This was the first year in many years that I did NOT attend Macworld Expo. Although I certainly had less interest in attending because the star of the show (Apple) wasn't going to be there, that wasn't my reason for not attending. I didn't attend this year for no other reason than the new February date conflicted with another business trip that I had scheduled and couldn't change.
Was it a success?
Although I wasn't there first hand to see for myself, it appears that the show did indeed go on. For many smaller vendors and developers Macworld Expo is their one shot a year to be in front of the masses. The show typically draws thousands and thousands of Mac users and it gives developers a chance to be in front of them and to get their products noticed. I know I've certainly discovered a few products over the years at the show that I otherwise probably wouldn't have run into. So it seems that the show was successful. Macworld Expo seems to be on for next year (2011) and trust me had it not been a success, chances are this would have been the last one. These shows cost a lot of money and you don't continue them just for the fun of it.
Did you go? How was it?
I’ve been going to Macworld for over 20 years. After reading all the press the week before it started this year, I began to wonder if I’d made a bad decision about going. I started on Tuesday at a Power Tools conference on the Adobe Creative Suite. It was a great 2 days concentrating on the Suite. So far so good. Then Thursday came and I found myself standing in a pretty long line to get in to hear David Pogue. I wasn’t expecting that! Then I went to the show floor. At some points I literally couldn’t move in the aisles because the crowd was so thick. Saw some great products and bought 3-4 pieces of software and hardware and got info on others. The 4 user conferences I went to on Thursday and Friday were first rate. Overall, this was a great Macworld. My hat is off to Paul Kent and staff for an awesome job!
I’ve been going to Macworld for probably 15 years. I’ve never done the conference part, just the expo side. I was there on Thursday, and as Mark Allen said, you “couldn’t move through the aisles.” But for me, that was because there weren’t many booths worth stopping at. Pretty much all of the big vendors were missing, but I was amazed at how many of the small developers backed out as well. So it came down to a small gathering of iPhone app developers crowded 4 to a table, and then a host of iPhone case and gadget makers. I’m not sure if Macworld will survive (or if it SHOULD survive) this.
Very disappointing.
I went, and it was my first Macworld. Having nothing to compare it to, I thought it was great! I attended mostly IT sessions, including a 2-day Power Tool and learned a ton. I enjoyed the show floor, but it would have been better with some bigger names there – I would have liked to see some camera manufacturers, for example. All in all, it was well worth my time (and my employer’s money) and the community surrounding it seemed very intact. As long as Apple continues to gain market share, I think this show will continue. Did my own write up on it – http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/02/macworld2010/