P ARIS, FRANCE - Paris Apple Expo has been an interesting show. When compared to US-based shows, itis similar, but has its own style. Here are some observations from what has been a headline-making event in the city of love and lights.
Can it get any hotter?!
It is just me or is it hot in here?! While show organizers say the air conditioning is on in the Paris Expo convention hall, you couldnit convince exhibitors and attendees. It is hot in the hall with little moving air and the sweat is flowing. Although daytime highs outside have only been in the 70s F, inside the hall temps are higher. The French are sweating right along with the English-speaking Americans, but exhibitors TMO spoke with all were wiping their brows and feeling the heat. As one exhibitor put it, "Somebody crank up the AC in here!"
Sssshhhhhh! Letis be quiet!
Is it just that Americans are loud, or is it that Europeans speak softly? For this American and many others, Apple Expo is one hush above a library. Thereis not a loud drone of voices trying to talk over everyone else. Instead, the floor has a certain hush over it. Surprising at first, it becomes a nice change from other shows, and after a while, it feels more relaxing. "Europeans definitely speak in a lower tone," an exhibitor salesman said.
Giveaways are gone
It use to be that giveaways at Apple conventions were all the rage. T-shirts. Hats. Free gifts. Not anymore. Companies are cutting back and saving money. Itis no different at Paris Apple Expo. There are few companies giving anything away for free. Oh, how times have changed.
Tight security
Europeans might be use to it, but it was an unusual scene to see magnetometers at the Apple keynote address Tuesday. No one was spared a metal screening. Letis hope it doesnit come to this at Apple shows in the US, but as times change, so might our innocence at Expo events in the states. On top of that, everyone entering the convention must have all electronics marked with an adhesive sticker. If you donit have a sticker on an item when you leave, it can be confiscated.
A Jobs surprise?
Before Tuesdayis keynote, the joke was that Apple CEO Steve Jobs would appear during the iChat demo from his home recliner. It never happened, but the buzz was so great, you wouldnit have been surprised to see it happen.
iMac G5 happiness
The iMac G5 pricing for Europe was met with positive reaction Tuesday from reporters and consumers at Expo. In many cases, people were pleasantly surprised. While reporters from the UK thought the entry price of the iMac G5 would start at just over ?1,000, it came in at ?919, shocking many.
My empty poster tube
If you thought you were missing free iMac G5 posters at the Apple booth, as Apple has offered in the past when new CPUs debuted, guess again. There were no iMac G5 posters. The empty poster tube I brought all the way from the US is going home empty.