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Wed, 17 Dec 2008 Apple at Expo: What went wrong?

Reacting to the news that Apple is pulling out of the Macworld Expo

Jason Snell, Macworld.com

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Tuesday’s news that Apple had announced that Steve Jobs wouldn’t be appearing at Macworld Expo and that the company would stop exhibiting at the show after 2009 came as a shock. I’m stunned that Apple has taken a 25-year-old event that has been the single best meeting place for the entire community of users and vendors of Apple-related products and treated it like a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of its shoe. But I’m not really surprised: Apple has been leading up to this moment for a long time now.

(Before I continue, a bit of disclosure. The company that I work for, Mac Publishing, does not run Macworld Expo. The company that runs Macworld Expo is IDG World Expo, a separate company that shares the Macworld brand name with Mac Publishing and shares the same corporate parent—IDG [International Data Group]. IDG’s corporate structure splits different businesses into different companies, each with its own budgets and management teams. So while I’m the editor of Macworld, my business doesn’t actually receive any money from the operations of Macworld Expo and isn’t judged by the financial results of Macworld Expo. However, the owner of my business is the owner of their business, so we’re cousins in the same corporate family.)

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The timing of the announcement stinks. It’s three weeks before the Expo keynote, and now Apple has decided to announce its plans not just for the keynote, but for the 2010 show? Why now? My guess is that the first announcement required the second. Imagine if Apple merely announced that Steve Jobs wouldn’t be appearing at Macworld Expo. Immediately the Steve-Jobs-health speculation machine would whip into action. Jobs not appearing at Macworld Expo would be used as fodder to fuel a million different pieces wondering about Apple’s CEO.

The announcement of Apple’s “final appearance” in 2009 dulls that speculation a little bit. It won’t go away—if you picked “three” in the pool to see how many comments it would take for someone in our story thread to speculate about Steve Jobs’ health, you win—but in making that second announcement, Apple has changed the story from one about Steve Jobs’ non-appearance into one about the death of Macworld Expo.

I don’t know anything about Steve Jobs’ health. And I really do hate idle speculation about the health of a human being. (Though I do believe that if he’s terminally ill the shareholders ought to be informed. Otherwise, it’s nobody’s business but his own.) Who knows the real reason for the exit of Jobs from the keynote? There are a nearly unlimited number of reasons that don’t involve the man’s medical history. Maybe there simply weren’t any earth-shattering products ready. Maybe someone at IDG offended someone at Apple. Maybe a product that was intended for release at Expo has been delayed, either for technical reasons or because today’s economy would make it a bad time to launch a new product.

NEXT: Apple doesn’t perform on your schedule

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Comments received


ChasMac said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Good for Apple. Their stock price gets slammed because of some imagined "disappointment" by the investing community after every MW keynote. "What, the new Product X doesn't include an Easy Bake Oven?!... blah, blah, blah". And we get the "Steve looks sick" B.S. Killing MW just eliminates that and takes the focus off of Steve which they're going to need to do anyway at some point. Will they still be a leader, an innovator? YES. Will they continue to gain marketshare in both PCs and smartphones? YES. Will they sell more products during the Xmas season because every Mac geek will no longer be waiting for MW announcements before buying? YES. Kudos Apple.

Robert Chambers said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

This event was never 'the single best meeting place for the entire community of users and vendors of Apple-related products'. Any reporter with that viewpoint needs to get out into the marketplace and talk to Mac developers and users internationally.

Rather it was an annual social gathering for a small elite of the Apple community who either had the good fortune of a suitable job, geographical location, or financial means to attend. For the broader community its demise means nothing more than the lack of an annual flood of blogging, reporting and hand-wringing. And its effect on sales: nil.

Specialised trade shows are dinosaurs in the 21st century. Companies now enjoy the technology and capability to hold launch events at a time and place of their choosing. Apple has already moved in that direction and it should come as no surprise to see their withdrawal. The writing was on the wall - it was never a question of if, only when.

David Jefferis said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

It's unfortunate timing on Apple's part to be sure, but trade shows have become an expensive dinosaur for many, including me. It's nice to glad-hand the clients, but cheaper (and better) to visit the best ones for one-on-one time, and e-market the others.

Some Guy said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

I don't think there's any chance at all of Apple attending CES. If they're not even going to NAB, they're certainly not going to show up and be a face in the crowd at NES.

Tony B said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

"Will they sell more products during the Xmas season because every Mac geek will no longer be waiting for MW announcements before buying? YES." - not what the figures are showing.

perk said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Conferences, environmentally and finacially speaking, are a horrendous waste of resources in this day and age. Especially for a technology company, whose promise is to bring all communication to your desktop.

Seven said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

@ Tony B - Yes I'm sure the figures would have reacted immediately to this entirely recent news. Wait, what?!

@ Robert Chambers got it spot on.

perk said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Conferences, environmentally and finacially speaking, are a horrendous waste of resources in this day and age. Especially for a technology company, whose promise is to bring all communication to your desktop.

Tony B said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

@Seven - These were figures for the "holiday" period which include the wonderful Black Friday flop.

RR said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

@Tony B - As much as I will miss the ritual keynote, this makes good business sense and will help to level out demand for Apple products. At the moment they suffer from sales dropping twice a year for a couple of months before the Macworld Expo and the Developer's Conference as everybody holds back from buying anything Apple in anticipation of a possible update announcement. I know that I'm holding out on a new iMac for this reason. Hopefully this news means a definite end to that cycle and more frequent new product announcements...

TN said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Apple desktops were down 38% over last years sales - that is a big drop. Not many people in the UK are going to want to purchase new computers as recession cuts deeper.

BB said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Apple Expo Paris has been cancelled following Apple's Macworld pullout. Going down!

en said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

Yes, you hear it first..... Steve Jobs'es health is TERMINAL.......

However, all of us are TERMINAL.

NO one gets out of life alive. Its just a matter of timing.... and we usually do not control that. :-)

Just a thought.
en

Glen said on Wed, 17 Dec 2008

@en - how bizarre. That has what to do with the article?

Andrew said on Thu, 18 Dec 2008

In the past, Apple have exhibited at the UK's MacExpo show in London. But they've been absent for a couple of years and because of that, even after merging with two other shows this year's show was utterly dismal. The visitors just won't turn up if the star is missing, and without visitors there's no reason for the third parties to spend the time and money to hold booths. There's absolutely no way that Macworld Expo will be in any way worthwhile without Apple's presence.

Neil Fiertel said on Thu, 18 Dec 2008

I many times considered going to the Mac Expo in S.F. Frankly, it is too expensive to go to a trade show, money better spent on the third party apps and equipment at the show. What I would llke to see is IDG set up an ubers webpage with ALL of the vendors chipping in to cover its deluxe wide coverage of their vendor's many products with an easy one stop shop for it on this site. Now this would be an Expo all year round and accessible to all of us world wide. The site could include quicktime talks by the vendors and reviewers and so forth...Great idea if I say so myself..Feel free, IDG to send me my cut for this fine idea!

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