Expo Wrapup

- 2002.01.11

Macworld SF 2002 has come and gone, and the new flat-panel iMac has finally arrived. The iWalk was shown to be a Photoshop daydream, and the 1.0 + GHz Power Macs predicted by the rumor sites are still in the future.

Still, there were interesting things to see. I've collected a few of my notes together to offer some final observations of what I saw at Macworld.

In comparison to the only other large-scale "trade" show I've ever attended, the National Science Teacher's Convention, I found the booths at Macworld to be fancier, larger, and stingier. Giveaways for teachers at NSTA include things you could actually use to teach with: a highlighter pen, a dry erase marker, some book covers, a free rocket kit, a Yomega yo-yo.

At Macworld I walked out with a MacAddict foam visor, two buttons from Iomega that didn't really apply to me, a stack of business cards, and a couple of port adapters offered as review hardware because I write for Low End Mac.

There were plenty of education-centric vendors there: Lego-DACTA had a robot climbing a wall, Starry Night (which I reviewed recently) had a booth, and so did Voyager III (which I haven't reviewed yet). Still, it was obvious where the big bucks lay, and that was with graphic design, games, 3D applications, and the like.

Or maybe Macworld vendors just don't know how to talk to teachers. Don't give us paper we'll never have time to read. For example, Lego™ DACTA ought to have given away little tiny Happy Meal sized Lego sets. Starry Night should have had CD's with the free version of their software. Different audience, I guess.

Best drawing prize

A new, functional Macquarium built into an original (tray loading) iMac.

Coolest gizmos I saw

Griffin Technology had a prototype gizmo which plugs into an iPod to convert it into a universal IR remote control - a full year before Bill Gates plans to innovate the technology with its tablet PC. The prototype was only the size of a gumdrop and plugs into the top of the unit. You could control your TV, stereo, or whatever uses IR with it. You could even program your station ID codes into the iPod and then select the one you want from a list instead of scrolling through every channel or memorizing that NBC Cable 3 is really Channel 11. To me, that's almost enough reason to get an iPod; I don't have enough music to make the whole MP3 thing really worth pursuing.

Longest wait

20 minutes to ask a guy at the digital camera counter a question, after he cycled through every other person around and passed me over twice. Must be my scruffy appearance.

Weirdest food on the Expo floor

A "Chicken Sandwich" wrapped up in a green colored seaweed-based undercooked burrito wrap and containing (theoretically) some chicken soaked in teriyaki sauce and surrounded by some extraordinarily watered-down curry-flavored yellow rice. I think. Not unusual for public functions in California. If you're used to plain food from the Midwest, you'd best bring it yourself.

Number of times I was panhandled for money from BART to Expo

Four. They seemed a little more aggressive than the ones I was used to when I used to work in Oakland, where the panhandlers knew you by name and what time you usually went home. (One lady, whom I dubbed "the Greeter," would stand at the BART station elevator and say, "Good evening, how are you today," to everyone who passed by.)

Loudest applause heard

At the FileMaker booth, the audience went nuts when the demo person (on a large podium with loudspeaker and projector) demonstrated that you could check off items completed in a database of work orders imported into a Palm. Several people whistled. I wonder how much you get paid for that job - sitting in the audience and clapping, I mean.

Thing I'd be most likely to spend money on

Kensington was showing a device I thought I had invented: A programmable optical scroll mouse which uses a small trackpad for the scroll wheel. It was being used to shift between scrolling and zooming in a digital editing application. Very reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Too bad I didn't send tell anyone about it except a couple friends at work. Anyway, I'd probably spend money on that. Really.

Most tempting reason to upgrade hardware

Myth III looks really good on a machine with the horsepower to run it right.

Resolutions for next year

Register as press instead of Joe Public. Attend some of the sessions instead of just going to the Exhibit Hall. Take fresh batteries and a tape recorder for impromptu interviews. Take more pictures. And take some people with me.

<this article available in a printer-friendly version>

Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.

Recent Mac Lab Reports

• Microsoft Word 2004 vs. iWork Pages 1.0 for writing a book, 01.10. Microsoft Word is great for technical writing, powerful yet slow, while Pages lets you concentrate on just writing, making it great for novels.
• iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, 09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
• Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, 02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
• Two more markets the iPhone could conquer, 02.01. How Apple could redefine the ebook and calculator markets with a pair of free apps for the iPhone.
• More in the Mac Lab Report index.

Links for the Day

• Mac of the Day: PowerBook 170, Oct. 1991 - At 25 MHz, the PB 170 was at the top of the original PowerBook line.
• List of the Day: The iPhone List Low End Mac's forum for discussing and supporting Apple's iPhone.
  
• August 30 in LEM history: 99: The truth about USB speed - 00: Could Eazel kill the Mac? - Mac OS 8.1 on a IIci and LC III - 01: Beyond MHz and GHz - Getting a handle on email - Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad - Apple's anniversaries - 02: Mac OS X v10.2 - iBook video out - 04: Things that freak out my students - 06: Nvu and SeaMonkey can't replace Home Page - 07: DVD-RAM support

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.29. Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac.
• First 3 Million Mac Quarter, Skinny on Mac mini Pricing, Mac-like gOS, and More, Mac News Review, 08.29. More plan to buy Apple products than ever before, complete reset can fix MobileMac synch problems, Apple boosting computer and smartphone share, and more.
• New 'Books Likely in September, 17" PowerBook Display Fault Site, SSD Security, and More, The 'Book Review, 08.29. Also 6 ways to speed up your MacBook, next generation MacBook Air CPU, MacBook Air Update, LapStrap carrying solution, rise and fall of ultraportables, bargains from $220 to $2,699, and more.
• iPhone 3G Reception 'Completely Normal', AT&T International Data Plans for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 08.29. Also longer life for iPod earbuds, an alternative to MobileMe, new cases and apps for iPhone, AppStoreGems website launched, and more.
• Best Power Mac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575.
• Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400.
• Best iPod nano Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29. Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
• 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
• Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
• Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
• Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
• Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
• CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27. Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
• MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27. The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
• Resurrecting a Dead Pismo, Spotlight Search Tip, and EasyFind a Good File Finder, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 08.27. Lots of tips on bringing a comatose Pismo back to life, a Spotlight file name search tip, and EasyFind as an alternative to Spotlight.
• Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
• Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
• Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27. 500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
• More links in our archive.

---

<back to Macworld Expo SF 2002 index>

---

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94, New 2008 iMac 2GB $46. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 / 1GB $23--Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: OWC Mercury On-The-Go FW400/800/USB2/eSATA Portables High Performance A/V Rated, **Bus Powered** **Up to 500GB in the Palm of your Hand** Macworld Editor's Choice, CNET 'Very Good' - from $75.99!

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

New iMac 800Mhz Memory 4GB $90, 2GB $45 - Click to Maximize your Macs...