Comments on: Without Macworld, how will Apple create the buzz?

Apple can reach its customers in more effective ways than trade shows. But there's no substitute for the human touch; how will Apple's leaders present its ideas in the future?

[Perry_Clease]

Apple can generate buzz all year round. Apple issues a press release and website such as this one copy the story. The internet changed the way we communicate.

[Tom Krazit]

Apple has to come out from behind the curtain every now and then; that method might work for a while but will quickly have diminishing returns.

[Perry_Clease]

Good point Tom. It might explain why most other computer companies don't generate much buzz.

[Mark_Anderson]

Company goes mass marekt, craps on loyal fanbase.

It happens.

[rapier1]

Tom, I have to admit that I think you are mistaken. However much Apple spends on MacWorld and however much it impacts their product release schedule it was worth it from a marketing standpoint. MacWorld would allow Apple to generate front page buzz for weeks in advance and near media hysteria during the expo itself (front page on the print versions of WSJ, NYT, and the newsweeklies). This translates into tens of millions of dollars of free advertising that they've been unable to replicate with WWDC or other events. The idea that they want to move into the 'pre-holiday' release schedule would actually demonstrate a weakness on the part of the Apple line up. Their products have been able to move and move fast regardless of when they were released. If they are really interested in scheduling things around the holiday sales season then it's evidence that they're unable to retain this level of excitement through the rest of the year. The timing of the announcement is also cause for concern being that scheduling for event like this take place months if not years in advance. Pulling out 3 weeks ahead of the Expo sends a signal that 'something is wrong' and would be a drastic mistake if nothing was going on. Apple doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes so its pretty clear that something unexpected *is* going on. It might dovetail in someway with a longer term strategy but the timing is off for it to have been planned.

[Tom Krazit]

@rapier1 - I agree that the timing of this announcement is strange, but I also don't think that Apple would have made the decision to pull out of ALL Macworlds just because they don't want to go through the motions this year.

As for the rest of your comment, I wasn't really saying that Apple should do a preholiday event, but that they'll need to find a way to have some sort of event that touches on the individual Mac user, rather than just the media/press contingent. Maybe they can do that by expanding WWDC in June, maybe they can do that with regional events at the stores, maybe they can do something else entirely.

We agree that Apple needs the buzz generated by Macworld. They just don't have to generate it at Macworld Expo, they can find some other way to do it.

[rapier1]

Tom,

I believe Apple hasn't seen MacWorld as a good tool for connecting with average users for quite sometime. I do think they've seen it as an effective tool for interacting with the media, including bloggers, though. Who, in turn, are an effective way for interacting with average users. The pullout may indicate that they no longer see this as critical as they used to but I'm not sure I buy it. The cost to Apple to be in MacWorld may have been in the hundreds of thousands or even a couple million (probably less than they spend on pens and copier paper each year) but the amount of free advertising they generated from it was in the tens of millions. Its a pretty modest investment for a substantial return. However, the big draw for MacWorld always seems to have been the Stevenote. Without the Stevenote there isn't the opportunity to generate the same amount of free advertising which substantially changes the cost/benefit analysis. As far as I can tell, MacWorld makes sense with Steve Jobs and doesn't make sense without him. You can take conclusions from that in any number of directions but I don't believe, for a moment, that online and in store events will ever generate the same level of excitement in the media and blogs. As such, my conclusions tend to be somewhat pessimistic.

Also, my comment about the holidays was mostly regarding the idea that the timing of MacWorld was bad. I don't think that's part of it.

[Penguinisto]

"Apple has to come out from behind the curtain every now and then"

One acronym: WWDC. ;)

[typefighter]

Apple Stores used to simulcast stevenotes. But, for the most part, the theaters have been replaced in the smaller and midsized outlets. Regardless, Apple's products themselves, are -- in part -- marketing. They look different, work different, and defy enough conventions enough times to draw attention in the right ways. White earbuds, the shining Apple logo on the back of MacBooks, iPhone web surfing in checkout lines -- all icons that promote Apple's message.

[fugawe]

The reality distortion field is collapsing!

[kcar27]

Stupid move on Jobs's part, unless it's related to his health. This announced pullout is too close to MacWorld to come off as a strategic, long-term plan. It pisses off a lot of Mac fans, companies, developers and reporters who had planned to attend. Phil Schiller isn't going to light anyone's fire.

MacWorld with Jobs on stage gives the still-powerful mainstream media a traditional event that it can cover. When Steve announces something big on stage and gets a reaction from a live audience, THAT'S news. It's something that CNN and Walt Mossberg and Charlie Rose and BusinessWeek can grok and use to build their own audiences. A Webcast isn't going to cut it. Apple Store events don't cut it.

My guess is that something may truly be wrong with Steve's health. He loves being on stage and rocking everyone's world. I doubt he's giving up the ability to hold the world's attention just because of a "rocky" relationship with IDG. Someone has to prove to me that MacWorld was a hindrance to Apple or provided diminishing PR returns--I very much doubt either possibility. Again, the timing of this announcement suggests that this pullout was not part of a long-term plan--why risk annoying so many customers and companies?

[m.meister]

If there is something wrong with Steve's health, I believe Apple is legally obligated to alert its shareholders. With that premise, I think the "health" concern is pure conjecture with zero evidence. Of course, that's not unusual in regards to Apple. Lots of people just make stuff up about Apple.

What's more likely is that people have projected so much onto the Keynotes. Then Apple's product cycle didn't conform this time. They would be fools to show of something that wasn't ready to ship within a couple weeks of Macworld Expo. So the announcements won't be earth shattering in January.

If anything, this gives the Apple Engineers their first Christmas as they don't have to work 18-20 hours during the holidays to meet some crazy announcement.

[m.meister]

FYI.. Expos are very expensive. And it is not clear that spending several HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars is giving the type of return Apple wants. It is big enough that it can drive the news cycle. They proved that with the MacBook announcements. In fact, I think the MB and MBP announcement might have been a test to see if they could drive the news cycles and do a new product rollout w/o needing a keynote type event.

[Alex Alexzander]

@m.meister

You should really think a little harder before you write things like, "I think the "health" concern is pure conjecture with zero evidence."

There is evidence. Each time Steve takes to the stage he looks winded. He is very thin. He has been sharing the stage in what looks like exhaustion. The first time we saw it, they said he had a flu. There was no excuse the second time. And this time, just 3 weeks away from the expo he declares it not to be useful.

I'm not saying I think Steve is in grave shape. But I will say he has lost his ability to speak on stage for 2 hours at a time. As of late, he has shared the stage with multiple people. His energy is clearly very low.

NOW that is "evidence". Is it conclusive? No. But it is in fact evidence. If I looked as thin and frail as jobs does right now, I'd be in the hospital. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Steve Jobs realized that there is more to life. We tend to rethink our lives when we are suffering. If he steps down in the next two years to be with family and retire at the top of him game, I'd not be shocked one bit. He had a good ride. He needs to rest. He clearly shows "evidence" of extreme fatigue.

[bonesbautista]

I'll miss the atmosphere surrounding the Stevenote, but we're getting to see them more often than once per year anyway - it's more of a blow to the event than to the industry.

There is one aspect of the Expo that's really tweaked me over the years - as a small business owner, I'd really been not at all happy about the event being held after the first of the year. I've liked to take advantage of YE purchases for taxes, but knowing that new stuff was coming out in just two weeks really put a spin on the term "built-in obsolescence" - I'd opt to buy non-Apple goods near the end of the year. The persons putting together the Expo just don't get it, several business owners I associate with would avoid YE purchases of Apple products because the product they want would be superseded in 14-30 days - the Expo's timing cost Apple and their vendors millions...

[m.meister]

The time frame for Macworld has always been a problem. For some time now, Apple has been bugged by not being able to control the timing of their announcements. Not being tied to a keynote on January each year gives Apple the freedom to announce products when they are ready. That hopefully means better tested products that aren't rushed out the door because of some arbitrary scheduling issue.

[artistjoh]

Great point. I can easily imagine Jobs asking himself why have this just after Christmas due to the affect on sales. He is also the sort of guy to be really p****d off by the incessant questions about his health and saying to himself S***w them - I ain't doing it again!. There is also his minimalist philosophy that simple is best while MacWorld last year was clearly growing into a complex event. Not to mention the issue of succession and promoting his successors.

However, while there are lots of possible reasons, the simple fact that a January keynote likely does impact Christmas sales and as much as we like to lionize Jobs vision, in the end he is a money making machine and the dollar motive and sales have always been foremost in his mind.

[Mr. Dee]

Apple did announce and present the Power Mac G5 at WWDC 2003. So that could be a new venue for Mac users who must see Steve in the flesh and new major hardware announcements. What better way to show developers what they will be developing on next than at WWDC. Personally, Apple does not need the trade show, its a 24 billion dollar Company with a cult of people out there and here on CNET who attack me for the least negative thing I say about the Company.

It has over 200 stores world wide. People instantly recognize the brand, its iPod, iPhone, its iTunes, its QuickTime its the Apple logo. Its ubiquitous with cool design, its the product I have always wanted but cannot afford. So Apple has created a self sustaining platform that will survive for the next 100 years even if we woke up tomorrow and heard (God forbid) that all the senior executives died from eating the spaghetti from the Apple canteen the day before.

The majority of the more than 100 million people who have bought and owned iPods don't even have a clue who Steve Jobs is. I preach this on Joe Wilcox's blog, Microsoft-Watch, we live in an IT bubble, we hate Microsoft products, because are not the typical computer users, we are more detailed in our usage. Cult Mac users live in an Apple bubble, very obsessive and very knowledgeable about the Company more than they need to know.

[mikeinsf]

I find the Jobsnotes things at MacWorld quite humorous... a room of ingratiating devotees falling over each other to stick their tongues up Steve's butt. Everything down to the clearing of the Throat of Jobs gets a raucous applause, similar to the reaction of paid audience members in late-night infomercials trying to peddle juice blenders to retirees.

[smacsteve]

To m.meister:
Finally, someone who gets it with Apple dumping the MacWorld Expo's. I think a large part of Apple leaving the Expo is that the timing of Apple releasing new products was no longer in sync with Apple's MacWorld Keynote. Apple has been moving closer over the last few years to less trade show oriented releases. This is a good thing for Apple and has nothing to do with Steve Jobs health.

[erikschmidt]

That was a world-class troll, 7:10 PM. A few thoughts:

1) Anyone who wants to serve Jobs already knows how to do so.
2) Excellent marketing does not preclude quality product, and vice-versa.
3) There must be an awful lot of dumb, brainwashed people out there for Apple's fortunes to have risen so far, eh?
4) Mac OS X is based on not just Free BSD, but other BSD components, which is why it is so efficient and stable. As for "artsy-fartsy UI", one man's unnecessary eye candy is another man's elegant and effective interface.
5) "Dinky puzzles written by 14 year olds" and "no engineering or scientific applications" - Dude, lay off the hallucinogens. Seriously.
6) The throwaway comment about "racism" is particularly bizarre and totally unsubstantiated.

It sounds like you've got an axe to grind about the stock options backdating scandal, and it has unhinged your analysis of the company's products.

[Znatok]

For serious Mac users and Apple fans WWDC was must go show with must watch Keynote. In same way it was me again others event, e.g Apple vs. others PC.
Now it's going to fade. Taking great excitement out of our lives. I'll miss it because met really good people over there and found lots of stuff and good demos from third party personally. There will be no place for mac developer to present their product directly to specialized crowd.

That said, there was a sign in quality decline if this show. With more iPod stuff and its accessories. Other not Mac related things.

Looking forward this move will pave the way to easy difference between Mac and PC users. And maybe put Apple closer to sell Apple branded Windows premium Laptop (Taking place from Sony) if Windows 7/8 dimmish Mac OS X.

After all on computer site hardware make them most money.
And the big buck is coming from iPod/iPhone.
Finally, Apple is not Apple Computer for couple of years.


I'm going to miss WWDC, like miss my university years..

[Penguinisto]

Err, Macworld and WWDC are two different events. ;)

[Vegaman_Dan]

WWDC is a developers conference and not really meant for public exposure. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple tried to make it into a consumer show combined with the dev groups.

[Penguinisto]

Actually, it's meant for public exposure... if you happen to know how to program. I see nothing wrong with product announcements during them (and in fact it would kind of make more sense in some ways).

[Znatok]

miss MacWorld of coarse.


used to visit both of them yearly..
Actually, WWDC became so overcrowded and less useful in the last two years.
So, I switched to offline visiting.

Now MacWorld gone, together with many interesting sessions etc....

[AppleSuxLeo]

Phil "deer-in-the-headlights" Schiller will have trouble creating buzz. He hides from questions and has "handlers" give out non-answers. That`s how the Secretive Apple works.

[coryschulz]

I'm very sad at this.... Steve will be missed... hopefully we will see more press releases from the Apple campus.

[LinuxRules]

Steve been watching the market, go down along with his stocks, his over-priced computers is taking a hit. I do not see apple stock going up any time soon and will continue to fall as long as he refuses to lower the price of his computers. I bought his over-priced G4 imac that did not have the latest hardware, will be thinking twice before buying another mac. Linux looks better all the time.

[Alex Alexzander]

I think Apple paved the way for the Google phone myself. They sold people on the iPhone concept, but the Google Phone I think will be the winner. It's open. It's already gaining a lot of praise. NO restrictions, and much of the same technology.

And for the Mac / iPhone trolls, I sold my 3G iPhone, and my 1st gen iPhone is sitting in a box waiting to be sold. So don't claim I haven't owned one. I do own one. And I dropped it for a WinMo phone! And yeah, I like it better. It actually works.

Alex

[ddesy]

Your statements about overpriced computers should really be double checked. That is especially true of the iMacs, the G4 version not having been available for years now.

[aka_tripleB]

I never truly believe the statement about Jobs' health last year. How hard is it to put "My blood pressure is 80/120" on a presentation you make yourself? Who in their right mind publicly announce they have bad blood pressure?

Oh, and by the way, my BP is only 60/100.

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

Apple can have a special event -- featuring a Jobs presentation -- anytime it wants to do so. Why does the company need to tie itself to a rigid schedule that requires it to have annual Stevenotes that are judged by how much they "wow" us? When Apple announces a special event, the whole world watches. Canceling participation in Macworld will save the company money and give it more flexibility about when it does these things. It makes plenty of sense to me. The question that forms the headline for this story is the thing that so obvious that it's hard to believe someone would ask it. Apple will generate buzz the same way it always has -- only on a flexible schedule, not one dictated by the timing of a trade show. Doesn't that make sense?

[Alex Alexzander]

@davidmcelroy_dotmac,

I myself, can't speak for others, find those Apple events to be quite the snoozer. That last one really took the cake. Hey look, we made a new case. I am still in awe that anyone found this news worthy at all. Next they will call a press conference to say that they are sticking an nVidia chip in the Mac Mini. I guess for Apple it's news considering how much they charge for that thing. Maybe Toyota should have a press event to show us the new tires they have selected as standard on their 09 models. Wow that's exciting, huh... That's how ridiculous you Mac zealots are with these lame press events. c|net only covers em cause you guys are actually impressed with this stupidity.

Alex

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

@Alex Alexzander:

The question at hand here isn't whether Apple events are worth covering or whether they're interesting. That's an entirely different issue. If you're bored by Apple's events, you're probably wasting your time on this page with "you Mac zealots," as you so charmingly put it. The question is one of marketing, not whether something is interesting. The writer of this story has posed the question of how Apple will generate buzz without the use of a traditional trade show. That's the issue. If you'll tone down your Apple hatred for long enough to realize that you're not addressing the actual business issue, you might notice that your response misses the point entirely. You're obviously not going to be interested in an Apple event whether it's at Macworld or somewhere else, so it's irrelevant to this question.

[Alex Alexzander]

@davidmcelroy_dotmac,

I'm replying to a user comment. Not the story question. Which is exactly what you are doing.

Alex

[Vegaman_Dan]

MacWorld is an opportunity for vendors to come out and show off their wares to Mac users. It's not all about Jobs- and now without MacWorld, those vendors won't have the opportunity to really show off their stuff, which only hurts the overall experience, making the Mac experience even more secretive and elitist than it is now.

That may not be their intent, but that is the net result.

[Tom Krazit]

I think the issue is that Apple needs some sort of regular event that everyone looks to for the big news. It doesn't have to be Macworld, and it doesn't have to be in January, but I'm not convinced that three or four smaller events make up for the impact of one big event. Even if the news at a given Macworld isn't all that exciting compared to once-in-a-decade announcements like the iPhone, it's still the premier showcase for Apple and a three-day period (day before, day of, day after) where it will dominate the tech/consumer electronics press.

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

@Alex Alexzander:

You're either not very bright or you're being intentionally obtuse. My comment is directly on the topic of the story. You replied with something that has nothing to do with the story or my comment. If that's too complicated for you to follow, I can't help you.

@Tom Krazit:

I understand what you're saying, but it seems that it's more of a reflex (based on what we've come to expect) rather than an actual need for Apple. I would argue that Macworld might have actually started hurting Apple, because users, investors and stock analysts have come to be disappointed when there didn't happen to be some big deal to announce at Macworld. I still think that Apple can generate buzz just as well as ever without Macworld. (Whether people such as Alex are interested is an entirely different issue, although it does strike me as noteworthy when people with so little professed interest in Apple spend so much time reading such stories and commenting about them.)

[Alex Alexzander]

By the way, I'm thinking of switching from Crest to Colgate toothpaste. Film at 11.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I saw the switcher ad for this- with Colgate feeling sorry for Crest with all his cavities and gingivitis.

[Ipopngraphics]

That's probably the most intelligent post I have seen from you so far.

[Seaspray0]

Hi, I'm a Crest. Hi, I'm a Colgate....

[mtoc]

has it occured to anybody that Apple may be important enough to have a show on its own! maybe that is the wave of the future for other large tech companies.

[DrtyDogg]

It boils down to this, they don't need an event at a set time each year. When they have something to advertise they just drop Tom an email or hold a press only event, and get all the advertisement that they need.

[Perry_Clease]

Tom this morning there is an example of how you all help generate Apple buzz ; The State of New York is considering taxing "digital downloads," all digital downloads, but the headline reads "iTunes Tax."

[Tom Krazit]

To be fair, iTunes has something like 90 percent of the legal digital music download market. But point taken.

[jscott418]

So without Steve Jobs who'd gonna to make everyone believe all the BS Apple puts out. I bought a iMac
a couple months ago I found out what crap Apple is putting out. I could have got the same quality at Dell for half the price!! It's no wonder Apple's desktop sales are down 35%.
Sorry, I could care less about MacWorld, its just a brainwashing session for Mac fans.

[Perry_Clease]

BS

[Alex Alexzander]

@jscott418,

As you can see from Perry's comment he can't believe you bought a Mac and do not like it. I keep seeing this in Mac user posts. They can't imagine a world in which someone who actually bought and uses a mac doesn't like it and won't be back to buy another. I too use Macs, and will not be buying them again.

@Perry, don't strain yourself trying to wrap your head around the concept that not everyone is moved by baby music marketing that you are so easily swayed by. Much of the population sees right through it. Too bad you can't.

Alex

[Vegaman_Dan]

Different systems appeal to different people. Leave it at that.

[Ipopngraphics]

Dan... I found your comment far more intelligent than Alex's insulting rhetoric. And far more accurate. If you have a few minutes, read one of his books... they are a lot like his posts, useless to the intelligent and self-serving.

[Perry_Clease]

Your another troll Alex, and just full as BS as Scotty or Leo. The primary reason I got an account here at CNET was to counter the lies, FUD, and BS made by Apple slamboys. You repeat a lie often enough and people start to believe it.

However, your right about one thing. You keep seeing posts in Mac stories that people bought a Mac. It was broke out of the box or broke shortly after setting it up and they took it back to the Apple store and then went and bought a Dell. Sure it may have happened, but I really doubt it, it is just more trolling and certainly off topic of the story.

I have used both Windows and Mac and I have two PCs here, but I prefer Mac.. I don't give a rat's ass what computer and OS you or anyone else uses as long as you don't spread lies about my choice of platform.

[ddesy]

I have dealt with enough Dells and Macs to know that half the price will not buy you the same quality computer. If you want a PC, a Dell is the last thing you should buy.

[donsms]

And think about this,just when Leo Laporte was going to give his first keynote address at MacWorld and get to rub elbows with Job`s,he decides to bail out and let his yes men rule the roost.Now how bad does Leo feel again,just as he was about to finally get some attention and some cred,it all blows up.Well,maybe another time and another place Leo.

[Vegaman_Dan]

We won't know until 2009 as Leo has finished up all his podcasts for the year. I'm really curious what MacBreak Weekly and TWiT would have to say about this. Dvorak's thoughts would be especially interesting as a tech industry veteran that knows the value of trade shows and public events.

[edgebert]

@ donsms
Damn, an end of the Stevenote era and we didn't even know we were witnessing it at the time! It will be interesting to hear Andy Ihnatko's (http://ihnatko.com) take as well. Although it is indeed unfortunate for Leo & the TWIT Army, what's even more unfortunate are the obvious connotations of such an ill-timed announcement. Does anyone seriously think that a corporation as tactically & strategically proficient as Apple wouldn't have leveraged the final Stevenote, if it were at all within their power to do so?