MWSF '09: The end of an era

Well, it's over. And I think I did a pretty good job blogging Macworld this year, at least similar to previous years. IDG has already announced that the show will be happening next year, without Apple:

See you next year, Macworld.

It seemed like there was a certain lack of energy at this year's Macworld. I'm not sure if it was because Apple is pulling out, there wasn't a blow-out keynote, because of the greater economic conditions, or what. It could just be all in my head -- this was the first year that I didn't spend a couple of hours bonding with other Mac-heads in the keynote line. And I mostly attended the show off-peak, cutting work when I could in order to get some Macworld time. I still felt that there was a decent crowd this year, it just seemed like there was a certain lack of excitement in the air.

For me, the best of show was the new iLife '09 -- I can't wait to get my hands on it. But just like in previous years, I encountered a lot of random/cool stuff on the show floor that I wasn't expecting -- like BusyCal, Kensington trackballs, and SuperSync (which I bought a copy of after seeing a demo).

Aside from my blog posts, I have posted a wealth of pictures on Flickr. All in all, I think it was a pretty great show this year, as always. I already have my expo pass for next year, and I'll be attending Macworld no matter what. At this point, however, it isn't exactly clear what sort of show it is that I'll be attending.

-Andy.