One reporters view of MacWorld Expo NY 2002

Ian Fried, one of the staff writers for CNet News has an interesting story regarding his visit to this years MacWorld Expo, recently held a few days ago in NY.

There are a few things that Mac users have come to expect at Macworld: black mock turtlenecks, countless demos and wireless Internet access.

Some of the Mac faithful were dismayed to discover that the wireless AirPort network set up by Apple inside the keynote hall of the Javits Center required a password, leaving both journalists and aspiring Web surfers disconnected.

Unable to access the real Internet, they set up computer-to-computer networks with names such as :-

"10.2 disks are under your chair" (they weren't),
"Apple to announce WorldCom merger" (it didn't),
"Public AirPort Zone" (it wasn't; I tried), and ...
"News Flash: Jobs to Wear Black" (he did).

It later became clear why Apple may have turned off the 802.11b wireless connection it helped popularize. A number of Apple's keynote demonstrations required the ability to trade instant messages and share files with those connected to a nearby wirelessly equipped Mac.

While not everyone was thrilled that Apple plans to charge $129 for the new version of its Mac OS X operating system, a number of those who walked away from CEO Steve Jobs' keynote on Wednesday were also puzzled by Jobs' pronunciation of the new version of Mac OS X, code-named Jaguar. Jobs pronounces the new version of the OS "Jag-WHY-ur."

Asked about the diction question, Jobs quipped, "Because I'm weird. Everyone tells me I pronounce it wrong."

News source: CNet News