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Sad, but true. Hit generation rules.

did you here? jobs is already dead, but he forsaw all this and filmed the keynote a few months ago. the rest of the keynote that he wasn't able to film will be done in 3d by pixar.

RIP stevie, may they keep you frozen with walt disney so that one day in the future they can revive you.

What about WWDC? Will we still see keynote addresses there?

Dec 16, 08 - 04:50 pm Comment from: The Dude

I guess Apple cannot justify spending the millions of dollars in this economy to have Jobs take stage at Macworld... especially when Apple can send out special invites to attend at Cupertino, generate more "buzz" and spend way less money.

Smart on the part of Apple really. RIP Macworld.

The Dude abides.

Dec 16, 08 - 04:50 pm Comment from: ericdano

Meh, I'd look forward to LIVE webcasts from Apple where they will announce killer products.

Dec 16, 08 - 04:50 pm Comment from: Gman

omg, I'm depressed now...to watch Jobs, was a "to do" on my bucket list.

:-(

They were great.

Dec 16, 08 - 04:54 pm Comment from: Jubei

Since its the last, why not do one last keynote SJ? I wonder if there some bigger deeper underlying issue here.

Dec 16, 08 - 04:55 pm Comment from: pastrychef

I hoped I would never see this day...

Dec 16, 08 - 04:56 pm Comment from: HMCIV

Expect new Mac Product Releases to be announced from Infinite Loop.

@jubei

you nailed it. i heard in the last fire at apple HQ, the steve job clones were burnt to a crisp. so they are putting steve in deep freeze to save his DNA.

Awww, this sucks so much! I loved when Steve intros something and everyone cheers. I got into Apple recently so it seems like they have been doing this forever, and now it's gone!

Is it still going to be called Macworld then?

Dec 16, 08 - 05:00 pm Comment from: Darkness

Apple is finally giving in and planning to attend CES. Steve will take Bill Gates' slot as featured keynoter.

I'm not sure if I'm joking or not about this...

@HMCIV
Right! And I think Apple will be happy to avoid all the pre-EXPO rumor mongering over what new products will be announced each January. I know I will. Now, Apple can make such announcements when and if it has any to make.

My Take.

Hey we needed you to give to company buzz when we were smaller but we have out grown you now so F yourself, I mean it's me not you really. All to Apple loyalists (Me included), can forget about taking the pilgrimage to se his highness Steve.

Steve is at this moment making dinner arraignments for himself and his 12 closest VPs for sometime around good Friday.

Gman is right.

I have always wanted to go to a MW and watch SJ give a keynote.

I am a little depressed now. I did not fulfill my mac-mecca dream and now I can't ever.

times have changed. I always look forward to trade shows... Just like car shows and camera shows, these are needed to show off the newest and best of the brands... I think this is a big mistake for Apple. We will see how it pans out in the coming years for the fruit maker.

Dec 16, 08 - 05:06 pm Comment from: The Other Steve

I had a pass and was planning on shooting that.
I don't think I'll be going now.

Loved Steve. Loved the products. Heartily fed up with all the whoopin' and a-hollerin' which quite frankly became embarrassing and started to spoil it for me. The last show was the worst - Steve only had to pass comment on one minor improvement to a product and the reaction was like listening to a brawl in a chimphouse. It gave ammo to those who like to sneer and mock the so-called cult of the Mac.

If there was an 'insanely great' product to be announced at Macworld, then I think he would have put in one last appearance.
It's the end of what was, for me, an enjoyable era.

Thanks Steve!

Saw Jobs give the keynote @ NeXT World Expo in 1993. I still remember the party sponsored by Stone Design. Or mostly remember

APPL down about $5 in 'after hours' trading as I'm writing this.

"Now, cue the "Jobs is dying" articles in 3, 2, 1..."

Apple Inc.(NasdaqGS: AAPL)
After Hours: 92.00 -3.43 (-3.59%) 5:03pm ET

Less than a half hour after this was posted, shares nosedived. . . .and that was with no printed matter anywhere mentioning Steve Jobs health outside of what was included in the MDN Take!

Hah!! Just when you "thought" (MDN MW) it wouldn't get worse, it did!
Apple Inc.(NasdaqGS: AAPL)
After Hours: 91.50 -3.93 (-4.12%) 5:07pm ET

If I remember correctly, Jobs inherited the Macworld Expo. The problem is that Apple's now-secretive nature doesn't compliment the Expo, in my opinion. People would leave the Expo disappointed and APPL stocks would fall because rumor expectations were not often met at the time of the Expo.

Also, from my perspective, although there were technology improvements in the iMac when the silver iMacs were first announced, the announcement of the silver iMac would have arguably been more appropriate for one of HGTV's interior design shows as opposed to a "major" technology announcement from Apple.

So not only has Apple essentially perfected the personal computer from an OS point of view, in my opinion, but since the iPhone has already been introduced, I expect any major new technology announcements from "Apple" these days to actually come from Intel or other third party.

Dec 16, 08 - 05:33 pm Comment from: ken1w

Makes sense, I suppose. It was probably difficult for Apple to plan its product announcements around a predetermined time each year. Apple used to go through the routine two or more times each year, with the various "expos." Now, they can schedule the product announcements and hold special events when the products are ready and the timing makes the most sense.

Dec 16, 08 - 05:35 pm Comment from: G4Dualie

All of this fuss of staging events in order to advance Apple's agenda is finally over.

Steve Jobs can now retire quietly to a life of seclusion while some assume he's dead. Others will assume he is still generating all of Apple's wonderful ideas long distance. I have no doubt whatsoever, someone will advance a rumor that Apple has frozen Jobs so that he might be cloned at some point in the future.

No more tells. No more telegraphing punches. No more analysis. No more frothing at the mouth over inane rumors and the disappointment that follows.

Microsoft and HP will now have to find their own way in to the future and will no longer be allowed capitalize on Apple's momentum to propel themselves forward. Leeches!

Who knows though, perhaps Jobs will hit the lecture circuit? I've paid to hear him speak and would do it again. Or maybe Apple will stage an event if they have to jump start a marketing plan, which if it came every thirty-months, that's okay too.

In any case, I will continue to enjoy my place among the living.

The Jobs transitions begins now. It is just a matter of time.

Dec 16, 08 - 05:37 pm Comment from: dimplemonkey

Wow! I'm crestfallen. (and not because I've always wanted to say "crestfallen" either) It has been so cool to watch Uncle Steve throughout the years making his keynote speeches. He made the boilerplate for keynote charisma. So much of this world has already changed, this just adds one more footnote to the already massive stack of things I've enjoyed to watch, listen, or read about but are no longer here.

From the first...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0FtgZNOD44

To the latest...(iphone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZoPdBh8KUs

It's been great listening to you talk, Steve!

Dec 16, 08 - 05:39 pm Comment from: Andy

Well I suppose it's a shame to see it go, but ken1w's assessment seems about right. I wonder if there will be any TownHall events planned in the coming months?

if this is Apple's last show at the expo, Jobs should do his last keynote there and that would go down in history... as for him not missing Apple's last appearance.

dimplemonkey...

You rock because I was wanting to use crestfallen in my post but you beat me to it.

sign me,
crestfallen

Bummer! As I have grown older I no longer think of Christmas morning with great anticipation or expectation as I did when I was a child. Macworld was the one event that rekindled those emotions. Every year I eagerly await seeing how Apple will improve my business or just make life more fun.

However, it doesn't take much thought or imagination to understand that having to schedule major product announcements around that venue might not be in Apple's best interest (or their investors). Now they will be free to announce what they want, when they want. But damn, I'm really going miss that show.

Jobs transition begun with last Macbook official video, featuring J.Ive, and other key Apple execs that had never been introduced in society before.

Apple surely have plenty of good reasons to exit macworld - (basically, they don't need it, no big fuss, media events are enough, they open to a larger public, so get rid of that image of geeks diehard fans tribe), etc... - but they certainly MUST be more explicit to avoid speculations and shares nosediving...

I got over trade shows a looooong time ago. And Apple pulling out, while really bad news for MacWorld and IDG... really makes sense. In fact there's been this unnatural pressure on Apple to announce something every January (which isn't really the right time for product intros for Apple.)

But the fact that SJ won't keynote the last one... yikes. F*ck. I can only think of one explanation -- especially since it's the last one -- and I am taking it hard. And I can't bear to / won't put those thoughts in writing. Oh the sun (though only the one in the sky!) will come up again and the company will thrive, but... it hurts. A lot more than I thought it would.

Dec 16, 08 - 05:51 pm Comment from: DRM sucks

"I guess Apple cannot justify spending the millions of dollars in this economy to have Jobs take stage at Macworld..."

Not really sure why it would take millions to do that, unless you mean because he is actually a robot.

I still remember the party sponsored by Stone Design.

Best parties EVER!

-jcr

I am saddened by the news that Apple's pulling out of the Expo - but I can't really say that I'm surprised.

I used to really love going to the Expo each year, but the past 2 at least, were basically the iPod/iPhone Expo - very little actual computer stuff.

Also - knowing that Adobe is pulling out too, it seemed that the handwriting was on the wall.

Apple is finally giving in and planning to attend CES.

Give up a dying trade show in favor of another dying trade show?

-jcr

Well. a robot he may be.. but that means he doesnt need to be frozon
I agree J. Scott, i would wake up in the morning and jump onto MDN and be waiting.. Willl mis it!

Wandering around Macworld SF 1997 feeling the doom in the air. Power Computing was trying to drum up interest still in OS X the show was more of a used car sales feel to it as it was to a crowd already interested in MacOS systems, but everyone was hoping for a miracle. Flash forward to Macworld SF 2009 and the world is a much different place. Apple needed trade shows back then because there really were few other ways to get people in front of new stuff. Now you can wander in and see the stuff in Malls! In 1997 there was no chance of anyone ever believing you would have packed Apple Stores, and the streets lined with Apple products like iPods and iPhones, and going into coffee shops and airports finding more Apple laptops than windows ones... I like the idea of they having more freedom of releasing products when ready, then always being expected to release something great every Jan. or suffer the stock market wraith that always happened anyway.... WHAT? It does not fly, give head, and mow the lawn for me?!? Damn that is a let down... blah blah blah.

Dec 16, 08 - 06:14 pm Comment from: Steveeee

I was really disappointed when Macworld first announced that only the platinum pass holders have access to the keynotes. Now that they get their fair share of "revenge" from Jobs.

Dec 16, 08 - 06:18 pm Comment from: Jubei

It was a good run. Almost 10% market share, but it looks like PC will have his day after all in the end.

Anyone who's been to Macworld since 2003, knows it, and other tradeshows were dead already. Apple has matured, they aren't the
'look at those!' waitresses at Hooters, but they are the 'good wife' who takes care of the house, kids and you, and still manages to make it seem easy. There is nothing in technology or entertainment that requires a tradeshow anymore, except the Killbot 2017 Expo,
where the killer robots finally announce their keynote on
human enslavement.
Yes, we have killer 'wheeled' robots, and Japan has domestic 'walking' robots, so you can see where this is going.

Last year there were about 45,000 registered for MacWorld. That number has been dropping in recent years.

I don't know what Apple pays for booth space, but with the cost to rent the space, transport products to and from the show, pay Apple employees to work the show instead if their day jobs, etc. probably costs Apple hundreds of thousands to attend MacWorld.

If I remember correctly, there were approximately 350 million visits to Apple retails stores last fiscal year. That's almost a million visitors a day.

Do the math.

Why Schiller? Why not board member Al Gore?

Dec 16, 08 - 06:44 pm Comment from: ragarcia

Just 'cause Schiller is the lead on the keynote does not mean that Jobs can't appear on it.

In the last years, Jobs has been the lead and Schiller has shown up for extended periods of time.

Can't it be reversed this time around?

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.

Maybe.

However, the Stevenotes generated a very MAJOR amount of buzz, and increased interest in whatever Steve might unveil.

Apple needs the excitement of major rollouts at major events.
Sporadic "media events" at Cupertino won't have the same effect.

Consider the iPod and iPhone. What if they were announced via a few obscure press releases? Would they still be such superstars?

Dec 16, 08 - 07:02 pm Comment from: cwa107

@one more thing

My thoughts exactly. Personally, I think this is the beginning of the end for Steve as CEO. They have very clearly been trying to transition over to Phil Schiller and others during the last few announcements. This gets Jobs out of the limelight and limits speculation about his health.

what does Apple, companies who build products around Apple products and regular consumers have to gain from tradeshows? Is it like 1-stop shopping? Demos? As a regular shmoe, what do i have to lose if i don't attend a tradeshow?

If this is Apple's last appearance, they should just have a fat lady show up and sing.

Or Ballmer...