How To Cover Macworld Live

I’m semi-well known around the Macworld Expo press pool. Even when I’ve missed a year, I still have people running up to me during the next keynote begging me to stop covering it live and help them cover it live. Usually I just shake my head and tell them they’re way too late to fix their woes.

So, without further ado, how to cover Macworld Expo’s Keynote Live.

1) Have a laptop and a spare battery fully charged. You will be tempted to wait in line and surf the web. Outlets are scarce. With a good laptop you can make the keynote on one battery… but if you use it in line, you’re going to be saying bye to your readers mid-keynote… not good.

2) Do not rely on WiFi or Bluetooth. Even media-only WiFi gives out during the keynote. it’s comical to watch people helplessly try to connect, hitting Airport menus endlessly. Those usually are the same people asking you how you’re able to get on the web.

Bluetooth is even worse. The channels are so polluted that even two paired devices now have trouble connecting.

3) Use a phone with a USB cable. Being hard-lined right to your own dedicated wireless internet connection is the best solution. Be as non-rival as possible with others in terms of connection.

4) Check your network as best as possible. There have been years where the keynote hall was actually open to traffic pre-show. Now, that’s probably not an option these days (I remember just being able to walk in, sit down, and see prototype Power Mac 7600’s being carted in)… but you should have a general idea of coverage around the hall. If Cingular is a dead zone all around the hall… you should know it’s not going to work for you. Borrow a cell phone from a completely different network if possible as a backup.

5) Bring CellBoost or a second battery. The higher the traffic, the higher the power drain on your phone to keep a signal. Worse, you’re going to be stuck in line for a couple of hours… you’re going to pull up pages on your phone… your phone can run out of power.

6) Babel on incessantly about waiting in line to your readers… like you’re the one being stuck. Especially complain if it’s raining, and post useless statistics about the weather.

After that, you should be set to cover a Macworld keynote live.