Top 5 Things To Check Out at Macworld 2010

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Lisa_Bettany
Photographer/podcaster Lisa Bettany is first in line for the 2009 Macworld keynote. CC-licensed photo by Scott Meizner.

Macworld 2010 opens today. It is the 25th annual gathering of Mac users. That’s right, 25 years!

But thanks to the absence of Apple this year, this “Mecca for Mac Heads” may be the last. So check it out while you can.

  • The show runs for 5 days. The Expo showfloor opens on Thursday at noon.
  • For the first time since the eighties, it now includes a Saturday. Expect big crowds, lots of kids.
  • There’s 250 exhibitors, down from 400 last year. Here’s the Exhibitor List.
  • Attendance is expected at about 30,000 visitors. (But most Expo visitors this year got free passes instead of paying the usual $25 fee).
  • People are hoping this isn’t the last Macworld but consider the history. As Jim Dalrymple notes: “Apple pulled out of Macworld Expo Boston/New York — it failed; Apple pulled out of Macworld Expo Tokyo — it failed; Apple pulled out of Apple Expo Paris — it failed.”
  • Macworld Expo Floor Hours: Thu 2/11 12pm-6pm; Fri 2/12; 10am-6pm Sat 2/13; 10am-6pm
  • Twitter hashtag is #macworld2010

And here, in chronological order, is the top 5 things to do at the show:

The Macworld All-Star Band will play at the Circue du Mac Party on Thursday night. CC-licensed photo Lee Bennett.

Cirque Du Mac Party — the best party at Macworld

Macworld parties are down this year — way down. Check the anemic Hess party list. But no worries: the best party at Macworld for the last few years is up and running as usual — Cirque du Mac. Held at the Broadway Studios nightclub in San Francisco’s strip club district, the party is usually packed, raucous and boozy. Music is provided by the Macworld all-star band, a jam made up of mostly Mac writers, who are very, very good. Hosted by The Mac Observer and BackBeat Media (CultofMac.com’s advertising partner), Cirque du Mac is invite only, but where there’s a will there’s a way. It’s not too hard to blag tickets if you really, really try.

Thurs. Feb. 11; 9:00 PM – 2:00 AM

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