the next table there is a guy editing footage of Steve Jobs on his MacBook Pro. A pair of bloggers are sitting next to me, I just finished watching Merlin Mann and the other MacBreak guys podcasting, and in the room next door the Apple stand is six deep in eager enthusiasts handling the new MacBook Air machine – a computer that won’t ship for another two weeks.
It has not been a relaxing day! Before getting our badges, we were sat down watching the keynote unfold via blog updates (thanks, MacRumors!) – a process I found deeply ironic, as I normally do exactly the same sat at my computer at home in the UK, so doing the same after travelling halfway round the world… anyway, we then dropped down to the media room and recorded some initial thoughts on the new product launches for the podcast. Then, I hit the floor, and did my level best to at least walk past every stand in both of the halls – stopping to talk to vendors whose products I have reviewed previously, as well as some who I thought might be interested in MyMac coverage in the future. Funnily enough, I was surprised by the number of British people I encountered with the exhibitors – I guess us Brits do get around! Back to the MyMac crew for lunch, and then go out to Prosoft’s stand as part of the team running the MyMac Apple Quiz extravaganza. That will leave some more floor touring and dinner before I have to bid my farewells to San Francisco, with good memories, a bag full of business cards and two very sore feet.
Maybe it’s because I am new to Macworld this year, or maybe it was because I am with friends, or maybe it was the fabled Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field – but it doesn’t feel like work. It is tiring, but never boring – and where else could you sit down next to a total stranger, and within five minute be engrossed with conversation about Apple’s product line or business strategy?
Macworld captures the essence of ‘the cult of Mac’ – many of us are there to do a job, either to report, commentate or sell, and the rest are there to buy or learn – but we all are going to have an enjoyable time doing it. And you really are at the centre of the Apple universe.
Mental note – must block out my diary for the week beginning January 4th, 2009….
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