Month: January 2009

Between all of the parties and sleeping and eating, I actually did something of substance. I attended the Town Hall meeting on Wednesday night.

The place was full, and a bit anxious. People had ideas that they were just dying to share, and share they did. A few wanted to either move it to New York or Boston. One person suggested Texas, that haven of Mac-heads. One suggested that they move it around to different locations. One woman talked about gaming and the lack of it at Macworld the last few years. I think the phrase “Last year was a pathetic joke” was used.

While these are all worthwhile ideas, I suppose, I have to admit that none of them got me excited.

Macworld for me is about interacting with our customers. It is really the only place to do that year after year. For example, this year, even though we do not have a booth, I have been stopped more than once in the hallway and told in no uncertain terms how they like (or not like) our products. You just can’t get that kind of feedback anywhere else.

Without Apple being involved, I am not sure who is going to show up. Like it or not, Apple makes Macworld Expo. It shouldn’t be that way, but that’s how it is. I am afraid though without Apple’s participation, Macworld is not going to go on after this year.

And that will be a real shame.

I can’t say that I wasn’t too surprised at the lack of excitement in this years show. People that I talked to before the keynote were not expecting much. And what do you know, Apple delivered on that. The new stuff is nice, but not earth shattering. That’s got to be one of the reasons Apple is pulling out: they want to be able to control their message. Products will come out when they are ready, and not forced out to meet a show deadline.

Makes sense if you are Apple, doesn’t it?

More than a few people around me were talking about the lack of all talk concerning Snow Leopard. Not one mention that I can remember. But hey, iTunes talk is exciting, right? Right?

What really surprised me though was after the keynote. Usually, the foot traffic, especially near Apple’s booth, is almost overwhelming. Not so much this year. It’s a little slow, to be honest. In the Special Interests Pavilion, where we would normally reside, there are a few gaping holes where there would normally be a booth. Or several, actually.

OK, so I am not painting a rosy picture here. But, there is still some interesting things to see and do.

No really, there is.

I arrived very early this morning only to see the rain I was so desperately hoping would not fall. Being San Francisco, I knew that was a pipe dream, but sometimes you just have to root for the impossible.

I made the rounds in the afternoon. Seems that there was a bit of news about Mr. Jobs that both perked people up and annoyed them just a bit.

Good for Steve for taking some time off. He can get healthy now in relative peace and quiet. Honestly, I don’t know why he was forced into saying something. I mean, I know why, but I just don’t understand human nature. Why can’t people just leave it alone?

I picked up my badge and I have to tell you, it was a bit weird to not go into the hall to set up the booth. That’s because we did not rent a booth this time. We thought long and hard about it, but in the end the expense just isn’t worth the return this year. Trade shows are just not what the used to be. Before you could think about breaking even or maybe even making a bit of money. Now, you really don’t have a chance. This is probably why Apple pulled out of all tradeshows. Too much money, not enough return. It’s a shame, really, but understandable.

So I am here to represent Nisus and to do all of the talking. That should scare plenty of folks in the office, I would think. Plus, it will be fun to see all of the new stuff. That is, if there is any new stuff.

We will see soon enough.