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Macworld 2013: Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad talk about playing Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
Actors Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad, who are playing Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the upcoming movie jOBS, helped kick off Macworld | iWorld 2013 today, in a panel moderated by expo general manager Paul Kent. The two chatted with Kent about how they approached their roles in the film, what it was like visiting and recreating all of the locations and events from Apple's history, and how telling the story of the two Steves affected the actors. Gad and Kutcher first walked through their past experiences with Apple before the film. Gad said he was a Mac newbie until recently: His wife first brought an Apple computer home and he says it "completely changed my entire view of what technology could mean." Gad mostly experienced Apple, however, through post-Mac products like the iPod and the iMac, and says he was fascinated with learning the story of how that company came about as the movie went along. His entire knowledge of Wozniak, he said, "was Dancing with the Stars" before he jumped in and really researched what Woz was all about. Kutcher knew much more about Steve Jobs: He said he started out as a child with an Apple IIgs, went to school to study biochemical engineering with a Mac, and later in life has worked as an angel investor with technology companies. Kutcher said that Jobs is an "iconic hero" for him, and that when he first heard about the movie's screenplay and decided he wanted to get involved, he concluded that "if this story's going to get told, I want it to get told in a way that honors my hero." Gad said Kutcher's familiarity with Apple and technology was readily apparent during shooting: At one point, while the pair were filming in the actual garage where the Apple I was built, Kutcher saw a prop in the background dressing, and told the crew to remove it from the shot. "This wouldn't have been built for another year," Gad remembered Kutcher saying. "Get rid of that." Kent showed a short clip of the movie that had previously been seen online, and asked the actors how they approached accuracy in the film. Wozniak, in particular, has seen the clip and called out the film for some "totally wrong" storytelling. But Gad and Kutcher admitted that while the clothing or the dialogue may not have been exactly right, what they tried to do was recapture the feel of what was happening back then. "It's not a documentary," said Gad. "It's an interpretation of events." Kutcher said he talked to many people he'd met through his investing who lived and worked alongside Jobs, and that he tried, as best he could, to capture the feel of what Steve Jobs' early Apple days were like. "You have to ride the arc of the entertainment of the film," said Kutcher, as Gad added that "we went to great lengths to capture of the essence of his journey." Finally, Kent asked the duo what they'd gained from exploring and playing these two real-life characters. Gad said he found a lot of interest in Woz' playful side, and remembered a story from Woz' biography that talked about him working hard and then being distracted by whales outside his window. "It can't all about about work," Gad said he learned. "You can't lose the passion in the work." Kutcher talked emotionally about the three things he'd learned from portraying Steve Jobs. Focus was one: Kutcher said that he'd heard Jobs say that "there's no virtue in saying no to things that are easy to say 'No' to," and that statement has resonated with him a lot in his own daily life. He said he also was inspired by Jobs's "compassion for the consumer." Jobs, Kutcher said, realized that rather than tempting or ripping off customers, "care is the thing that will produce the profit margins and the successful company." Lastly, Kutcher teared up a bit as he said that "Steve believed it was possible to do something impossible." He said that studying Jobs and his life told him that we didn't have to just "settle for what life gives you. Make life better," entreated Kutcher, channeling what he'd learned from Steve Jobs. Gad joked that his whale answer wasn't quite as brilliant in comparison to Kutcher's impassioned speech. But Kent got the last laugh: He asked Kutcher, as an investor, if he were confronted by a younger Steve Jobs, "barefoot and maybe not smelling so great," if he would have invested in Jobs' ideas. That question threw Kutcher for a loop, as he shrugged noncommittally, and the audience gave a knowing laugh. But Kutcher said that in his investing, he's always looking for ideas that solve problems, and that he hoped "I'd be wise enough" to support Jobs' vision back in the day. Follow all our Macworld | iWorld coverage here.
Talkcast tonight, 10pm ET/7pm PT: Post Macworld-iWorld Edition!
Here we are again, another Sunday. What remains of our TUAW crew after covering Macworld | iWorld 2012 (and more importantly, all of the ancillary events associated with MWiW) will be around tonight to chat about the show and whatever else we can come up with to fill out the hour. What's left of Kelly's voice will be hosting this evening, so you might have to listen closely. What's left of Paul Kent has said he will make every attempt to join us, but if he can't make it this week he said he'd join us next week. Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!
Macworld transitions to Macworld|iWorld as conference begins next week
Paul Kent, general manager of Macworld Expo, says that next week's renamed Macworld|iWorld show will be "the most interesting and certainly the most unique show that we've ever produced." The event begins next Thursday at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, and according to what Kent describes, there will be plenty going on. First up is the exhibition hall itself -- just like last year, it will be in the first floor of Moscone West. There are 271 exhibitors total, and 130 of those are app developers. Like last year, there will be plenty of iOS developers around, but one of the big pushes this year is to represent the emerging Mac App Store, so Macworld has set up an "OS X Zone," which will feature OS X apps and their developers. There are also plenty of iOS accessory and lifestyle item makers as well, says Kent. "iWorld is not just a new name, it's really a direction for the show, where all aspects of the mobile lifestyle are going to be brought to life." Upstairs in Moscone West will be the tech talks and the show's mainstage, and in those panels, says Kent, Apple users will find all sorts of great tips and insights on how their hardware and software works together. Some of the talks will be for a general Mac audience, featuring luminaries from the Mac community talking about their area of interest, and some of them will be very specific talks based on some technical issues, like dealing with Photoshop or Quicktime. Elsewhere on the main stage, there will be plenty of celebrities and artists coming in throughout the week to talk about how they use Apple products in their work. Modest Mouse will open up the event, and during the week, visitors will see all kinds of artists and musicians showing off their work, including bands like moe, Atomic Tom, and legendary electronic musician BT. And the last big exhibit is the Macworld Midway, also on the show's second floor, which will feature all kinds of different fan-centered exhibits based on Apple's hardware and software. In addition to musical shows and demonstrations, there will be an iPad sketch booth, where visitors can get sketched on an iPad, and a photo booth run with Apple devices. "In general show managers don't design attractions," says Kent, but Macworld this year is different -- he and his team have created a little something different from the standard convention. "We've kind of gone down the road of really creating this experiential environment." Kent says that the past few years in the Apple community have shown that yes, there are two camps: Old school Mac users, and those jumping on board the iOS/mobile device train. But there's no reason why those two camps can't come together, and have "unified view of what it means to be an Apple platform user," Kent tells us, "I'd be surprised if there are many Mac users that don't have an iPhone or iPad." The show definitely sounds fun, and of course TUAW will be there covering it from door to door, even if you're not in San Francisco and can't come by. We'll have a meetup next Thursday as well, so if you are headed to Macworld, make sure to visit us and say hi. Whether you're coming for a few hours, a day, or the whole show, it definitely sounds like there's a lot to do and see at Macworld this year.
TUAW TV Live: Paul Kent interview, a few cool Mac apps
Welcome to another episode of TUAW TV Live! On today's show, I have a prerecorded interview with Paul Kent of IDG World Expo, the man behind next January's Macworld | iWorld: The Ultimate Fan Event. In the interview, Paul gives TUAW TV Live viewers the word on what is going to make Macworld | iWorld so different from all those many years of Macworld Expo. I'll also be demonstrating a few new Mac apps for viewers today. It seems like there has been a sudden surge in rollouts of innovative new Mac apps, so there are a few I wanted to demonstrate on TUAW TV Live today. Below, you'll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It's a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat. We'll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you're seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you'll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET: Macworld | iWorld 2012 preview, Mac apps
Please join me on TUAW TV Live this afternoon for a pre-recorded segment with Paul Kent, the man from IDG World Expo who is the mastermind behind Macworld | iWorld: The Ultimate iFan Event and also a guitarist/vocalist for the critically acclaimed Houserockers. Macworld | iWorld is the event formerly known as Macworld Expo, and it takes place January 26-28, 2012 at the Moscone West facility in San Francisco. As you'll find out during my conversation with Paul, the show is definitely not your Dad's Macworld Expo. The name change finally takes the proliferation of iPhone/iPod touch/iPad products into account, but that's not the only change you're going to see for the 2012 event. Of course, if you want to hear more about how Macworld | iWorld is going to rock your world, you'll need to watch TUAW TV Live this afternoon. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel. The chat is now available as well on IRC: join us on server chat1.ustream.tv, chat room #tuaw-tv.
Macworld Expo rebranding as Macworld | iWorld for 2012
In line with the ever-expanding impact of iOS devices and mobile technology on the userbase-formerly-known-as-the-Macintosh-market, the premiere tradeshow for all things Apple will have a new name in 2012. The 27-year-old Macworld Expo event will now be known as Macworld|iWorld: The Ultimate iFanEvent. The branding change acknowledges the reality that iOS is a huge and growing part of the Apple product ecosystem; registration for the January show/conference is open now. Paul Kent, IDG's maven for all things Macworld Expo -- sorry, Macworld|iWorld -- discussed the branding change with the expo's corporate cousins at Macworld magazine. "We want a heavy influence of OS X developers on the show floor this year," Kent said, but the show will be balancing the iOS impact as well as moving outward to re-emphasize the cultural connections to Apple products. Music will play a major role this year, with showcase performances at the Music Experience and expanded evening events outside the core Moscone venue. Film and other creative pursuits will take their turn on center stage as well. IDG is projecting about a 20% growth in total exhibitor count, which is a healthy step up from last year; the 2010 and 2011 shows represented a major downscaling from 2009, which was the last time Apple exhibited at the show. TUAW has been pleased to participate in Macworld Expo over the years, including our live video streaming interviews in 2010 and 2011. We don't know yet if we'll be back with a booth on the show floor for 2012 at MW|iW, but we'll certainly have some sort of presence -- and we look forward to seeing you there. [Any similarity to the name of Apple's short-lived online service, eWorld, is almost certainly unintentional.]
Macworld 2011 to be 30-35 percent larger, host Featured Artists sessions
We're still pre-Thanksgiving, so we have a whole three months of holidays to get through, but it's never too early to start thinking about the next iteration of Macworld. Macworld 2011 is taking place next January 26-29 in San Francisco, and just like last year, TUAW will be there all week long with live streaming video, interviews aplenty, and your inside track on everything going down at the Expo. This week, we prepared by talking to IDG General Manager Paul Kent, who's currently embroiled in a radio station battle of the bands poll with his band The Houserockers, and of course, getting things ready for the big show in January. He let us in on what to expect at the show next year -- hit the break to find out how much bigger he expects things to be, who else is coming, and what he expects attendees to be talking about this time around.
Macworld 2010: TMO's Dave Hamilton and IDG's Paul Kent
Along with meeting readers and having a place to stash our laptops, one of the other novel pleasures of having a booth on the show floor this year was the serendipity of having our friends and colleagues in the Mac community walk on by -- just so that we could pounce upon them and interview them on video. Case in point: late on Saturday afternoon, we enlisted Dave Hamilton of The Mac Observer, Backbeat Media & the Mac Geek Gab for a quick chat, only to be unexpectedly joined by his bandmate-slash-Macworld Expo general manager, Paul Kent. Dave & Paul each shared their impressions of the show, the expectations of vendors and attendees for next year, and the secret of putting together a great cover band when you only get one rehearsal before each gig. It's fair to say that the outlook for Macworld 2011, from their perspective, is much brighter now than it was in the leadup to this year's show. Thanks to both Dave and Paul for joining us for the final livestreaming session of the week. Although this is the last interview we recorded on Saturday, it's far from the last one you'll be seeing here on TUAW; we have a shelf-ful of great conversations that will be posted to the site over the next few days. Dave Hamilton interview: Paul Kent interview:
Talkcast 10pm ET: Special guest Paul Kent talks Macworld Expo
Tonight, we have a special guest, and a great opportunity for our listeners to ask their questions about the imminent Macworld Conference & Expo, which starts the 2nd week in February. Paul Kent, IDG's general manager for Macworld Expo, will be joining us to talk about the way the show has evolved since last year's announcement of Apple's departure, and what attendees, instructors and exhibitors can expect when they get there. We'll be taking your chat questions and calls, so c'mon out and call in! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you then! Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/macinate/ / CC BY 2.0
Macworld Conference and Expo Buzz
Paul Kent, of IDG fame, has started a blog focused on the Macworld Conference and Expo called 'Macworld Conference & Expo Buzz.' This blog will serve as a conversation starter between IDG (that's the company that puts on the conference) and conference goers (that's you and me).Now that they are running a blog perhaps TUAW will get a press pass at Macworld 2007. Nah![via Macworld]
