Here in San Francisco the Macworld excitement level is high, as high as I’ve ever seen it. The last time I can remember this much buzz was the last Macworld Boston with the return of Steve Jobs and the “appearance” of Bill Gates via bigscreen TV. Heck, even one cab driver was curious as to what Jobs would announce today during his keynote.
The weather here is pleasant, much more so than back home (“back home” for me being Nashville, TN). It’s overcast with temperatures hovering between the 40s and 60s, as compared to lows in the teens in Music City. Of course, everything is relative. I’m walking around in short sleeves; local folks are wearing sweaters, coats or not infrequently, gloves.
One of the good things about these shows is catching up with old friends. This is one of the few times each year where the core MacCentral gang (Jim Dalrymple, Peter Cohen and myself) can actually physically hang out. Most people don’t know it, but we have a “virtual office,” being located in various spots in North America. We’re staying at the downtown Marriott, which is very close to the Moscone Convention Center, which will make it extremely convenient of us to bring you the most up to date coverage of Macworld San Francisco.
I also get to catch up with other friends, such as Kevin Connor, color management and AppleScript expert, as well as freelance consultant. He gave me a ride in from the airport and took me by Stanford to see some of the works of the great sculptor, Rodin. It’s one of the Bay Area’s hidden treasures. I mean the chance to admire works such as “The Gates of Hell” and “The Three Shades” for free was great.
Besides its proximity to the convention center, the Marriott is perfectly located for me otherwise. It’s surrounded by all the “necessities” of life when covering expos: coffee houses (including, yes, a Starbuck’s on practically every corner as well as local chains like Oh La La), a Rite Aid and Wal-Greens (for snacks), and a movie theater (the Lowe’s in the Sony Metreon Entertainment complex).
Anyway, now that Jim, Peter, and I are rested a bit from our travels and properly caffeinated and sugar-ated, look for some intense coverage of MWSF all week long.