

Apple announces final MacWorld, Steve Jobs won't deliver keynote - jasonlbaptiste
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/16/apple-announces-final-macworld-steve-jobs-wont-deliver-keynote/

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zain
<http://www.applecanceledchristmas.com/>

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jmtame
"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."

Translation: we no longer need our core group of supporters, we have
accumulated a snowball large enough to roll itself.

I did enjoy the Macworlds. Won't be the same without them. How will products
be unveiled from here on out? Just regular press releases and TV commercials?

Think Different.

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anthonyrubin
I think live in-store events would work well. I'm not sure about other Apple
stores, but the two I've been to both have large projection screens and
seating.

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petercooper
Would certainly work well for the press. Every Apple store could just get a
live feed (as well as test products) from the mothership for local press.

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dilanj
Will miss Stevenotes :'(

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alaskamiller
A big reason I think they're de-emphasizing MacWorld is the crazy swings it
brings in terms of stock prices and expectations. Apple isn't going to
introduce an revolutionary iPhone year after year, and year after year AAPL
goes through massive trade activities with speculators. We started holding up
a MacBook staring at the share price every year and watch it go freakin'
crazy.

Secondly, old media is dead. Long live new media. New media that we have in
place -- online news, pro and amateur blogs, twitter, rss, facebook, chat --
has easily outstripped the effectiveness of things like trade journals and
trade shows.

Thirdly, MacWorld has always been an odd compromise internally. Preparation
for it begins early but with that pesky Exodus (12/22 - 1/2) right in the
middle, it puts a rush on the rest of the 5 days to polish all of the marcomm
materials and presentations. Then you have the devs all stuck in SF for an
entire week.

If MacWorld was held at a later date then the costs might be justifiable --
it's why Apple left MacWorld Boston. The catch though is that MacWorld can't
be held at a later date lest it be trumped by CES. Either way, not showing up
Macworld is going to decrease the enormous strains an arbitrary January date
puts on the company. The Town Hall meetings are perfectly sufficient, a lot
closer, a lot cheaper, and a lot more controllable.

Also, Steve Jobs not doing a keynote isn't a big deal. Schiller will not be
his successor (I thought at one point it was going to be Forstall but that
idea went out the door), but if there's no big products to push, Steve might
as well just hand it off to his lieutenants. If and when Schiller announces an
Apple product, then be worried.

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jedc
Not only does it bring massive swings in expectations, but I'm assuming that
it brings massive swings in product development cycles, too.

Better to bring new products out when you think they're ready than according
to a pre-defined conference schedule. (Apple's prominent enough that they'll
always get media attention for any significant new product launch.)

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chaostheory
it feels like Apple is slowly gearing up for the time when Steve is no longer
at the company

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jasonlbaptiste
just a random thought. Maybe they're switching to CES? their focus for the
past 2 years has been "being a consumer electronics company".

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joop
No, read the press release. It actually makes sense. They get a pretty large
audience with their own activities and don't need the events anymore.
Arrogant, yes. Smart, maybe...

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gojomo
I wouldn't be surprised if come 2010, Apple launches its own replacement
tradeshow, covering all Apple product lines, and uses it for the big splash
product announcements.

"AppleWorld"? "AppleFest"?

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socmoth
aapl stock is down a lot because of it.

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tlrobinson
AAPL drops a few points every time Jobs sneezes.

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rms
I don't know, this might be a little more than a sneeze...

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sahaj
i liked what this guy had to say:
[http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.22144/browse_...](http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.22144/browse_thread/thread/a775e3cc11a270e9/9c07efecbf093584?lnk=st&q=#9c07efecbf093584)

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justindz
I just bought my first direct stock (non-index, non-mutual fund). A whopping
five shares of AAPL. I think this is non-threatening news for the company and
they are priced pretty well, currently, for holding longer than a year. Wish
me luck. Anyone else just grab some?

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Shamiq
I bought 10, for mostly the same reasons. If you don't mind divulging, what
broker did you use?

~~~
justindz
Some dude named Scott. He doesn't drip, but he comes highly recommended for
the non-professional who wants to go long.

