Macworld Conference and Expo 2009 (4)

'This was my first year so I was very excited and I didn't know what to expect,' said Stacey of the Macworld conference and expo that opened today. (see previous blogs)

'I was overwhelmed at all of the products available, I had no idea there were so many. I have been a Mac nerd for about ten years so I have always wanted to come here!'

Stacey and her husband had travelled from Massachusetts, where she and her husband run an art agency and a publishing company.

Top of her shopping list was printing software and Desktop publishing.

'And as I girl I love all the cool bags. There are some fabulous bags that I'll be picking up on the last day!'

As I left Stacey, I approached an older couple walking towards me. They paused briefly.

'He's lost his iPhone,' said the wife, 'so we're in a big panic right now!' and they disappeared back into the Moscone Center.

Later I met Samantha and Sheila who were girls after Stacey's heart.

'It's cool. It's different from last time, it has more exhibitions,' began Sam.

'There are a lot of accessories to choose from with the iPhone especially,' continued Sheila, referring to Laptop bags and iPhone cases.

Sam liked the iPhones and the expo raffles and Sheila the expo giveaways.

'The free stuff is always cool,' she said.

Henrik is an experienced attender of Macworld.

'I have been there many times before and you get some level of pulse as to how things are going,' he said.

'There are a lot more iPhone Apps programmers and there is less iPhone and iPod gadgets like there used to be.

'I haven't covered the whole floor but it seems like some of the main attractions are not here, like Adobe and Belkin, but I think there are a lot of attendees and people are having a good time.'

Henrik avoided the keynote speech. 'I didn't want to go there this time because I've been so many times and it's a lot of money.

'I heard some comments that it was one of the worst keynotes because there was so little news, just the 17-inch MacBook Pro, iLife and iWorks software.'

But then he brightened at the thought of the upgraded iTunes facility to the 3G iPhone, which is now DRM free, ie has unlimited use.

'That's a pretty big thing,' he said, wondering if initial restrictions had been for fear that it would use too much band width.

pics show: Stacey; Sam and Sheila; Henrik

More reports in next blog...