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Apple Businesses

Macworld Expo May Return to Boston 63

Posted by pudge from the they-know-they-are-nothing-without-me dept.
Anonymous Being of Power writes "According to a New York Post Article, Macworld New York may be held once again in Boston due to rising costs and lower attendance."
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Macworld Expo May Return to Boston More

Macworld Expo May Return to Boston

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  • If Apple doesn't get something done about the processor performance/speed in the near future they may as well move their next expo to Sioux Falls for all the interest it's going to generate.
  • ...the yearly Summer Festival known as "Burning Man" will be held at Times Square, New York City. When asked why the festival was moving the organizers muttered sometime about "sausages are better there" and quickly changed the subject.

  • I understood that the numbers since going to NYC had been rising...In fact, I'm sure that there were some web sites touting the fact that this years numbers had surpassed last years.

    Anyway, Boston is a horrible city for this, and relocating to there would only cement a second-rate image for Apple -- and I live there.
    • Anyway, Boston is a horrible city for this, and relocating to there would only cement a second-rate image for Apple....

      Why, and how?

      • Re:Funny... (Score:1, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Hes right about the hotel accomodations and whatnot. As a bostonian I agree with that much, but I completely disagree with the restraunts comment.
        • Hey! If my (MA) tax dollars are paying for this new convention center, I want to at least attend a convention that I want to go to. The Seafood convention is just not my cup of tea.

          More hotels rooms are coming online as we speak. Boston's biggest problem is that it closes down at 1:00 AM and it's transit system closes right before that.

          Hell there's always "Cold Tea" in Chinatown at 4:30 AM.

          --Mike
          • Not anymore.

            at least not friday and saturday night thanks to the night owl buses that run along all of the subway routes untill very very late at night.

            I never use them myself, so I dont know much about them, but I have many friends that use them quite a bit.
          • Boston's biggest problem is that it closes down at 1:00 AM and it's transit system closes right before that.

            Well that's bloody stupid. People like to drink, and transit provides a way to get home safely without having to drive home DUI. Now, I admit, riding the bus makes it a bit harder to pick up a babe and bring her home. "Yeah baby, we just have to stand out here on the corner and wait for the next 32 to come along...."

            Reminds me of a story... [compuserve.com]

    • I know its bad form to reply to your own posts, but I just looked it up, and the numbers have dropped over the last couple of years. Just correcting myself to save someone else the effort.

  • beats the hell out of PC expo (Score:5, Insightful)

    by feldsteins ( 313201 ) <scott.scottfeldstein@net> on Wednesday July 31, 2002 @09:49PM (#3989763) Homepage
    God it sucks that the first 3 posts to this article are undeniable trolls. Slowly but surely the Macintosh platform is gaining ground in the nerdier circles including slashdot. I just wish it would happen a little quicker so we can actually discuss things rather than imply that Mac users are gay or that they will be out of business in 6 months if they don't go x86. Shut up already. I heard enough of that shit back in the early 90s.

    Now about the Expo...No matter where it ends up it'll beat the hell out of PC Expo which I've been to in Chicago for the last 2 years. I do hope other computer shows are better than that one. What a dog. I didn't see one excited person there. Not even the vendors seemed to be awake. Just a small building filled with small, cheesy, lame booths and a couple of hundred middle-aged tech managers shuffling aimlessly about.

    Now, Macworld is a different thing. Don't believe it? Try it. You can get in to the show floor for a song. Go see for yourself. And when you get back keep the Kool-Aid analogies to yourself already. Jeez.
    • I've never been to a PC or Mac expo, but I was under the impression that the Mac Expo's cost big bucks. Doesn't help us students out too much!
      • Admittance to the show floor is cheap or free, as I recall. Well, I think it was under $50 and free admissions abounded, or something like that. It's the user and even more so the professional conference sessions that cost. And actually it wasn't that bad. I think I paid ~$500 for a weeks worth of professional conference sessions. I don't know if PC Expo had any conference sessions other that those that were basically sales pitches given by vendors. Not really sure, though.

  • I remember MacWorld Boston 1985... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dpbsmith ( 263124 ) on Wednesday July 31, 2002 @09:50PM (#3989769) Homepage
    Lots of carrying cases. Lots of fonts. Not very much software.

    I got Stephen Chernicoff to sign my copy of "Macintosh Revealed."

    White Pine Software had an empty booth with a sign taped to the table announcing that they would soon have their first product, a VT-220 emulator for the Mac.

    Someone was demoing software that created a small amount of RAM cache for the floppy drive. If you had a whopping 512K of memory, that RAM cache actually could speed things up a bit.

    What else was there? Overvue, from Provue Development, I think... Filevision from Telos, which was really mindblowing at the time.

    I believe it was the 1986 MacWorld that had the huge inflated Macintosh outside promoting MacPublisher, a very early desktop publishing product.

    In the first few years, MacWorld was really great. You could belly up to a booth and really try out and learn about new software. The people exhibiting the software generally knew a lot about it and were often developers.

    Ah, well... MacWorld may come back to Boston, but it will never be like 1985.

    • Re:I remember MacWorld Boston 1985... (Score:5, Funny)

      by King Babar ( 19862 ) on Wednesday July 31, 2002 @11:01PM (#3990027) Homepage
      Lots of carrying cases. Lots of fonts. Not very much software.

      Ah yes; that takes me back. :-) One other notable piece of software was Megamax C, and the amazing debugger whose name now escapes me...

      I got Stephen Chernicoff to sign my copy of "Macintosh Revealed."

      Me too! :-)

      Someone was demoing software that created a small amount of RAM cache for the floppy drive. If you had a whopping 512K of memory, that RAM cache actually could speed things up a bit.

      OK, so was MacBottom (hard-drive that fit under your Mac) at that first Expo?

      What else was there? Overvue, from Provue Development, I think... Filevision from Telos, which was really mindblowing at the time.

      I believe that RecordHolder may have had or shared a small booth.

      I believe it was the 1986 MacWorld that had the huge inflated Macintosh outside promoting MacPublisher, a very early desktop publishing product.

      I think 1986 was also the debut of Fontographer; Aldus PageMaker was out in 1985, but I'm not sure if it was out in time for the Expo.

      In the first few years, MacWorld was really great. You could belly up to a booth and really try out and learn about new software. The people exhibiting the software generally knew a lot about it and were often developers.

      In either 1985 or 1986, a weird British bearded guy was demo-ing this wild and nutty computer algebra system for the (not so large) masses. Guy's name was "Wolfram", like the element, and his software was called "Mathemagica" or something like that. :-)

      Also in 1986 I believe was the introduction of this wild and crazy product called "HyperCard", a product that was so important but so ahead of its time that many younger people i talk to these days can't believe there was anyting like this in the bad old days.

      But my favorite early MacWorld was 1987, since I basically had to sneak out from under my soon-to-be-inlaws in order to attend the thing...3 days before I got married in another state. I randomly ran into a Boston Globe reporter who made me part of her story in the paper on how...hyper-dedicated macophiles were in those days.

      Ah, well... MacWorld may come back to Boston, but it will never be like 1985.

      No, but neither you or I will ever be the same, either.

      • I'm pretty sure HyperCard was 1987, not 1986. Bill Atkinson presented a session on it himself. A very worthy successor to Rolodex! One part I remember distinctly was that he personally promised that the file format would be open and documented. In due course, I saw a Tech Note entitled "Hypercard File Format," and was very disappointed to find it consisted of a single sentence saying "The Hypercard file format is not available."

        I don't think MacBottom could have been out in 1985. I think MacBottom was one of the first generation of SCSI external drives that materialized with the MacPlus in 1986. The first drives all had to work with the serial interface.
    • I wasn't there in '85, but did suffer through the air-conditioning-free '87 version. Went as just a spectator, but got roped into manning the booth for our user group (Washington Apple Pi, one of the few classics still in existence). We were all the way on one end of the convention center, and the only properly functioning air conditioning was on the other end. Oy.

      Sat through a demo of Word Perfect for the Mac. Yes, in 1987. What year was that thing finally released? The demo was a disaster, so the rep smoothed things over a bit by handing out free painter's caps with the Word Perfect logo. My dad still mows the lawn while wearing that cap!

      The WAP booth was right next to Hayden Software, which was demoing MusicWorks. The same music loop played over and over and over again... drove me batty.

      I can't remember if Wingz was shown there, or if it debuted a bit later. You remember Wingz, don't you? Great tote bags, lots of enthusiasm, pure vaporware...
      • I remember Wingz. It did eventually ship, I'm not sure when. In 1991 I worked for a company with several avid Wingz fans. I sorta liked the artwork in their ads, dreamlike stuff with people in suits and ties flapping their arms and flying over a landscape of 3D bar charts... I wonder whatever happened to Wingz? Remember when there was more than one spreadsheet? Remember when there were more than TWO?

    • I remember MacWorld Boston 1992.

      I was only 14, and at the time I was very interested in graphic design -- I faked a company to get a free subscription to "New Media" magazine. (I remember reading Mondo 2000 around that time too.)

      With the interest in graphics software, I recall walking around the Boston Bayside Expo with my bag of hats and logo-emblazoned giveaways. I checked out Wacom's new wireless stylus & tablet with a pressure-sensitive tip for controlling airbrush paint flow, and a cool-looking game (that never quite emerged on my gaming horizon) called Blade, which was kind of a Shadow of the Beast clone.

      But the real highlight of the day was that I got Mike Saenz's autograph, he was the artist behind Shatter (first computerized comic, designed on a Mac no less) and, along with Joe Sparks, the creator of the pioneering MacroMind Director -based Spaceship Warlock.

      He also created Virtual Valerie, and that seemed pretty cool at the time....

      • We are the mind, the tool, and the engine.
        We are Digital.
        We are the demigods of today and tomorrow.
        We are unafraid.
        We are the Dreadnoughts.
        Our coven is linked as chain mail forged in hell.
        Our secrets are guarded by invincible watchdogs...
        ...with eyes made of gold and sand.
        They are like the dogs of the dead pharoahs.
        We heed the ROM.
        We feed the RAM.
        We destroy those who oppose us.
        We strike without mercy...
        ...for we are digital.
        • After re-reading this, I'm not sure if it describes slashgeeks, as I thought when posting it, or Microsoft.

          • LOL. It could go both ways.

            If I'm not mistaken, though, Digital Justice was written and drawn by Pepe Moreno, though I think I read somewhere that he was at least a distant friend of Mike Saenz. I think Digital Justice was marketed as "the first computerized graphic novel" (also done entirely with Mac computers).

            D.J. was definitely a step up from Shatter's 72 dpi graphics, but they each have an appealing style. There is definitely a similarity between Shatter's alien nation (at the Ravenwood tanks) and D.J.'s mutants, both representing subordinated cultural groups. The alien nation is more like a ghettoized minority community and the mutants represent the marginalized youth.

            • Actually, that quote was from Iron Man Crash, by Mike Saenz, which is probably what you're thinking of, as it was marketed as "the first computerized graphic novel". And yes, it was done entirely with Macs.

              • Actually, that quote was from Iron Man Crash, by Mike Saenz, which is probably what you're thinking of, as it was marketed as "the first computerized graphic novel". And yes, it was done entirely with Macs.

                How could I have forgotten that? Crash totally slipped my mind -- now that I look back on the quote, I can't see how I could have mistaken one for the other. You're right of course, sorry for being confused about that.

                Still, if you liked Crash, you might like Pepe Moreno's Digital Justice. I felt that Crash should have been a series rather than a standalone graphic novel, it just wraps up way too quickly. And while I like the art in Digital Justice, overall Saenz's style (Shatter, Crash, Spaceship Warlock) appeals to me more, even if all his main characters look like Tom Cruise somehow.

  • MacWorld 2003 ain't going anywhere (Score:3, Informative)

    by Smack ( 977 ) on Wednesday July 31, 2002 @11:15PM (#3990073) Homepage
    Quote 1: "enticed by a free offer for Boston's brand-spanking new convention center"

    Quote 2: "free rent at its new convention center, expected to be completed in 2004"

  • They plan to get the Macintosh hippies and the GNU hippies in the same city at the same time! Don't do it!

  • for this year might have been down to all the "rumors" flying around stating that there was no G5.

    "there was not much interesting at this year's expo" in NY, and that is a quote from an ex-Bungie employee.

    no new hardware of tecchnological note, lame new software and services (iTunes and .Mac) is all a recipe for a pretty boring expo.

    it is no different than this year's linux expo on NYC being smaller, and far less interesting, IMO, than 2 years before.

    just some more effects of the dotcom bubble bursting.
  • Being that I'm a mac user that goes to college in Boston, I'm very happy. However, they would no longer have the ability to advertise apple as going to the big apple. Sure, its just gimmicky advertising, but it works.
  • Since I read the original NY Post article, I have a hrd time seeing Macworld leave New York. A) the new Boston facility won't be open until 2004, so its not like it won't be Macworld 2003 or 2004 for that matter. B) New York officials have said they have no intention of losing Macworld, as has the Javits Center. C) This kind of scuttlebut is common in New York, as these people constantly want some sort of concession from the city. Even the New York Stock Exchange threatens to leave the city. D) Steve Jobs moved it to New York for a reason. If you notice, the move to New York was when Jobs returned as CEO of Apple. (I know IDG handles the affair, but it really is an Apple event, what Apple wants, it gets.) While I will avoid the whole Boston v. New York can of worms, I will say that if Macworld moves back to Boston, it will probably not help Apple reach a larger audience, just by their respective populations.
  • I just got two troll points further odwn for making a wise crack about Apple and the sorry state of it's processors. Note that I'm a mac user. I personally was in the market for a new Mac laptop but was left wondering about the price/performance as compared to PC's which are so venemously put down by Mac users. Apple makes a brilliant OS in OSX but it's hardware is expensive and slow compared to PC's (Go and try a modern PC with XP or Linux to see for yourself. Look at the price tag while you're at it.)

    I point out that Apple's iMac has stopped selling well and Macs are sitting in the stores in General at the moment. Apple doesn't acknowledge the fact that it is falling behind in performance and the macintosh fans are extremely reluctant to look at the facts in the face.

    It is *NOT* getting better either as far as I can see. Even if Apple does get a break and manage to conjure up 1.8 to 2.0GHz CPU's how is Apple going to tell all those people that have recently bought a Macintosh that not only do they get to pay $129 for the OSX update but they also have machines that are less than half as fast as the newer ones selling at the same price. Wouldn't you be irritated?
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Dude. x86 laptops are so far inferior to Apple laptops that it's hardly a comparison. The laptops are cheaper feature for feature then PC laptops, the run at reasonable speeds for a portable, they have amazing battery life, they look cooler then almost everything else out there, and they come with builtin standard features that aren't available on ANY PC laptop, much less all at the same time. Show me an x86 laptop with gigabit. How about a wide screen? How about with 4.5 hours of battery life? All that, and slim? For $2500? The slim x86 laptops aren't as fast as the powerbooks, either. Unless you can't live without windows, what more do you need? Don't start with that one mouse button thing either. There are so many extra modfier keys on the keyboard that can be mapped to buttons on a mac then there are on a PC that it's not even worth discussing, and the keys act as buttons where additional buttons belong: ABOVE the track pad. I don't know about you, but I only have one thumb, and I can only use one button down there. I want the others where my fingers are.

      I prefer my powerbook to my vaio any day, and I can even fly across county with my powerbook on one battery.

  • Mac Expo NY problem: Javits Center labor union (Score:5, Informative)

    by Sierran ( 155611 ) on Thursday August 01, 2002 @01:43PM (#3993439)
    The Javits center is infamous for its labor union price-jacking. While I'm not sure if this is still true, there were a rash of stories a few years back connecting the Mafia with said labor unions. This is a problem because Javits' rules state that you *cannot* use non-union labor to do *anything* during a show...as in, it's difficult to even move your own stuff around the bldg/floor. Thus, the hours charged to the show organizers are enormous, and the whole thing ends up costing a mint both for organizers and exhibiters. If they can get free space and cheap/free labor for the show in Boston, it might even lower the cost of attendance for users and companies alike. Remember that all of the no-shows at recent Expos have cited costs; this is one of the reasons they did so.

    I too live in Boston; I think it's an annoying town. However, it's immensely easier to get to and stay in than NY (easier=cheaper)...the airport is a 10 min subway trip from any downtown hotel, there's fun touristy stuff to do, the city's small enough to wander around on foot, and due to the high student population the town is used to large groups of rowdies showing up in bars.

  • I always used to weasel a block of tickets to the Ingram party at the Museum of Science every year back when I ran a Mac network for a living. Now that was the place to hold a party! Free booze, free food, live music, and all sorts of nerd attractions since the exhibits were open.

    I particularly remember the year that Casady & Greene (at least that's who I think released it) came out with a commercial version of the old Talking Moose, and had a fellow dressed up in a moose suit walking the floor of the show handing out demos.

    At the party that night, the moose showed up in costume, and was out on the dance floor when he toppled over from heat exhaustion. What a sight...

    It was kind of funny seeing a bunch of geeks carrying the moose off the floor.

  • A Coupla Points (Score:5, Interesting)

    by maggard ( 5579 ) <michael@michaelmaggard.com> on Thursday August 01, 2002 @04:36PM (#3994742) Homepage Journal
    1. MacWorld was a Boston event from the start. Every August it would roll into town as the biggest thing in that deadest month. But Boston's three convention centers (Hynes, Bayside, WTC-Boston) were small, and far apart, and MacWorld didn't like that (neither did DECWorld years ago but they rented ships to supplement services - that was style!)

    2. So MacWorld pulled out of Boston and went to NYC. This was a blow as not only was MacWorld a big thing in Boston but NYC is the perennial rival. The MacWorld move was one of the big kicks in getting Boston's new mega-convention center built.

    3. Now Boston's new mega-convention center is 1/2 way built and it's got a dozen shows booked. For the next decade! They're even talking about shutting down the one of the old convention centers to drive business to the new one (this is possible in Boston - reality has nothing to do with this it's patronage and appearance, the fellow in charge has the job for life anyway.)

    4. So getting MacWorld back would be a coup for Boston. Not only would it come back from the evil NYC but it would return to the new convention center to show that at last the facilities weren't too small, Boston could hold a biiig convention. Boston would likely be willing to cut all kinds of deal for that industry news as well as to quell the local critics.

    5. The MacWorld folks would likely be happy too. Javits is usuriously expensive and nasty nasty nasty to work with. I used to work trade shows years ago and nothing was worse then Javits. Extortion, unbelievably bad service, wrecked displays, fees and costs and hassles for everything

    6. Apple would likely be OK with going back to Boston. There's more educational and high-tech customers in Boston, more media and advertising in NYC, both cities have hard-to-crack finance & insurance. It's probably a six-of-one/half-dozen-of-the-other as far as Apple is concerned.

    7. The attendees would likely be as happy to go back to Boston. While it's still expensive it's a far sight cheaper then NYC. The couple-hundred miles further north also help too - Boston in August is less awful then NYC.

    8. Finally, this would be 2004. Aside from Boston's opening date arrangements have doubtless already started being made for NYC. The move from Boston po'd many of the folks involved with it's relatively short notice so I doubt that happening again in reverse - the lesson has likely been learned. I can see this being used as a bargaining tool with Javits and unless they really cut a schu-weet deal I bet Boston will scoop this. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the interested parties on Boston find a way to pay MacWorld to come to Boston just to prove their point.

  • I think Apple just wants to hear people try to pronounce Jaguar in a funny Boston accent.

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