Blog Posts from MacWorld Expo

Could it be Apple Air Freshener™?

The Macworld banners have everyone wondering what the big announcements will be at the keynote on Tuesday. “There’s something in the air” conjures up all kinds of ideas. I personally think Apple is going to unveil an environmentally-friendly line of air freshening products ala method.

Ok so not really…

So what I do I really think it could all mean?

January 14, 2008 at 3:15 pm by Bryan Schwegler. | 1 Comment.

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Apple.com front page changed to tease Macworld slogan

Apple.com changed their front page this morning to tease their slogan for Macworld, “There’s something in the air.”  What?! What is in the air?!  C’mon!  I can’t take it any longer!

January 14, 2008 at 2:49 pm by Chris Ainsworth. | No comments.

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All Registered and Ready for Macworld

I’d anticipated that getting checked in to Macworld this morning would be a headache. The Expo managed to surprise me by making it a relatively easy process. Although there were some people in line who didn’t seem to know where exactly they were supposed to be, the registration and check-in went quickly. The people working at the Expo seemed to know exactly what their individual jobs were and getting signed in went smoothly.

In fact, it went much more smoothly than any other event that I’ve ever attended. Kudos to MacWorld for making it easy.

Now that I’m all signed in, I’m going to go browse around the Moscone Center and see what there is to see. Today’s a light day as far as conference stuff goes but I’m looking forward to meeting some Mac users and exploring the layout of the Expo. I just have to hide this PC I’m still lugging around with me!

January 14, 2008 at 2:04 pm by Kathryn Vercillo. | 2 Comments.

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A tough act to follow

(Ugh. When is Apple going to update this handout photo)

How do you follow up the Keynote of All Keynotes?

I don’t think you can.

I think while everyone is hoping for something spectacular to come out of Steve Jobs’ Macworld Expo keynote address tomorrow, I expect his speech to be more state of the Apple union than anything. So, while I know the reality distortion field generators will be outputting at their fullest capacity at Moscone West, I’m preparing myself for product annoucements that are more incremental in nature than anything else.

January 14, 2008 at 11:17 am by Chris Ainsworth. | 1 Comment.

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What to do on Macworld Eve?

What’s a better way to spend Macworld Eve in SFO than trying to find free WiFi and chocolate? Well let me tell you…n-o-t-h-i-n-g. Of course you can’t just enjoy the free WiFi and chocolate without spending some time reading the rumors and bookmarking the best places to get the latest news on Macworld (besides this blog and Mac-Forums.com of course).

I’ve made it no secret that I personally am hoping for AppleTV updates to include a TV tuner card and DVR functionality. Somehow I’m thinking that’s not the “Something’s in the air” update. Could it portend wireless iPod syncing? More media streaming options for your digital living room? The much anticipated ultra-portable Mac? Less than 48 hours until we know for sure.

January 13, 2008 at 10:34 pm by Bryan Schwegler. | 5 Comments.

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PC-to-Mac convert heads to Macworld

It’s funny the things that divide families. In my family, the PC vs. Mac debate has long been a hot topic. My kid brother is a fully committed Mac lover who regularly tells me that I shouldn’t be using a PC. Over the years, he’s dispelled many of the myths that I held about Macs and given me a number of good reasons to make the switch. But, being his big sister, I can be pretty stubborn about the argument so I held out with the PC for a long time. The truth of the matter is that my reasons for not switching over weren’t good reasons and I’ve recently decided to stop being stubborn and start being sensible. So I’ve entered the world of Mac. And this week I’ll be entering MacWorld. I figure that full immersion is the way to go.

There were many reasons that I stayed a PC user for so long. At first, it was because I didn’t think Macs were really for writers. My brother was a filmmaker and it made sense that he used a Mac because he needed all of the extra functions, but I didn’t need it – or so I assumed. Of course, I’ve come to realize that Macs are useful for all computer users and have stopped being ignorant about the issue. Similar long-held beliefs were dispelled over the years. But the final straw that pushed me from PC to Mac was the convenient timing of something my brother said with the inconvenient release of Vista.

My final reason for holding out on the PC was that the guy who helps me with all of my computer problems knows how to fix almost any PC issue but isn’t familiar with Macs. My brother’s response to this argument was, “you don’t need tech help with Macs because they don’t break”. A week later, I found myself in a bind when my relatively-new PC decided to start burning up on me for no obvious reason. Long story short, I had to quickly buy a new computer. My stubborn self went with a cheap PC that was pre-loaded with Vista. I’ve had nothing but problems ever since and they finally pushed me over the edge. I can’t think of a good reason NOT to switch to Mac.

Being a tech blogger, I’ve already done a lot of research into the world of Mac and the news that’s released by Apple. But I’m looking forward to the Macworld Expo as a place where I can really immerse myself in a complete education about what Macs are all about right now and what I can expect to be able to do with them in the near future. When I do something, I do it all the way. I’m excited about the Expo as my introduction to completing the transition to Mac. Over the course of the next week, you can find me here reporting on the reasons that I’m being won over to Mac and the information I’m learning that is worth sharing with others who have made the switch.

January 13, 2008 at 3:32 pm by Kathryn Vercillo. | 4 Comments.

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More than just Apple

So I know we’re all excited by the Stevenote on Tuesday and the possible new product announcements, but I’m actually just as excited to be able to visit some of the exhibitors. There are some really great Mac developers who are going to be at Macworld.

Personally I’m looking forward to stopping by to meet the guys at Panic, equinux, and plasq. I’m excited (and please don’t shoot me) to visit with the Office devs at Microsoft. Oh and who can miss the Pownce Pre-Launch party on Wednesday night?

So many great exhibitors and so little time! If you’re going, who are you looking forward to seeing? If you’re not, who would be top on your list if you were there?

January 12, 2008 at 8:19 am by Bryan Schwegler. | 3 Comments.

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“There’s something in the air.”

On the message board, D3v1L80Y drew my attention to the banners that are currently being hung around Moscone Center in preparation for next week’s expo.  Here’s a photo I found via Apple Insider: 

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what Apple’s hinting?  Gruber mentions the font is straying from their typical presentation.

Please post your ideas in the comments or in the board.

January 11, 2008 at 6:15 pm by Chris Ainsworth. | No comments.

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Joy of Tech: Macworld celebrity checklist

If you are planning to go to Macworld, make sure you print out and bring along Joy of Tech’s handy Macworld Celebrity Checklist in advance (collect them all!). Who on their list are they missing? Post any omissions in the comments. And if you do go to the show, don’t (please) be a swag whore. Don’t be that guy.

January 11, 2008 at 3:15 pm by Chris Ainsworth. | No comments.

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Our Macworld blog on your iPhone

We’ve installed a free WordPress plugin to generate iPhone friendly pages (and some iPhone mobile goodness) for the blog. Of course, if you’re wandering around the show floor during Macworld, and you’re staring at this site or something else on your iPhone, don’t forget to look up from time to time to watch where you’re going.

January 11, 2008 at 2:02 pm by Chris Ainsworth. | 3 Comments.

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