Reporter’s Notebook: The Macworld Tokyo fashion awards

Macworld Tokyo 2001 is now history, and I’ve some random and assorted thoughts and items to pass along to you. First, however, I’d like to present the Macworld Tokyo Fashion Awards as judged by … well, me.

Miniskirts and platform shoes are still in vogue in Japan. Between those and the Flower Power iMac, I’ve been having unpleasant flashbacks to my high school and college years this week. But that’s another story.

Anyway, miniskirts and platform shoes were in abundance at Macworld Tokyo. In fact, pretty girls in tight clothing were all over the place, handing out flyers and urging folks to visit the vendor booths. Some companies went for sheer sex appeal; others attempted a more discreet fashion statement. That said, here are my awards.

Shortest Skirt/and or Pants: Symantec. The gals promoting the Norton products had hot pants so hot they could have used Apple’s “Power to Burn” slogan. Pretty cheeky of Symantec, if you ask me. Runner-up: Xerox, who went for the 60s/70s look with “hot-panted” babes, wild colors, and on-stage dancers.

Classiest Outfit: Adobe. Decked out in a high collar, black and white ensemble, knee length skirts, and high heels, they offered a cool, svelte look.

Most Demure: The Hewlett Packard gals, who looked positively modest in their comfy, casual sweatshirts and Khakis.

Most Shocking Outfit: This award goes to none other than Apple’s head honcho himself, Steve Jobs. The crowd that stood in line for over two hours to hear the CEO’s Feb. 22 keynote got a shock right off the bat: Jobs was wearing a suit and tie rather than jeans and a black turtleneck. I couldn’t have been more surprised if the man had been wearing hot pink hot pants. On second thought, maybe I could.

Now for some random thoughts on Macworld Tokyo:

Did Apple’s CEO make a faux pax during his keynote speech. Some folks have told me that his comparison of the new G4 PowerBook to a Sony Vaio is a cultural no-no as it’s considered impolite and rude to do such comparative advertising.

The Cube is selling decently in Japan, but isn’t a runaway hit. Why? It’s got one essential feature: compactness. But, Some folks have told me that it’s priced too high. Other have said that the award-winning design is too “way out” for the Japanese. In other words, it doesn’t look enough like a computer.

Shop PowerLab offered a “custom paint job” for Apple laptops. You can have your PowerBook’s exterior totally renovated. Want a polished wood appearance? A hot red portable? PowerLab offers such custom work.

Heartec.CO was selling the iBow in the various iMac flavors. The iBow is a translucent storage case designed to hold Mac peripherals such as Zip drives, USB hubs, SuperDisks, etc.. Plus, the case has an Apple logo shape encompassing its front. Heartec.CO is also selling the HearTable, a clear, plastic stand that holds bigger peripherals such as inkjet printers. What’s unusual about this item is that it sits atop — yes, on top — of an iMac. In other words, you can sit your printer on top of your Mac. It’s apparently an item tailor made for the Japanese user, who often find space in an apartment at a premium.

Finally, I’ve got my digital camera up and running again. And thanks to all the readers who sent suggestions to help me out, as well as all those e-mailing get-well wishes my way. You guys and gals are the best!