Recently, after many years of just passing through the Chicago airport, I actually stayed in the Windy City. It was a delightful experience, as I got the opportunity to enjoy Chicago hot dogs, its famous pizza and many other of its special culinary delights.
On the Apple Computer front, advertising was visible on several downtown outdoor displays. I also visited the CompUSA store right off of Michigan Avenue.
Apple had a good presence in the store: iMacs were stacked high as customers walked through the front entrance. Additionally, there was a well-stocked "Store within a Store" that featured every Mac configuration currently available. What's more, there were a lot of people visiting the area, most of which were a younger 20s or so set. All in all the store had lots for the Mac enthusiast.
The next day I visited the world famous Sears Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world. On the day I was there, they were getting ready to dedicate a new observatory on the 103 floor. It was a sight to behold. In addition to the beautiful view, there were displays detailing Chicago history. It was also designed as a high-tech exhibit, as computers were located at each observatory deck. The computers were designed to provide visitors with information on landmarks visible from the tower.
I say "designed" because several of the devices, which were Gateway all-in-one computers running what appeared to be Windows 98, were locked up due to some type of error message.
I chuckled when I saw this, wondering how many thousands of dollars had been spend on the new exhibit, only to have it marred by defective technology. I will give those responsible for the exhibit some slack, as it is still being finished.
I guess the same could be said for Windows 98.