All Points North

I’ve just done a quick circuit of the floor at the 2010 Focus on imaging show housed in the NEC near Birmingham. It is, in a word, manic. I’ve seen more Nikon F2s and Vivitar 283s in the last ten minutes than I ever saw back in the day when I worked at Jessops (nee Tecno cameras).

There are A LOT of people here, which is good as it gives the show some life and proves that there are plenty of photo geeks with cash out there. As the name suggests everything photographic is here from the big names like Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony and Epson to some lesser well know brands doing really cool stuff.

Most amusing of all is the preposterous willy waving of camera kit aficionados whose main photographic pursuit, it seems, is to own and show off the most expensive camera equipment. There are some enormous telephoto lenses here all far too long to be used in a location like this, but still if you’ve spent a fortune on a camera lens you may as well show it off.

If you happen to be anywhere near the NEC and are interest in any aspect of photography then it’s well worth the £12 to get in.

www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/

1. Pah! It’s all smoke and mirrors they are evil.

2. Pah! They’ve been forced to do it because of that New York Times article.

3. Pah! Well they would say that wouldn’t they?

Few, if any will say:

That’s quite good.

Not yet audited, but I think I counted accurately.

20,000: Visitors over three days.

250: Exhibitors.

3: Press room tantrums regarding free coffee shortage. (not me I hasten to add)

5: Airport lounges.

4: Most bodaciously excellent and rad MacLife people met, @strngwys, @raguilera and @Ohthatflo (protected tweets to keep the riff raff out) @yasodic !!
. Plus that other guy, sorry other guy I forgot your name. My bad.

3: Free beers paid for by Microsoft.

1: Dives visited in the search for an ‘authentic’ San Francisco experience.

4: Sightings of ‘Mac publishing royalty’.

674: Brand new and exciting iPod/iPhone cases seen.

2: “It’s OK I’m a member of the media” moments seen.

32: Cups of coffee drunk each morning (estimate).

73: Number of times I said “I cannot believe how busy it is out there”.

458: Number of times I ended an interview with “So, do you have any iPad thoughts”?

1: Number of times that question was met with a stoney silence and an awkward PR interruption. (Brownie points for anyone who guesses)

2: Weird conversations regarding the sharing out of ‘our’ 99 virgins.

44: Number of virgins I will get as part of the deal.

227: Hands shaken.

2: People who immediately disinfected their hands with alcohol spray afterwards.

1: Throughly rude and selfish journalist in the media room demanding the most ridiculous hoops be jumped through.

1: Number of times I said “SHIT, are you kidding me”? (Hypermac buy Apple chargers and cut the cable off for their external battery pack).

1: Awkward silence after I said “SHIT, are you kidding me”?

345: Number of times someone said “Have you seen the Microsoft Office demo”?

344: Number of times they followed that with “Can you believe they only brought three screenshots”?

2: Times a PR told me something ’super sekret’ in the middle of a packed stand surrounded by people.

3: Press kits on USB memory sticks received.

17: Minutes spent explaining that ‘freelance’ wasn’t a UK Mac magazine.

965: Number of times I had to explain I was from England and it was their accent that was weird not mine.

12: Number of people who said “Ooh, Halifax Nova Scotia”?

12: Number of disappointed and confused people who didn’t realise that there’s more than one Halifax.

0: Number of Apple representatives at Macworld Expo.

9000: Times Apple’s absence came up in conversation.

8999: Number of people who thought Apple absence had actually made much of a negative difference.

1: People thrown out of a Macworld party (not me).

200: Mac journalists exaggerating the story the next day.

73: Number of times I said “All your money is the same colour and size it’s stoopid”!

72: Number of times someone said “If you don’t like our money the terrorists win”.

1: Number of times I was very politely asked to leave the Apple campus and leave Mr Jobs car alone. (not really, i made that up)

2011 January 25 – 29: The date for next years’ Macworld Expo.