Mac Envy At Web 2.0

It's 11:00 a.m. I'm sitting in the audience of a session at the <a href="http://www.web2con.com" target="_blank">Web 2.0 Conference</a>, and I'm terrified. The power cord for my IBM ThinkPad snakes across the aisle, barely visible on the blue carpet, to one of the few power outlets in the eastern wall of the room.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

November 7, 2006

1 Min Read
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It's 11:00 a.m. I'm sitting in the audience of a session at the Web 2.0 Conference, and I'm terrified. The power cord for my IBM ThinkPad snakes across the aisle, barely visible on the blue carpet, to one of the few power outlets in the eastern wall of the room.I have my foot pressed on the cord to prevent it from being yanked from my laptop by passersby and possibly damaging the power connection port. I've already caught several feet with the outstretched cable and every time someone passes, I prepare for the worst. If I hadn't already spent my battery power at a previous session, I'd be cordless and carefree. An extra battery would be the answer, but I don't have one.

A woman sitting behind me plugged her laptop into the same outlet. She has a MacBook Pro, which features a magnetic power cable connection that's designed to detach when pulled. She too catches the foot of a passerby, but rather than having to hold on to her computer as if she'd just caught a swordfish, she barely notices when the cord snaps from her laptop. She casually reaches down, reconnects the cord, and resumes her note taking.

I have Mac envy.

About the Author

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

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