MacCentral has the greatest readers in the world. You have inundated my
email box with suggestions for places to go, things to see, and stuff to do while I’m in Los Angeles. I’ve also gotten a ton of invitations to eat, party and hang out. And plenty of you have spotted me at the show and stopped me to say hi. Thank you!
I have to keep this brief today because I’m incredibly busy with meetings (more stories coming soon, boss!). But here are my random musings for the day.
First of all, E3 is busy, and it’s all about the Xbox, the PlayStation 2, and the Game Boy Advance. If you’re into any of these platforms, you’re gonna love what’s coming.
The French are really dominating the industry. Companies like Infogrames, Vivendi Universal, Ubi Soft and Cryo are huge this year, and the crush of French journalists at this year’s show reinforces that this is a very, very important market segment for Apple.
Because I’m at these shows a lot, sometimes new journalists ask me for advice on how to survive them. Here are some of my secrets:
Carry analgesics and antacid with you at all times. Changes are you’ll need them. Carry water, and buy it before you get to the show — the cost of food and beverages at any trade show is nothing less than extortion in its purest form. Unless you find a booth that’s handing out bottles (Infogrames is this year, bless them). Don’t go to too many after-show parties, no matter how tempting. You’ll regret it the next day when you’re on the show floor and there’s a 120-decibel speaker blasting in your face. On that note, if you have an invitation to the Sony party and you decide to heed my advice, email me to let me know and I’ll be happy to take it off your hands. At a show like E3, make sure to group your meetings with exhibitors by geographical location. It takes a good five minutes to walk from the South to West Halls at the LA convention center. That doesn’t sound like much, but when you do it five or six times a day each way, you begin to regret it. My kingdom for a hoverbelt, like Baron Harkonnen in Dune. Your feet are your friends. Bathe them. Have them massaged. Wear comfortable shoes. If you want a lion’s share of tchotchkes, make sure to grab them on the first day of the show — they’re usually gone completely by the end of the second day. So, that’s it for now.