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Macworld Expo Boston 06, we hardly knew ye
Even though we've had meetups at and reports from Macworld Expo Boston, and even though Dave Caolo all but promised us Macworld was staying in Boston, it appears more powerful forces were at work, as Macworld is reporting that Macworld Expo Boston has been cancelled - for good. The reason is no surprise: support and attendance. Both have been dwindling since IDG World Expo moved the summer Macworld expo back to Boston from NY, despite Apple pulling out in 2004. IDG World Expo has stated they'll still be working closely with Apple to put on a darn snazzy San Francisco expo from here on out. Honestly I'm kind of surprised. I know support and interest have been slowly declining, but Apple is on such a hot streak right now that I figured the event would rebound sooner or later. So what really gives? Is Apple "that guy" who just has to be at the party to get things rockin?[via MacSlash]
3D Weather Globe & Atlas
While on the Expo floor I wandered into the MacKiev booth (one of the biggest on the show floor) and gave 3D Weather Globe & Atlas a whirl. This is a nifty program that lets you spin the Earth around and look at various countries. This, in and of itself, is fun but not all that interesting. The really cool part is that you can overlay real cloud data on the globe, add night/day, have cities represented as points of light, and get the weather for a number of cities.Playing with it made me feel a little like a James Bond villian; I wanted to target my weather machine at all the major cities of the world and demand the UN pay me 1.5 billion dollars to ensure their citizens would be safe.I was asked to leave the booth after I started laughing manacially.
iKeychain
iKeychain is another iPod shuffle cover that makes sure that your little slice of randomness is safe and secure. They have a booth at Macworld running a video of the iKeychain in action, and I must say it is pretty impressive. The video shows an iPod shuffle getting run over by a car, and surviving.The outer case is hard, and inside it is cushioned so your iPod shuffle is all cozy and warm and decidedly not crushed.They go for $29.95, not too shabby I suppose. Now, I know what you're saying, 'But Scott, my full size iPod is often run over by vehicles, am I out of luck?'Well, it doesn't sound like you have much luck to begin with but the owner of iKeychain told me that they are working on a case for the full-sized iPods that should come out in the near future.
Boston Bumblings: Woz sighting
Laurie and I were making our approach to the Hynes Convention Center this morning chatting and laughing merrily. What a beautiful morn, I thought. I wonder what Mac marvels await me in this brave, new, Macworld.A few yards from the convention center I noticed a man gliding on the sidewalk on a Segway. I looked at him because he was on a Segway and I'm a geek. As I was lusting after the Segway I looked up and realized that the man on the Segway was none other than Steve Wozniak. I was stunned, and in my stunned state he glided on without me being able to get a snapshot of him.Only on Macworld, folks.
Apple hardware at Macworld Boston
This year I have been lucky enough to convince the suits at my day job to send me to Macworld Boston. I went last year, too, and attended a couple of very informative workshops on Filemaker Pro. This year I'll be learning about Xserve administration, since we got a shiny, new one not long ago. Sure, Apple doesn't participate in Boston's Macworld, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun. Last year, I almost met Chris Breen, but that's a different story entirely...Apple's absence doesn't mean a lack of Apple hardware, either. This summer's expo will feature a Specialists Pavillion, which will be demonstrating a number of goodies, including Power Mac G5s, Xserve and Xserve RAIDs, iMac G5s and Mac Minis. Apple Specialists are a network of independent dealers formed to create brand awareness of the Apple Specialist channel through national advertising, marketing and Specialist-only promotions. No ". . one more thing," but still fun.
