2009 to be Apple’s last Macworld Expo: No Stevenote this year
Let the speculation on Steve Jobs’ health begin….
Apple issued a press release today stating that 2009 would be the last Macworld Expo in which the company would be participating. Of particular interest, Phil Schiller will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Expo, not Steve Jobs.
” CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.”
Why didn’t they just end that with “Oh and by the way, there’s no Santa Claus either” ?
Holy crap. This is the end of an era.
More like the end of my stock portfolio. Unfortunately, I’ve lost too much money to sell my AAPL…
🙁
@The Dr.
I feel you on that one 🙁
Ouch, bad timing — being so close to MacWorld. I think it would have been a softer blow had Steve announced the end himself on stage. I also think Apple is underestimating the reach of MacWorld. Sure, not many people can go, but how many thousands of people download, stream, or follow it live via numerous blogs? Also, so many look to the event for product launches. It’s a sad day.
Stock down $5.50 so far…
@Jon, but those people follow every Apple press event the same way. Everything is live blogged, Apple posts the video later in the day. This is actually a good move IMO. I’m tired of the “wait until January” advice. Now we have no reason to anticipate the entire Apple world will change two weeks after Christmas.
No Stevenote?!
Then who’s gonna announce the iTablet 2 years from now?
Ok, seriously now, nex year we’re just gonna have to refresh apple.com like crazy and figure out what’s new with the new Macs?
No more “one more thing”??
No more “boom”?!?!!?!
There’s still gonna be WWDC and the special events..right? RIGHT?!?! pleease?
Hold on to your AAPL. It’s still one hell of an investment.
Re: The MacWorld withdrawal. Apple will do something spectacular to replace IDG’s program. Why spend money to appear at MWSF while IDG is charging admission when you can do your own thing?
They need to start doing some serious product announcements themselves then because, in the current climate, there is a big hole in the lineup to answer cheap desktops and netbooks.
They should have stopped after the iPhone and gone out with a real bang. No product launch or announcement since then, or for a long while, will match that hype. I think Apple just got tired of having to do a pony show every Jan,
Give me some rotten fish. I like the smell better than this.
Ouch… this sucks! I guess I can quit asking my employer in vain to send me to MacWorld each year.
🙁
seriously, you lost money on Apple!? I didn’t think that was possible.