The last year that Apple participated in Macworld was 2009. Since then, the annual gathering at Moscone Center in San Francisco has been struggling to reinvent itself and it may finally have found a new identity in 2012 as a showcase for the arts.
Strolling through the trade show floor last week and in the “Midway” on the second level, attendees could only wonder whether they were touring a high tech trade show or an elaborate art and wine festival. Musicians played throughout the day at numerous locations, there were galleries of artwork displayed (all based on the use of various Apple technologies), and filmmakers showed off their latest creations generated on iPhones and iPads.
In one corner, Corliss Blakely, a Vermont artist, demonstrated how the iPad has transformed her work using digital “paintbrushes” made by Nomad Brush. The resulting artwork is transferred to canvas using a special Epson printer. “Now I can paint anywhere,” says Blakely. “I’m no longer tied to my studio.”
In another corner, crowds of attendees watched hourly demonstrations of a new iPad application that transforms the device into a highly effective video camera. The technology, developed by i4software, is ridiculously easy to use and allows users to edit footage completely on the fly. Another vendor, Global Delight, just released a similar app for the iPhone that lets users make highly entertaining videos, again offering technology that is simple and easy to follow.
If you are an avid comic book reader, there are now a growing number of companies who are offering the latest superhero stories in full digital glory. ComiXology showed off a free iPad/iPhone app that lets users focus on a comic frame by frame or full page as they might choose (you must still pay for the comic itself, between $.99 and $2.99 per issue). And the issues are available digitally the same day they are released in print.
Sandwiched in between all of this artwork and filmmaking was a vendor called Spicebox who showed off iPhone cases with a bottle opener on the back. While there’s nothing terribly advanced about a bottle opener, the product (called Intoxicase) is paired with an interactive app that is triggered on the phone as soon as the cap is popped. By identifying when the user opened a bottle, the phone app can track what they drink and how much, including calling a taxi if things get truly out of hand.
Throughout the course of the 3-day conference there were group sessions that featured rock bands, a drum circle, an iPhone film festival, and something called “mass participation TV” where anyone can join the ongoing story. One of the show’s “main stage” speakers was Susan Orlean, a widely recognized author and journalist who frequently contributes to The New Yorker. “I’m proud to be referred to as a geek,” Orlean breezily told the gathering, and then went on to relate a story of how she used her smartphone while giving birth. In the digital age, it’s all about sharing and there was plenty of it to go around at this year’s Macworld.
Comments