Comments on: Apple's last Macworld beginning of new era

A Jobs-less Macworld might take some of the fire away from this week's event, but it could be a sign that Apple wants to shift the leadership burden across more of its team.

[Perry_Clease]

Good article Tom

[terminalblue]

this would actually be the END of an era.

[drhamad]

Which is also the start of a new one. In fact, the era, as defined here, already ended, since Jobs last time at MWSF was last year. This is indeed the start of a new era without him.

[srb8220]

In sales, when you have a hot button with customers, you push it as often as possible. No doubt Steve Jobs was the major "hot button" for those ensconced in the Mac religion as well as for many investors on Wall Street. And, although most large, public companies have their bright, shiny, polished, reassuring representative to the public Jobs elevated that position to another level creating a succession awkwardness at best.

I think of companies like Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, GE and countless others that would not have this same awkward leadership transition because they have intentionally not developed an iconic leadership head.

Jobs should have been spreading his wealth of popularity with the public across other executives in his organization and he should have started that process long ago (all while never forgetting to be the dynamic spokesperson that he really is).

[JumpinJappold]

Thank you for you insight and deeply thought-out offering as to what the CEO of two of the most iconic and successful corporations in existence should do.

[donsynstelien]

Nice article, but eluding to Steve Jobs possibly being deathly ill appears to be a day late. Jobs just announced that he is not sick, but rather, he is experiencing a hormone deficiency.

Looks like this might be the last "Steve might die" mention from mainstream media.

Still. I do like the idea that the media is starting to realize the real loser of Apple pulling from Macworld is "Macworld" and IDG. That truly is something that might die.

[doconn7]

Anyone who has visited the Macworld conf. web site, tried to register for an event, or made sense of the variety of things going on at Macworld will undoubtedly thank Apple for moving away from these events.
It's time for a more Apple approach to this display of confusion. Make it simple, think different . . .

[JumpinJappold]

That's riiiighhhhhhhht

[Penguinisto]

Nice article. Good read.

[greasyfitting]

This is the end of MacWorld shows. When Apple left the Boston and New York shows they withered and died. The last MacWorld in Boston that I went to (sans Apple) took all of 20 minutes to walk through, and was more like a yard sale for iPod accessories than anything else.

[sanenazok]

I liked the picture of the attendees the best...it looked like they were trying to be a parody of themselves! (i.e. the hipster apple users that they are).

[softwarepro]

good article and reason I come back to news.com (yeah we had some non-sense article as well but selective by title)

[karport]

It is the end of an era. Gone is the illusion that Apple is a cult company who relies on grass root marketing and loyal customers. Here is a new company that has adopted an air of superiority, that now screams its my way or the highway.

The always secretive Jobs always had a loyal following from people who recognized his talent, but always saw him to be a man who dealt from the top of the deck with a business manner that was "different" from Microsoft, the company people loved to hate.

Apple has changed.