Opening to mixed reviews
Space abounds for return of Macworld, but show's attendees in shorter supply
If anything shows Apple Computer Inc.'s transformation from cult status to niche company, it was yesterday's turnout for Macworld at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
The last time fans of Macintosh computers attended a Macworld Conference & Expo in Boston was in 1997.
That year, Apple's charismatic chief executive, Steve Jobs, was on hand -- and he stunned the audience by announcing an alliance with archrival Microsoft Corp.
It took two convention halls to hold all of the exhibits, and about 50,000 people showed up.
The new convention center, in South Boston, could easily have handled such a crowd. But fewer than 10,000 visitors are expected, and Macworld's 80 exhibitors don't fill one-sixth of the main exhibition hall.
There is no Jobs this time, and no Apple. The company is skipping Macworld this year, miffed that the show has returned to Boston, a relatively small market, after six years in the major media center of New York.
Warwick Davies, group vice president of IDG World Expo, which stages Macworld, declined to comment on whether the absence of Apple and Jobs had lowered the turnout.
''It's hard to say," Davies said. Still, he judged the show's first day a success. ''It's exceeding most peoples' expectations," he said.
Some attendees agreed. Anne Read, owner of Just Print, a design firm in Cambridge, said the show's networking and educational opportunities justified the price of admission. ''I've had two great connections and had one major question answered," Read said.
Others who were unhappy about the absence of Apple nevertheless were pleased with the overall show. ''The fact that Apple isn't here is a little disappointing," said Michael Carrera, training and support coordinator at Berklee College of Music, ''but there are lots of other vendors." He said that Apple ''will be missed, but we'll do OK."
Berklee ran one of the biggest booths at Macworld, demonstrating an array of music recording and editing software designed for the Mac.
Raymond Phillips, a school administrator from San Antonio, Texas, who traveled to Macworld with his son, Tyler, to see and hear the latest Mac audio software, wasn't troubled by the downsizing of the show.
''Berklee took up the slack here, especially for musicians," he said.
Bill Viall, chief technologist at Advertising Ventures Inc. in Providence, also liked the show, but was less forgiving of Apple's absence.
''It's a mistake that they don't have a presence here," he said. ''It adds to the perception that they're on the ropes."
In 1997, Apple was suffering massive losses that had many in the industry predicting its demise. Today, the company is solidly profitable, but its share of the personal computer market remains minuscule -- about 2 percent, said Frank Gillett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge.
''At 2 percent, they can be profitable and sort of an industry visionary, but not a major market mover," Gillett said.
He thinks Apple is looking to new markets to ignite growth. The company has had major success with its iPod personal music player. But Gillett cited a less-heralded effort by Apple to sell more of its high-end XServe server computers, as an alternative to machines that run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows software or the Linux operating system.
''In effect, it's a 'better Linux' argument," Gillett said. ''There's an open question there as to whether the industry will buy into it."
Apple was not pitching Xserve machines or anything else at Macworld yesterday, but there were plenty of companies that make Mac-related products. One last-minute addition was Microsoft, which nearly passed on the Boston show. The company usually has a major booth at Macworld shows. This time, it occupied a single table at a booth cosponsored by several firms, including Hewlett-Packard Co.
''We're still evaluating," said Microsoft product manager Jessica Sommer, who added that the company wasn't sure attendance at this Macworld would justify a bigger effort at future Macworlds, which the organizers are hoping to make an annual July event. ''Attending trade shows is a big investment."
But soon after the doors opened, Sommer seemed pleased by the size of the crowd.
''It looks good," she said. ''It's nice to see some smiling faces."
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. 