These are my impressions of my yearly trek to MacWorld in San Francisco. This year I actually walked the entire show floor rather than just picking the vendors I wanted specifically to see. This may be the last MacWorld. Apple has decided not to attend MacWorld here any more. When they did that with the MacWorld on the East Coast it lasted one year after they pulled out, then it was gone. The same thing happened with the Japanese MacWorld and the Paris Apple Expo. IDG, the company responsible for MacWorld, is contractually obligated to put on MacWorld next year. In fact, they announced the date for next year's show. How big the show will be or even if it will actually happen is very much up in the air. So I wanted to walk the entire show floor just for the experience of it.

Walking the floor brought back memories of the first MacWorld I attended. The whole family drove down to Boston and rented a hotel room with the intention of seeing as much of the show as we could in one full day. My youngest son, then a preschooler, stayed with his father at the hotel while my older son, nine and happy to attend, came with me.

MacWorld was present at two locations with a shuttle bus driving between the two. Since I knew we couldn’t go to both places I chose to go to the larger of the two, Bayside Convention Center. I had no idea what the show was going to be like. When I walked in I was instantly overwhelmed by the size and scope of it. My son and I tried to walk as much of that show floor as we could. We were dog tired at the end of the day, both our feet and our brains a bit overwhelmed by the experience. I couldn’t wait until the next year!

Walking this show floor was different. Having attended over a dozen MacWorlds, East and West Coast, I knew what to expect. I wasn’t disappointed. The swag (goodies given out by the vendors) wasn’t quite as varied as it has been some years, but it was still good. I got half a dozen tee-shirts, the best haul I’ve ever gotten. I only bought three books, the smallest amount I’ve ever come home with. I stopped and talked to people here and there. Because I wasn’t looking specifically for anything I saw things I would have missed otherwise. Some years there are products that wow me. This year nothing in particular jumped out at me. It was pleasant, people were friendly, and the product offerings were all good. It took me two days to walk the entire show. I didn’t stop for  many demos or even to eat a meal. I have a lot to review and think about. I have more memories to store away and enjoy on days when I miss the camaraderie of many Mac users gathered to see all that they can about their favorite computer.