Over the weekend
Macs Only! posted a number of hands-on iBook observations and several additional hands-on observations of new products displayed at Macworld Expo last week. All in all, Macworld Expo NYC '99 was much better than its NYC predecessor of last summer. More of the major companies had booths and almost every exhibitor had something new and exciting to show or to announce and talk about. The square footage occupied by the Expo seemed larger and the attendance was good every day. The excitement generated by the iBook announcement exceeded that of last year's iMac if for no other reason than it was brand new while the iMac had been shown the previous May. Despite my disappointment that the iBook is not smaller and lighter given its 12.1 screen, I think it will be a hit. On the positive side, the iBook's size allows for a bigger screen in the future and the extra weight is due to shock protection. There's no other portable that can touch it for $1599 with the same features, quality and visual attraction. It truly lives up to its advertising slogans, an "iMac to go" and an "iMac unplugged".
The one feature of Macworld Expo that could be improved is the press facilities. A Wired article claimed that over 600 people were given press credentials, many of them from Mac web sites [Dana Baggett]. I think that's fabulous and great for Apple. People in line with me from Europe claimed they never saw so many press people for an event. The Wired article contained grouses by someone about "clowns" and "idiots" hogging the press facilities but the real problem is that Macworld Expo management needs to provide more than a dozen computers, an equal number of telephones and a room that holds 30 people for a press crowd of 600. I managed to get my work done but hopefully next year they will be improved.
Here is Apple's Macworld Expo NYC '99 photo gallery.
-- Weekend, July 24-25, 1999 --