Apple announces final MacWorld, Steve Jobs won't deliver keynote
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Dec 16th 2008 4:51PM
posted Dec 16th 2008 4:51PM
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.
Update: Oh, and just to clarify, this is merely Apple's last MacWorld, not the last MacWorld. IDG just made a statement confirming that it's on for an Apple-free MacWorld 2010 at the Moscone Center -- January 4th through 8th if you're planning ahead.
[Thanks, JBCornelius]
WOW
I'd say. Not that i'm the biggest fan, but why give up on a good thing?
"trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers"
I call bullshit. It is because of the tradeshows that blogs across the land halt EVERYTHING and dedicate that hour or so for headlining everything Apple announce, and glam over it like a kid sister would over the new Britany CD. Engadget was a major player in providing the Hype that Apple has received, most in part due to the trade shows, the "secrets", the skepticism.
It wont be as fun anymore. For Jobs not to complete what he started? Kinda wish it would have ended full circle.
@rock99rock:
I think they pulled out for almost the exact reason you're talking about. It can actually be extremely negative for a company to have the entire tech-o-sphere focused on them for a tradeshow if they don't actually release anything new or have anything tremendously interesting to talk about...messes with the stock some times.
I don't get it. What's the rationale behind this decision?
I'm no Mac/Apple person, but I could easily see they are in the peak of their success, and rising. Why pull out of Macworld? Would it even be called Macworld without Apple on it?
Not to mention Jobs won't be there too?? Something's not right. I was SOOOO looking forward to Jobs announcing the iPhone HD with the hi-res screen, front cam, and new G-sensors this year.
@rock99rock
Nothing is stopping Apple hosting their own special events, as they often do. They get the same hype, and cost a helluva lot less.
@nick - I'll second that; their share price flopped when they didn't announce anything particularly exciting at their last event and I lost a bunch of money!
@Nick & Ross,
I can very much understand your counters and appreciate them.
@rock99rock
I agree. CES is doing great. The only issue Apple has with Macworld, IMHO, is the timing. They would definitely love to push out new products right before the holiday season rather than beginning of the year. Apple will, no doubt, be hosting couple of State of the Unionesque "events" in Jan / Feb time frame to chalk out it's plan for the year and to push it's stock prices up.
Yes, it does suck. The showcases are how I initially became interested in Apple, and if it wasn't for them, then I probably wouldn't give a damn.
It's disappointing that Jobs won't at least be there and ready to take a round of applause for his efforts.
@rock99rock
MacWorld is only once a year... but there's PLENTY of Apple news all over the web all year.
A Macworld without Apple?
That would be interesting!
It will lead to the ultimate demise of the MacWorld Expo eventually; other vendors will start pulling out, attendance will drop, and funding will be inadequate.
Keynote is a presentation software right ?
So, I guess there is no problem since the market is full of MAC software like that, right ?
Ha ha ha ha... MAC users face once more the difference between an "I am a MAC and I am a PC" !
@Pumapayam: I'll have to disagree with that.. with the statement you just made, then it also means that PC companies such as HP or Dell must be doing really bad because they dont have a "Expo" to show case their product and we know that this is clearly not the case.
Your random looks at the floor will be missed...
@Alex
You said:
"I'll have to disagree with that.. with the statement you just made, then it also means that PC companies such as HP or Dell must be doing really bad because they dont have a "Expo" to show case their product and we know that this is clearly not the case."
My response
MacWorld is NOT an official part of Apple. They are a separate entity that holds a conference to showcase Apple products. Apple simply attends or "exhibits" there.
I never said it will be the end of Apple, reread it. It WILL lead to the end of what will simply be an Apple fanboy meeting, without Apple attending.
Apple will continue to hold their own conference on their own terms.
I can already hear the screams of fanboys jumping to their deaths.
Oh, man... What about "BOOM!" and "One more thing"? :-(
alas, the king is dead.,introducing the new era of cowon fanbois..,we found the iphonekiller/touchkiller....
this could only hurt apple ,.rumor that acer n the storm n archos will lease that section
An End of an Era... and His Holiness Steve Jobs won't be there to witness? ... BLOODY HELL!
(Speaking for the Apple Fanboy in all of us!)
WTF is Engadget going to write about now? I predict Engadget will be traveling to DC for some bailout money by the end of 2009.
"In related news, Macworld 2010 will be headed up by none other than Bill Gates"
@Page
... and Steve Balmer. In place of Apple's exhibit, will be a new kind of fun! Actives will include such things as "Yelling and Screaming at the Top of Your Lungs", and "Chair Dodging"! If you can dodge a chair, you can dodge a/an Ball/Apple.
I'm CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING..........
This is unbelievable! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........
wow.. kinda sad actually..
Agreed. Jobs must be in bad shape.
Very!
"..trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers."
No it hasn't Apple, that's actually how you generate buzz, getting Engadget to post a LOT of posts, getting a different image and let me cry as a little baby /:
What about WWDC?
Not really... that just means more "Let's Rock" and "Notebooks" events, as well as WWDC. The Stevenote won't die.
This is not sad.
Thank GOD I won't have to stop reading my favorite tech blogs for weeks at a time now as they report on nothing but Apple leading up to one of these overblown commercials disguised as conferences.
ONE MORE THING - good riddance.
@ AVG: Low ranked, for your comment and your poor choice of anti-virus software.
RIP steve jobs
I can only describe this as "A bag of hurt".
Sorry, had to.
It IS sad - Steve Jobs is one of the few people I consider to be an excellent public speaker and someone who knows how to use Keynote slides to good effect, rather than death by PowerPoint. Bring back the Stevenote...
Less hype, more incentive to focus on reality. What's to be sad about?
Start buying Apple stocks NOW! They'll drop like... apples...
But, after announcing a new, revolutionary, uber product in January, they'll rocket jump and THAT'S when you start selling ;)
WOOT!
Anyways, I hope this news isn't related in any way to Steve's health state, this'd be really sad.
Hm, it is a bit disappointing. Now I'm gonna have to wait for obscure events such as the "Let's Rock" event to get my hit of apple showcasing. Damn. If I have to listen to Schiller give an entire showcase, god have mercy on my soul. Nah, Schiller's alright.
@Jakob
I absolutely agree that this is bad news since MacWorld was undoubtedly the highlight of the Mac calendar for the average Mac user (developers will still get WWDC and I don't expect that to disappear). However, I do disagree that this will have much impact on the company's abilities and it might actually be a positive thing as far as new products are concerned. One of the highlights of the event has always been the announcement of new products but these have often been criticised for not being ready for launch. Hopefully the change will mean that product announcements in the future, which will no doubt continue to generate the press that they do today, will be for products that are ready. Having to have things ready for a calendar date has never sat right with me.
I don't see the announcement having any impact on Apple or its products but I do see it having an impact on the overall community. The timing of this announcement certainly sucks in a very big way.
@patrickcrutchley
Apple share prices just took a tumble when you said that...
/slaps faces
Thank you Apple fanboys…that’s how we treat ya!
Love,
Steve
BOOOOOOOOOOO
Figures. Even Microsoft still attends and holds conferences. Tradeshows spread more buzz on the internet compared to the number of people who attend. The lack of a tradeshow can sometimes signal a financial implosion or greed.
Hardly...... (neither implosion or greed). Apple will keep running its product announcements through the year. These get way more buzz for the buck (and you gotta wonder sometimes what the hoopla is all about). Microsoft runs its developer conference and Apple will no doubt continue to run its WWDC event. But MacWorld is too single-company focused. At least CES has an array of companies but even that is dying. Besides, with Engadget, who needs to travel to San Francisco once a year. Blogs and podcasts provide more than enough product coverage. All that's missing are the airline pretzels and the salesgirls.
Hmm... Kinda strange though. Yes, trade shows are of less importance now, but man, they get a HELL of a lot of publicity when they announce new products at Macworld.
Though maybe that's because of the products, not the conference...
-Taylor
Taylor,
Thanks again, Taylor. I wasn't sure if your name was Taylor - but you clarified. Redundancy is only important for data backup, Taylor.
they will still get the publicity but on their schedule etc.
as for the whole Phil thing, the world has this notion that Steve Jobs IS Apple and over the last few events he's been bringing out others to show the world that he's not the only guy there. this is just the natural conclusion.
Hi, I'm Chris
Taylor,
You're funny.
-Chris
----------------------------
Chris
Engadget Commenter
My name is Ellen Feiss, and I'm a student. Engadget is like, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep...
Ellen Feiss, student
I was going to say one last day of engadget blogging about apple.
But we all know that not true.
One less day not one last day.
I'd prefer one last day...
WTF?! No more Apple trade shows?! Where will the fanboys go?!
We'll go to the special events. The beat goes on, iPhone Roadmap, etc. It just means that apple won't be pushing out products so they can get two big releases per year.
But still... No stevenote? *Sits in the corner and cries...*
MacWorld is not run by Apple. Apple still will hold their own conferences. They attend or "exhibit" at MacWorld. There is a difference.
I wonder how this will affect the Apple stock. This is the most important.
And don't be sad... Dear Leader will continue broadcasting from his underworld office ;)
I mean, UNDERWATER office. Sorry, did not mean to abuse anybody...
He will record messages and they will play them each year, like Harry Seldon in The Fondation from Asimov.
I don't mean to take anything away from Apple.....
But how are retail stores and websites in any way new or innovative?
On topic though......I wonder how much of this has to do with the rumors of Steve's health.
I Know why he not gonna be there ,.he saw what happened to bush,he afraid of flying shows,.,.
The difference is that Apple makes more money per square feet than Tiffanys. Their concept has worked better than say Dell's...
I am actually a little depressed after reading, and I am even more depressed that El Jobso won't be giving the last Keynote. NOOOO!!!!
i think its because they have to many products to release in the coming period; so they cant waste time in keynotes every time a new product is released
Sad mac
The part about using apple stores instead of macworld and expos is complete and utter bollocks. Who ever agrees with that is really stupid.
Well that sucks.
Engadget loves anything having to do with Apple and Netbooks, it's official!
So as soon as Engadget reports on a major vendor and exhibitor at MacWorld, the one the event is DEDICATED to, they are fanbois?
I think this has something to do with Steve's health.
No but I mean come on if you read this site enough you, like some others and I, would have realized already that my comment was true and I'm not talking about the MacWorld post specifically so it was dumb to even respond with something like that anyway. I have noticed this over time and just decided to post on this news story. It's not like I even care that much about what they report on but i just noticed the amount of posts having to do with Apple/netbooks. Really? They posted that one review on the little revisions of the macbooks when you know if it was hp or acer laptop they could have cared less. Don't get me wrong, I like Apple products and think they are of top quality, but its pretty easy to spot when they are talked about more than most other things. Netbooks aren't necessarily bad either but its the same point. I know it was a long winded response but all well.
Forgot to mention that they even FEATURED that review on the almighty Apple's laptop revisions
Well this certainly sucks.
aww that sucks. i love watching those keynotes.
I'm really excited about there being no Stevenote this year!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :(
Maybe thats a good thing to set an end to this era. Apple has to change its ways and i would be happy if steve jobs would choose someone else to lead the developement. maybe then we will have some innovation again. he is ther to long.
Coming January 2010... the "One more thing" expo!
you mean "one last thing"
Nope, he means "one more thing" ...
They finally realized they can't keep feeding the hype machine every time. It's reached the point that regardless of what they announce, it will be perceived as underwhelming more times than not.
I think this is really the reason. Apple has been expected to announce new stuff at this show. With a few exceptions it was impossible to live up to the hype.
This will allow them to announce when they want to. Announcing new products in January is pretty stupid anyway. Better in June (back to school) and in September (for holiday sales).
why won't steve be there?
Look, I have no inside information that Steve has cancer, or what he's facing. But he's sick, something is eating him. My brother died of liver and colon cancer at age 29 earlier this year. The most terrifying part was watching a six-foot-five, 275 pound man waste away to skin and bones in six months. Steve's illness may not be this drastic, but it's easy to see that he's sick. Who knows how many people he's told, what corporate knows, etc. Heck, he can keep it private, that's fine. But the fact that he's not doing the keynote in a few weeks, and there won't be another trade show, and we're only just hearing this NOW is all we need to know. Companies don't behave in this rash a manner unless they are responding to a critical situation. Apple is a strong company with a ton of engineering and marketing talent, and will continue to be strong, but everybody knows Steve Jobs can't transcend mortality.
/We do know that, right?
Maybe not. He can distort reality though.
Wow, that is surprising. The anticipation on the internet in the days leading up to a Stevenote is beyond anything I have ever seen, and this move will kill all of that. At the very least, Steve should be there to give one final performance. If people knew the previous keynote would end up being his last, I think people would have been flipping out about it.
Is Steve about to buy the farm, as the rumors have been saying since news of his cancer came out? That's the only reason I can really think that they'd do this, especially doing the last one without Steve.
Oh noes! This means that they've finished their RDF rebroadcaster, and Steve no longer needs to do yearly re-RDFings. Crap!
::tinfoilhat::
Thats probably the worst and most unneeded comment of all time. Both of them.
WTF cares. Other than Mactards.
Shareholders.
@ G.I.
Obviously you cared enough to waste 60 seconds of your life commenting and confirming it. Congratulations, 60 seconds of your life is gone because of something you didn't care about.
Lol, I would laugh if Steve Jobs wasn't there, but appeared as a hologram, just like Bill Gates did last summer.
Then Fanboys would revere Jobs as a god (or at least more than already), and say that was the most innovative thing ever done. Ever.
Oh this is rich.
I can't WAIT to see what the guys at Macrumors are going to say to this.
Imagine the reaction of all the people who bought their keynote tickets.
"Orrrr Norrrrb"
Wow. End of an era, indeed.
The audience that Apple reaches now is very different than even 5-8 years ago. The soccer mom buying an iPhone or the tween getting her first macbook don't know and don't care about macworld. Apple can get the word out through small product launch events and advertising.
Yeah I'm not sure about the end of all trade show - NAB was scaled back cause they had nothing to show. Next year I think it will be a different story - I don't think it will be a surprise if we see FCS3, seeing as though its been 2 years of FCS2.
Good riddance. I'm tired of the hype surrounding these dog and pony shows. How about they just steadily upgrade/update their systems on a regular basis and save the press events for actual new products. As a buyer of business systems, I like knowing a published time line of upgrades and new products. That way, I can easily adjust my budget and purchase schedule to match new products (I'm looking at you, 1st Quarter, Dell XT2).
I see someone like Bill Gate's last years move @ CES ........... unfortunately that someone isn't as rich as El-Gates....... at least not to my knowledge.........
And ofcourse I'm so poor........... :-)
On the plus side to this, at least I won't have to see 20 straight Apple related posts on Engadget during the keynote, followed up with a sidebar advertisement of "Macworld wall to wall coverage!" that will sit on the page for 2 weeks.
With a fanbase as rabid as Apple's the trade shows are really an after thought now days. I mean months before the unibody macbooks came out there were rumors and cases and concepts let loose, Apple could sell millions and never even officially announce it.
Wow, this is sad news... I'm not even especially into Apple's overpriced wares and I still enjoy MacWorld. Stopping them entirely is unnecessary, I wonder why they're doing this. The reasons they state don't seem that valid.
Wow. I really hope Steve's healthy,