MacWorld San Francisco 2008

The consumer electronics industry let out a collective sigh of relief this week as Apple failed to unveil any new segment creating gadgets.

The big news was iTunes movie rentals, new iPhone software, and the MacBook "Air". Nothing for the industry to worry about, unless you're NetFlix or Blockbuster.

The iPhone software update is trivial; iPhone users are still patiently waiting for third party applications (From the Treo to the iphone: one step forward, two steps back).

The MacBook Air is sleek, expensive, and can't be upgraded. The case is sealed shut with the battery inside. It's a good computer for the "Design Within Reach" crowd, who can appreciate its' style and won't be bothered by its' shortcomings.

It wasn't a great MacWorld. It was just a good one. I'll come back next year and make more time to see the exhibits. I still don't know what was happening at the Google booth, and I didn't get a chance to check out the Griffin AutoPilot and Evolve wireless speakers MacBook based tablet from Axiotron. Damn my fear of crowds!