Without Jobs, will the faithful make Macworld pilgrimage?
News.com Poll
The yearly Macworld Expo is a place for Apple fans to get their hands on new products, hobnob with like-minded Mac fans--and to see chief executive Steve Jobs in the flesh.
The question is whether the largely local attendee base will still be compelled to attend after Apple's announcement Tuesday that Jobs won't deliver the next Macworld keynote speech and that this will be its final year of participating in the event at all. The Macworld Expo doesn't have a huge economic impact on the city of San Francisco. (It's attended mostly by local people, so the city's Conventions and Tourism Bureau can't track it by hotel rooms booked the way they do for other conferences.)
IDG, which puts on the expo every year, says that this year's registrations are expected to match last year's total if current trends continue. Last year's attendance ended up at around 47,000 people. A large part of that number is made up by last-minute registrations, and with two and a half weeks to go before the curtain raises on the event, there's still plenty of time for people to register. IDG has also already committed to putting on Macworld 2010 in San Francisco, even without Apple.
But without Apple's presence after this year, and without Jobs, there seems to be considerably less of a draw--even for the Mac faithful who normally attend.
Mike Leeds, a Mac technician at a Portland, Ore., college said he doesn't think the trip is worth making anymore.
"Living in Portland means I go for professional reasons (which means I get reimbursed for time and mileage). I don't see how I could justify it without Apple's presence," he said. "Apple certainly brings the critical mass for it to survive, but Adobe and the other software houses are needed to make it flourish. It's been ailing for a few years now, and Apple finally put it out of its misery."
On a MacRumors.com discussion board, "SFStateStudent" expressed what seemed to be a common feeling: "The thing I like about MWSF (Macworld San Francisco) is the opportunity to do 'the hands-on' thing with everything Mac and the other vendors' wares. I enjoy picking up new software, a new portable hard drive, a new laptrap or a new case for my iPhone. Oh well, I'll enjoy Apple's last MWSF '09... :("
Others are sticking to their plans to attend, but may reconsider the arduous line-waiting tradition. Wrote commenter Mike Cohen on MacworldBound.com, "I'm staying...about a block from Moscone (Center), so I'll be going straight there instead of to the Apple Store meetup. Unlike last year, I'm not getting up at 4 AM to stand in line."
What about you? Will this affect your travel plans to Macworld this year or next?
CNET News' Daniel Terdiman contributed to this report.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
Nope.
But without Steve Jobs a huge amount of the fun and anticipation of the event will be gone. I think its a mistake on Apple's part, it's a kick in the teeth of many of the faithful, no matter how its spun.
I may use a Mac, I may be semi-faithful since I use a PC, but I have better things to do than go to an overhyped convention. Did that a few times when it was in Boston, Steve Jobs was out of the picture, and the PC crowd was happily dancing on Apple's grave.
I'm sorry Apple disappointed you back then too.
Not going this year - they've raised prices on the low end packages (for the real consumer level fans). And it's not even just Steve Jobs, though I would be telling a half truth if I didn't say that was a good 40% of the reason I went last year, but the fact that APPLE won't be there anymore.
It was so awesome when the iphone was announced. OR after the MacBook Air announcement I was kind of underwhelmed ..... until I went to the Apple exhibit next door and actually go to SEE one and play with it. I remember just marvelling at it's size.
Now don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the classes I took and learned a LOT. I also found the BEST laptop bag ever there not to mention that was the place I found out what Gel-A-Skins were (if you haven't see them, look em up they rock). And if I lived in CA I might have continued going to the conference. But I don't live in CA I live in Philly.
Sigh - the end of an era.
Part of me hopes that Apple will start some other consumer oriented event - so we, the mac faithful, can get our macvana on. But knowing my fave company like I do that is HIGHLY unlikely.
A 3-D image of Steve Jobs at the show maybe a possibility.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3961e7aa-cb14-11dd-87d7-000077b07658.html
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." This goes for all tech companies.
- by arikstar December 21, 2008 12:08 AM PST
- The expo is a great place to see Mac related products up close and personal. Although the fact that Apple used to use it as a venue to announce new products won't be happen, it still doesn't change the fact that non-Apple vendors get a chance to promote and sell their products.
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