SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Browser dependent exhibitors were brought to a grinding halt Friday as Mac Expo suffered a Web outage going on three hours.

Journalists, exhibitors and their guests were unable to access Web sites beginning at around 11a.m. PST. Intermittent access continued for an hour before to sites could be reached after noon PST. At press time, access was still down.

Attendees trying to access their e-mail either wirelessly or at the Apple User Group kiosks were perplexed and ultimately frustrated.

"Can you get in?" Jerry Maynes of Denver, Colorado asked. "I canit get anything," said Simon Davies.

It was that way across the south hall of the Moscone Convention Center. Anyone trying to access the Web or e-mail in the Apple booth was met with the same results.

"Trying to show people the online Apple Store is a little difficult," said Tom Brooks of Apple Computer. "Weire writing down Web addresses on paper and handing them out,."

A representative of show organizer IDG World Expo was not immediately available for comment or explanation as to what was causing the problem. Web access is maintained by the Moscone Convention Center.