Macworld expected to attract faithful despite Steve Jobs' absence

This year's Macworld Conference and Exposition might be its last — at least in its current incarnation. Apple doesn't run the Macworld show, as many casual observers would infer; instead, the exhibition arm of multinational firm IDG handles it. (Macworld magazine is part of a sister company that handles publications.)

Apple didn't so much stun as sadden many in the Mac community by announcing a few weeks ago this would be the last year the company would exhibit at the show and that Steve Jobs wouldn't deliver the keynote address. (Adobe and Belkin, two big exhibitors, pulled their presence from Macworld several weeks ago; it's not just Apple tightening up.)

Putting speculation about Jobs' health aside, as it's only relevant if he's seriously ill and not disclosing it to the firm's shareholders, Apple has been pulling out of trade shows for the last few years. The company has a control freak's personality, and would prefer to present its new offerings under its own banner. It's also vastly cheaper for Apple to schedule more modest announcements whenever it likes.

Still, Macworld is the Jerusalem or Mecca for the Mac faithful, many of whom consider each year whether they should make the journey to San Francisco to bask in the milieu and see everything that's new in the Mac cosmos.

For reporters and writers who follow the Mac industry, we gather to exchange memes, catch up and try to figure out what companies are up to. I usually learn more about what's happening in the Mac world in three days at the show than in the rest of the year.

Does this make a whit of difference to those who don't attend the show or aren't in the industry? For some, it may.

Smaller software developers and service providers have typically found Macworld a great way to reach larger audiences than what they could afford in advertising or direct mail. Developers in the Seattle area like John Chaffee (BusyMac), Brent Simmons (NetNewsWire) Gus Mueller (Flying Meat), Wil Shipley (Delicious Monster) and the Omni Group (OmniGraffle, OmniWeb) have managed to get a disproportionate amount of attention for bringing great products to the floor, sometimes through booths, but also through informal press and attendee meetings and get-togethers.

There's a big difference, even in an age in which we're all seemingly connected all the time, between sitting down with someone and showing them how software or a system works, and explaining it remotely over the phone or using remote demonstration software.

Macworld isn't canceled for 2010 by any means. The tough financial climate makes it likely that many vendors won't have the funds to renew for 2010, however. I expect a smaller show, probably more focused on the conference part aimed at creative professionals: those who use Macs for animation, video production, illustration and photography.

Favorite apps

Co-columnist Jeff Carlson and I can't review the thousands of programs now available via the App Store (using iTunes or via an iPod touch or iPhone), but we have our favorites.

• LogMeIn Ignition was just released ($29.95), and allows you to control a remote system by viewing its screen and having pseudo-access to its mouse and keyboard.

I've recommended LogMeIn Free for Mac (logmein.com) a few times in this column as a tool to reach computers you may need access to when you're away from them. Ignition, even at its relatively high price for an iPhone/iPod touch application, is worth the price.

• Boingo Wireless, iPass and Devicescape have all released Wi-Fi connections tools that make managing accounts far easier than they used to be. Boingo and iPass are Wi-Fi aggregators, reselling access to tens of thousands of U.S. and international locations for a flat monthly rate.

Boingo charges $7.95 per month (no contract required) for unlimited usage worldwide; iPass charges $6.95 per month (1-year contract) or $9.95 per month (no contract) for 1,200 minutes of use each month. Both their iPhone programs are free.

Devicescape lets you enter the account names and passwords for any Wi-Fi accounts you might have, as well as handles stored passwords for home and office networks that use passwords, and many free locations.

It offers Easy Wi-Fi ($1.99), which works with any network, and Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T ($0.99), which bypass AT&T's messy setup for using free Wi-Fi at AT&T-operate hot spots.

All four programs require that you select a network the first time you use it, then launch the program. The program logs in for you, and selects that network automatically in the future. No re-entering user names and passwords required!

• To pass the time, I find myself reaching for Frenzic ($4.99) far too often: it's a deceptively simple game, with fewer rules than Tetris, but with enough emergent complexity that the game becomes more difficult the more you master the easier early parts.

Glenn Fleishman writes the Practical Mac column for Personal Technology and about technology in general for The Seattle Times and other publications. Send questions to gfleishman@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists