If Macworld Is Going To Survive, It Needs More Panels Like Fred Armisen’s [Macworld 2013]

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macworldbugSAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Witty, engaging, hilarious, beguiling — Saturday Night Live  and Portlandia actor Fred Armisen just gave a room of 2,000 people a Macworld experience they’ll never forget, and it had absolutely nothing to do with tech.

Fred Armisen meeting Steve Jobs back in 2006.
Fred Armisen meeting Steve Jobs back in 2006.

Oh sure, Fred regaled us with the story of what it was like to meet Steve Jobs after imitating the man on SNL for years before, but the rest of his banter revolved around his creative process as a comedy sketch artist and, though he’s not a massive Apple nerd, how MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and apps have helped him create some of the amazing characters and sketches we all know and love.

In all honesty, it’s been the highlight of the show for me here at Macworld, where there have been murmurs about the show’s future sustainability, and comments from the ol’ timers about how the show has lost its way.

I think there’s some truth to that. Macworld used to be a place where hoards of fans gathered to find out what’s new and cutting edge in the world of Apple. They gathered to hear Steve Jobs unveil a secret new product. They gathered to celebrate the products and history they love with their fellow Apple fans. Now, iPhone cases, iPad stands, and apps reign supreme in the main hall, and the show feels afloat in a state of flux.

Macworld needs to slough off the shows of yesterday…

So, as iThis and iThat consume and replace the memories of legacy Apple products and keynotes, and as the fans of yore get older and older, Macworld needs to slough off the shows of yesterday, the days when Apple was present and actually involved in the show, and focus now, not necessarily on the technology itself, but how people like Fred Amisen are using this new world of Apple devices to create, inspire, entertain, and live in our modern age.

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