Apple's blind-side hit on IDG
Apple threw Macworld organizer IDG off balance with its decision to keep Steve Jobs out of pocket.
(Credit: Corrine Schulze/CNET)After Apple informed IDG that CEO Steve Jobs would skip next month's Macworld, the news left the conference sponsor in a state of shock.
The announcement "completely blindsided" IDG, according to a source familiar with the negotiations, coming just weeks before the event was scheduled to take place. IDG World Expo, a division of tech publishing giant IDG, had no reason not to expect Jobs would make his customary appearance at Macworld. Then came the word from Cupertino.
What is not clear is when Apple decided Jobs would skip the keynote. The source indicated that Apple had strung IDG along for weeks, implying that it was business-as-usual concerning Jobs' pending appearance up until the moment that it wasn't.
An Apple representative did not return a call seeking comment. IDG World Expo declined to comment on Apple's decision beyond a statement from Paul Kent, vice president and general manager for Macworld Conference and Expo:
While we are obviously disappointed by Apple's decision not to participate in Macworld 2010, we are on track for a terrific show this year, with strong attendance numbers and nearly 500 exhibitors showcasing their products at the January event. Macworld Conference & Expo has thrived for 25 years due to the strong support of tens of thousands of members of the Mac community worldwide who use Macworld as way to find great products, partake in professional development training, and cultivate their personal and professional networks. We are committed to continuing to serve their interests at Moscone Center, January 4 - 8, 2010.
Apple's decision to end its association with Macworld is not a complete surprise. Gizmodo speculated that Apple was planning such an exit for quite some time. Ultimately, a company's participation in any massive technology trade show boils down to a risk-reward calculation. The experience is often more exhausting than rewarding. And if you must also pay millions of dollars for that experience, it's clear why Apple would conclude that Macworld needs Apple more than Apple needs Macworld.
But for the time being, the part of the story that concerns Jobs remains shrouded in speculation.
When did Apple make its decision to ditch Macworld? And once it had made that decision, when did it decide to have Phil Schiller pinch-hit for Jobs? Did a BusinessWeek report force Apple's hand? And why did Apple decide against billing Macworld 2009 as Jobs' final appearance at the show, which might have provided a lift to what was already expected to be a somewhat underwhelming keynote address?
The official explanation is that Apple didn't think it would be worth its time to invest in putting on The Steve Jobs Show if it was going to be the last time the company appeared at Macworld. Apple just doesn't throw one of Jobs' keynotes together in a couple of weeks; this sort of extravaganza requires months of preparation as product teams work to create demos or finish up projects, and weeks of practice from Jobs himself to ensure every last detail goes as planned.
So if skipping Macworld had been the plan all along, it's likely that Jobs has been focusing his attention elsewhere during the past several weeks. That leaves the question of why Apple would string IDG along for such an extended period of time; the latest IDG World Expo has announced Jobs' keynote speech during the last four years has been December 3, and it has made that announcement as early as October.
Perhaps Apple didn't make the decision to have Jobs skip the keynote until very recently. It's an understandably tough decision: any Jobs absence at a major Apple event would immediately rev up the health rumor engine, but why spend all the time preparing Jobs and Apple for a keynote address that doesn't appear to hold anything exciting?
In any event, there's no love lost between Apple and IDG, two companies that have traded shots for years over the Macworld event. It's not surprising that their final breakup would be acrimonious.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
C'mon everyone, get a life. It's a trade show!
I think this isn't anythng that was just decided in that 48 hours. I do believe Apple had made this decision well before that point and had strung MacWorld along.
It is a shame that Apple would choose to this rather poor way to treat both MacWorld and Mac fans alike. They could have done this any number of ways to avoid this PR nightmare.
"had no reason not to expect..."
I think they had plenty of reason. They've expected this for years. Just look at some of the anti-Mac/Apple articles is many of their pubs.
No wonder Apple pulled out.
This scenario leaves Jobs to conduct a keynote that is little more than "here's what happened over the past year" and off go the pundits spinning a story about the lackluster keynote and Apple can't innovate any more. The stock, which always drops even when Jobs gives us a stunning 'one more thing' would really tank. So rather than deal with this, Jobs decides to give the keynote a pass and give it to someone else. But wait - that's going to fuel the 'Jobs is dying' speculation. So they pull out of the show early rather than later. Or not.
But here's the thing - I know no more than Mr Taylor here but my made up story won't create much in the way of click throughs, will it? Used to be Dvorak was the only click ***** - now every blogger is.
Since when did it become the major job of magazine writers to be fortune tellers? Only since they have no desire to do a real job, write comprehensive analysis about software and hardware that is out there now! Buckle down and do some honest work or go and fantasize about Windows becoming intuitive. Now that will tie you all down for a few centuries.
- by Synthmeister December 18, 2008 8:41 AM PST
- Apple ditching MacWorld is simply not that surprising.
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(16 Comments)1. Apple likes to control everything about Apple. Check
2. Apple can do an Apple Event at any time in Cupertino, and the press will rabidly attend, report, speculate, obfuscate, expectorate and bloviate about everything that takes place.
3. Apple likes to keep everything secret until products are ready to be sold. An artificial date to announce new products which may or may not be ready is at best, onerous.
4. WWDC. Apple has turned the WWDC into the yearly "State of Apple Forum."
Ten years ago, Apple needed IDG. Now with the internet, Apple stores, WWDC, iPhones, iTunes, Apple does not.
IDG is truly superfluous for Apple.