Weekly interest and loan rates | Northwest stock contest 2003 Tax tips | Consumer affairs | Home values

Comdex a shadow of itself

By Kim Peterson
Seattle Times technology reporter

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

LAS VEGAS — Comdex organizers had said the event would be scaled back this year, but no amount of advance notice could have prepared some attendees for the shock of exactly how small it would be.

The show fills one floor of one wing of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it has the feel of a basic, insiders-only trade show. Exhibitors are laid back and spend time talking to attendees.

On the other hand, booths such as the Nippon Primex printer showcase are dead. Only a few organizations and companies are having Comdex parties. Bus and taxi drivers aren't as busy.

About 20 Greyhound buses are ferrying attendees from the Convention Center to hotels this year, compared with more than 50 in the past.

Let's party! — not: Microsoft insists it isn't having a party this year, but it's hard to imagine a Comdex without a throwdown from the folks in Redmond.

Last year, the company held a memorable Tablet PC bash at Mandalay Bay's impressive Aureole restaurant, where it served crab and caviar and gave guests bottles of wine. Microsoft said it would be more low key this year, but it has by far the largest exhibitor space on the convention-center floor.

Who is that man? Is Sun Microsystems making fun of Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer in its latest television commercial? Hard to tell.

The advertising spot, shown here before Chief Executive Scott McNealy's keynote yesterday, tells the story of a man in an elevator who receives business pitches from people as he stops on every floor. At one stop a balding man with a distinct resemblance to Ballmer promotes his software.

"Don't worry about security," he says. "It's a nonissue. We sent out an e-mail."

Secure talk: Speaking of Sun, McNealy used David Letterman's Top 10 list format yesterday during his keynote speech with a roundup of the Top 10 voice-mail messages executives don't want to hear from their information technology guys. Among the list:

"Of course it's secure. They couldn't call it trustworthy if it wasn't secure."

"The network's down? No way. That's messed up."

"No problem. We can restore those files just as soon as I finish this game of Everquest."

"This is great. The guy with the camera said we're all going to be on '60 Minutes.' "

And finally ...

"Those IBM Global Services guys are great. They never go home."

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company