While travelling the show floor, I was awestruck by the number and variety of iPad accessories. There were a few standard silicone and silkscreened cases from usual suspects Gelaskins and Musicskins, or the Subcostume that let you design your own case based on images of your choosing. And it was no surprise to see large industry players such as Monster and Sennheiser were showing off their latest headphones. However, the primary focus of the show was more about making the iPad part of your daily lifestyle.

Some vendors like Revena, Modulr and Vogel’s created a “system” by which you can easily mount your iPad on your desk, in your car, or on your wall without having to make any modifications to your iPad. The PadBracket was a straightforward bracket to safely hold your iPad in every room in the house as your move from place to place. Other vendors offered more specialized iPad environmental solutions like turning the iPad into a kiosk with Launchpad or using the iPad underwater or perhaps around the tub with DryCase.

Handstand, Us+U and Sleeve360 make devices that give you the ability to carry around your iPad like you would a portfolio so you can both easily work on it and quickly “spin” the iPad to show others. I really saw the value in these because, while I often will show people something on my iPad, I’m not too keen on letting the expensive device out of my hands. More than once my iPad has been dropped during that transfer. Fortunately I have the Otterbox (who was also at the show) Defender case for it, so drops usually don’t result in damage.

For the truly paranoid, you don’t even need to let your iPad leave your body as Alphyn had a pullover that allowed you to keep your iPad connected to you at all times. While it makes you look like something from the cyberpunk genre, the product has real practical applications in fields such as law enforcement. My favorite though was the ROKBed by Rokform (pictured above). This is an iPhone and iPad stand that is made out of aluminum gears and holds your iDevice in a multitude of positions. It just looks really cool sitting on your desk and will serve as a great conversation piece.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the darling of the show: the iGrill. The iGrill is a Bluetooth device that works with temperature probes to report back to your iPhone or iPad the status of dinner.

Vendors, of course realize that all this integrating your iPad into your daily life takes power, and lots of it. Kensington, Dexim, Boostcase, Hyperjuice, Technocel, and others all showed off their iPad and iPhone external battery solutions. I’ll be doing a few articles on these later.

The key takeaway from all these products is that more than a laptop or even an iPhone, people want to use the iPad everywhere they can. The iPad’s mix of power, usability, and downright fun accounts for its appeal in this regard.

While the iPad was everywhere, Mac solutions were barely noticeable. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft were absent this year, as Weldon noted earlier. Some specialized solutions for the music and enterprise communities were on display, but overall consumer-oriented solutions were few and far between on the show floor.

While Macworld may have very little to do with the Mac today, the show is still extremely important to the Apple community. Apple’s “curated” retail environment leaves out key products and accessories that for one reason or another, Apple doesn’t carry. Industry events like Macworld show there are great products out there that can really enhance and improve our overall user experience. What caught your eye at Macworld that’s missing from this list?

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What was the show floor like?

The first thing that struck me when I walked into the Macworld 2011 show floor on Thursday was how small it seemed when compared to years past. The show is entirely contained on the three floors of Moscone West. It used to be spread across both Moscone North and South (much bigger halls) for the expo and conference, and Steve Jobs gave his keynote in Moscone West. The booths are generally smaller and more tightly packed, however, so where the floor felt a little loose last year, this year there’s a sense of closely wound frenzy.

Who was there?

There are a lot of exhibitors here, but more first-time exhibitors, and more iDevice accessory vendors. Some of the biggest names in Mac software are missing: Microsoft, Adobe, Filemaker. Stepping up to take the anchor role are Omni Group, Nuance, Dr. Bott, HyperMac, and Smart Tech. Still, it does feel like there’s a definite lack of Mac hardware and software at the show, which I suppose makes perfect sense in a world where Apple sold only 4 million Macs last quarter, but 7 million iPads, 16 million iPhones, and almost 20 million iPods.

What was there to see?

I was hoping to find the cool stuff on the expo floor, figure out what was new and shiny and worth sharing with you today, but I’m at a loss. An old friend ran into me their and asked what I thought was the best thing on the floor, and I struggled to answer. There doesn’t seem to be much new on the Mac side, or for iOS devices either. Certainly nothing that struck me as groundbreaking. There is still cool stuff, to be sure, and plenty to check out, but I think ultimately vendors are moving away from the idea that they need to come to the show with huge announcements.

What was the crowd like?

Vendors at the show do seem to be happy with the foot traffic, particularly in the morning. One large software vendor shared that it brought the same amount of printed materials as last year, and had gone through more than half of them in the first day. Another well-known software company shared that even though it didn’t bring product to the show this year, it sold more units through its online ordering at the booth this year than it did physical product at the show last year. So apparently people are still coming to the show floor, and are still interested in buying software for their Mac. That sort of customer presence and engagement portends well for the continuation of Macworld.

The Conference sessions seemed to be well-attended by Mac professionals, which is a good sign for the show because vendors are extremely interested in getting time to talk to these folks specifically.

Was it fun?

Absolutely! I’ve been going to Macworld, off and on, since 1986 or so. I love seeing what’s going on with the Mac community and I love meeting up with colleagues and vendors that have become friends over the years. The best part for me isn’t the technology itself, but the people.

Will it last?

It certainly seems premature to declare that the shrinking floor size portends the imminent death of Macworld Expo. It may be smaller, but it is still strong and very much alive. It certainly seems to me that Macworld 2012 will be a success if it matches the success of this year’s event.

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Bill Atkinson

Member of the original Macintosh team at Apple Computer; photographer; app developer

Trends in Human-Computer Interface

Bill Atkinson, a legend in the Mac community for his work on the original Macintosh team, used his time to talk about the future of human-computer interaction. His basic premise is that future interfaces will evolve from the standards set by smartphone interface design. In particular, Bill focused on earpiece-based interface design. Where they now include audio and touch controls, future earpieces will incorporate video as well to capture what is going on around you and store that in the cloud through your connected smartphone. Bill’s idea of a “memory prosthesis” is certainly future looking. One of the better presentations of the day.

Jason Snell

VP & Editorial Director, Mac Publishing, LLC (Macworld magazine)

How Apple Does “It”

Jason was another good speaker. He focused on a few elements that make Apple successful. One of the qualities he appreciates in Apple is the ability to self-edit and leave things out of the product until they are ready (floppies, Bluetooth, and other technologies for the Mac and cut-and-paste on the iPhone are good examples). Being ready doesn’t mean just solving the technical challenges, but solving the user experience. Another quality Jason sees in Apple is a lack of sentimentality about products that aren’t working. One anecdote about Steve Jobs is that when confronted with a collection of old Apple computers at a company party celebrating their anniversary, his response was to ship all that “junk” off to Stanford. “You can’t look back in this industry,” Steve said.

Colin Crawford

CEO, Media7; former Macworld magazine contributor

What You Need to Know: Tablet Publishing Models

My favorite line from Colin Crawford‘s talk: “Publishers depend on volume to create audiences that can be packaged up for marketers.” This view of the publishing business drives his opinion regarding what is coming for digital publication. An opinionated personality, Colin saved some of his most scathing criticisms for magazine apps that require an instruction manual to use. “If that’s the solution, we are headed in the wrong direction.”

John Gruber

Writer/publisher, Daring Fireball; developer

Apple and the Open Web: A Love Story

John recycled his talk from Web 2.0 in October to make the argument that Apple, while not a web company in the sense of delivering products and services exclusively through a consumer-facing website (like Google or Facebook), is very much a web company in the sense of being dependent on HTTP to deliver content and services to its devices. A big part of John’s argument, and one I agree with, is that iOS and the web are not mutually exclusive. Native apps and web apps coexist quite nicely, and the App Store and the web aren’t at war with each other.

John Welch

Head of IT, The Zimmerman Agency; Macworld magazine contributor

Apple and the Enterprise

John Welch is a frequent contributor to Macworld magazine on the subject of Enterprise IT. In what amounted to a rant about people who complain that the Mac doesn’t fit with existing corporate IT, John repeatedly explained that the Mac fits in quite nicely. His strongest point was that even if Apple doesn’t lead the way in providing IT infrastructure solutions, the Mac and iOS devices play well with others that do provide that infrastructure.

Mike Lawrence

Executive Director, Computer-Using Educators (CUE)

Apple’s Role in Ubiquitous Learning

Mike talked about the future of education, which he described as being available anywhere and anytime, adapted to your learning style, and social. Apple devices are well positioned to provide a digital platform for not just textbooks that have been repurposed to the digital era, but also to new types of interactive learning content.

Alex Lindsay

CFO, Pixel Corps

The Here and Now, There and Tomorrow of Digital Video

Alex, known for his work on MacBreak, wrapped up the day talking about the future of video. He expanded on Mike’s talk about education by suggesting the human brain is wired to learn through watching someone else, that the modern habit of literacy and book-learning is only a recent development, and that people will turn to video as a return to the imitation method of learning once the distribution problem is solved. Of course, Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and other such devices are perfectly suited to deliver video to people wherever they happen to be.

The Industry Forum is a welcome addition to the Macworld schedule, and definitely proved to be an interesting way to spend a day. Follow the links above for more from any of the speakers whose thoughts sparked your interest, or share you own thoughts in the comments.

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