MacWorld

This year’s MacWorld featured the iPod mini, newer XServes, and updates to iLife. Add it all up and you’re looking at a far smaller MacWorld than in previous years. I will dread the day when the conference fits in either the South or North Hall but not both. I think Apple would prefer that MacWorld just went the way of the Dodo. They have their Apple Stores and probably don’t want to be tied to releasing new products four times a year (i.e. MacWorld SF, Paris, Boston/New York, and Tokyo). Jobs said in his keynote, which I saw via a QuickTime Streaming web cast instead of going to one of the Apple Stores, that this year would be a great year. It is after all, the 20th Anniversary of the Macintosh!

I ran into quite a few people whom I know at MacWorld this year. Along with my sister and Erik, I ran into fellow SNUG member Rosie, Newton owner Dale Steele, Palm colleagues Carl Stone and Sasha Golovin, and Scott Gruby. I saw but didn’t speak to David Pogue (he was surrounded by a throng of listeners at the O’Reilly booth) and Jaron Lanier. I also spoke with Jim Rose at the Canon booth and Steve and Mike at the Nikon booth. The PMA tradeshow is coming up in February and rumor has it that Canon will be announcing a successor to the 1D. It’s hard to believe that I’ve had mine for over two years.

I’ve purchased some dubious products at MacWorld, including a Visoneer Paperport. Man, what a useless piece of junk! I vowed not to buy anything, but I succumbed to a great price on a Contour ShuttlePro. The ShuttlePro should make my video editing tasks a lot easier, and I see myself using it far more than I did my Paperport!