WHEN
MacWorld: January 5-9
CES: January 8-11
ATTENDANCE
MacWorld: 50,000
CES: 150,000
GETTING IN
MacWorld: Macworld is public. Buy a pass ($299-$1895), lace up your New Balances, and show up.
CES: It’s a trade show, so buddy up to the office IT guys unless you still have an expense account. Better yet, start a tech blog and get a media pass.
MAIN DRAW
MacWorld: It WAS supposed to be Steve Jobs...
CES: It WAS supposed to be Bill Gates....
LIKE CITY, LIKE CONFERENCE
MacWorld: Earnest, a bit crunchy granola, overall a well-balanced blend of substance and style.
CES: Speed. Emphasis on plastics. Obsession with being thinner than the next model.
UNFORTUNATE SLOGAN
MacWorld: "You’ll never forget your first time"
CES: "See yourself in the digital economy"
SPEAKERS
MacWorld: New York Times singing tech columnist David Pogue
CES: Microsoft screaming CEO Steve Ballmer; Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer.
IN THE CRYSTAL BALL
MacWorld: Expect more than the pre-announced sneak peeks at Snow Leopard OS X. But will there be "one more thing"?
CES: OLED is the new LCD, along with better wireless HDTV. Expect lots of touchscreen action.
WATCH AT HOME
MacWorld: Nope. You’ll find Macworld clips online, but no full video. You really have to be there.
CES: CES’s Web site will have a full multimedia library with video of all speeches and events.
AFTER HOURS
MacWorld: Barstool debates on the merits of CS4 rage all night long in SoMA.
CES: The AVN Adult Movie Awards are in town too. What happens at CES…
A version of this article appeared in the December/January 2009 issue of Fast Company magazine.
