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126 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE IPC APEX EXPO 2023 in San Diego is in the books. If you weren't there, I have just one question for you: "Why not?" It was a phe- nomenal time to meet old friends and make new ones. The whole event had the feeling of yesteryear, before terms like "COVID" and "social distancing" dominated our lives. See- ing some individuals I had not seen for years was worth the price of admission. If you have never attended IPC APEX EXPO, you should know that it's not a typical convention. Yes, the usual exhibitors are showing the latest and greatest in fabri- cation and assembly systems. You will be impressed by the capabilities and many uses of AI, especially for PCB inspection, where it's becoming popular. Beyond that— and this year was no exception—there are the great speakers and fantastic keynotes offered each day. You might expect these perks at any conference, but APEX EXPO takes a sharp turn away from the norm in how every day of the event is one long "working" meeting, with various commit- tees conducting IPC business and working groups discussing IPC standards. One exciting (and overdue) event was the committee for the rewrite of IPC-2221 and IPC-2222. Believe it or not, it has been 14 years since the last revision to most PCB designers' go-to standards, which are the Generic Standard on Printed Board Design (IPC-2221) and the Sectional Design Standard for Organic Printed Boards (IPC-2222). With the many recent changes in the industry and in PCB design, it's necessary to take a new look at both of them and go through some badly needed revisions. Revising Standards and Empowering Students by John Watson • ALTIUM show review