Yeah but schiller is such a dweeb. He is a horrible public speaker--I end up fast forwarding through all of his keynote-segments.
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Apple's Macworld Exit Due to Politics Not Health Issues?
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Yeah but schiller is such a dweeb. He is a horrible public speaker--I end up fast forwarding through all of his keynote-segments.
Expos thing of the past.
I worked a similar convention for the past 7 years. What many of you don't know is that the unions have single handedly killed the expo industry. Last year my company had to pay a dock fee called Drayage of about $1100 just to land a crate on the dock of the expo. To make matters worse the load in was on a Sunday which means time and one half for the people to unload it from the truck and move it to our display. Also carpet was mandatory in every booth so we had to pay the carpet layers union time and a half to install the carpet and also the electricians union a connect fee. Don't try to bring anything in yourself over 20 lbs you'll be paying for that too, also you may incur some union grievances as well. Also you get to meet Vinny the life long union man he's about 300 lbs carries a bat and you basically pay him or else.
I don't blame Apple at all for pulling out of the show. We are also pulling our trade show stuff this year in light of tough economic times. We can't see spending the money anymore for what in our industry is basically a glorified garage sale.
I worked a similar convention for the past 7 years. What many of you don't know is that the unions have single handedly killed the expo industry. Last year my company had to pay a dock fee called Drayage of about $1100 just to land a crate on the dock of the expo. To make matters worse the load in was on a Sunday which means time and one half for the people to unload it from the truck and move it to our display. Also carpet was mandatory in every booth so we had to pay the carpet layers union time and a half to install the carpet and also the electricians union a connect fee. Don't try to bring anything in yourself over 20 lbs you'll be paying for that too, also you may incur some union grievances as well. Also you get to meet Vinny the life long union man he's about 300 lbs carries a bat and you basically pay him or else.
I don't blame Apple at all for pulling out of the show. We are also pulling our trade show stuff this year in light of tough economic times. We can't see spending the money anymore for what in our industry is basically a glorified garage sale.
I was very surprised and didn't believe it when I heard this yesterday. I didn't believe it until I read it on both Fox News and CNN.
Are you kidding? If anything, this will increase attendance. People may want to go to the last MWSF with Apple's participation, or quite possibly the last MWSF *ever*.
Now, if Steve were doing the keynote himself, registration would be through the roof!! But even without, I think there may be some renewed, nostalgic interest in the show for some people.
MWSF is dead after 2009, though. If they do manage to put on a 2010 show, I'm certain that will be the last one.
Understandable as a business decision by Apple. But it still makes me said. Guess it's just WWDC and CES for me from now on.
I do wonder, if CES manages to survive, will Apple have a small presence there? A good way to reach consumers, and Apple wouldn't have to have the HUGE presence they had at MacWorld. So it could be a relatively cheap way for them to still have a tradeshow presence.
In a word, yes. If Apple and IDG had a good working relationship, no way Apple would have ended their association this way.
As for those who are suggesting that this might be phase one in a transition in leadership at Apple, that may well be true. But that should be seen as a good thing. Not that most of us are hoping that Steve leaves any time soon, but one of the weakness in the way Apple is run is that it appears to be a cult of personality with no obvious plan of succession in place. Apple has been criticized for this -- possibly they are listening, finally. If Phil the Schiller is Steve's heir apparent, then so be it -- and he needs to get more face time.
Well, we could always do what we did in 1984-1990. Remember the old commodore user groups (well, we had several where I grew up). A bunch of geek wanna bees getting togther to talk about the latest developments, sharing software (usually something cool written by a local kid, and then eventually posted on a BBS for download). what if we kept things going by local groups.
I mean look at churches. started small, then they started forming mega churches, people felt it lost it individual touch, so now small churches are starting up again with the average congragation of 100 or less. Could we be seeing the same cycle with Apple? starts out small, then massive shows, then moving to a bunch a little groups getting together.
While sad, this could have potential. think: a bunch of techno-geeks with no voice getting their heads together locally and putting together a few great things.
Could see:
gaming take off
More apps for the iphone/ipod touch
more utilities that people wish they had
Just - one bad thing would be control and how to keep a bad seed from releasing viruses.
I mean Mac OS X is Unix, comes with Java, Python, C++, and all the usual languages a linux distrubution gives us, that you usually have to find or pay for to install on a Windows platform.
I know once I get more time, there were some apps I wrote in VB/MS Access for churches that used to appear on my old website. thinking about putting those out there and writing a MAC a Linux/Mac version, and also incorporating the older Access apps into Bento. Or maybe even filemaker.
that is one of my goals for 2009 - and also, as long as I still have a "normal" job, that pays my bills, they will continue to be free.
bring back he local user groups...
But truthfully, I think the whole computer industry (PC, Linux, Apple -accessories, software, hardware) are in for some major shake ups and changes in 2009. these will be due to:
1. Lower priced netbooks being popular in bad economy.
2. Companies consolidating and closing in a bad economy.
3. Due to the bad economy, people / companies looking toward more open source and multi-platform solutions.
4. Due to the bad economy, could see a swing in more in-house solutions instead of outsourcing and contractors. this could go either way: pay someone $60,000 a year plus benefits. Or Pay someone $100 / hour for a few weeks contract. Depends on the company and how long the project will last, need maintenance , etc.
5. Contractors usually have to move around - that gets expensive fast.
by, the way glanced at the ticker - still hovering around $88.00 I think Steve should come out with a statement today, and stop all the speculation.
And? Al Gore doesn't even attend most of the board meetings. If you think Al Gore is going to tell Steve Jobs how to run "his" company you're crazy.
Gore is there just like Elision was there *as a figurehead only. Apple's board is notorious for being a board stacked with Jobs' friends.
In 2002, Business Week listed it on their "Worst Boards" list, and this was before the recent appointment of more figureheads like Gore and Schmidt.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_40/b3802004.htm
For better or worse, Jobs controls Apple (oddly enough with owning just 1 share of stock) and once he's gone Apple is going to have to do some significant restructuring starting at the top.
For example, the next CEO is likely not going to be picking the music for their iPod commercials.
If you'd read the article you linked, you'd know that Jobs has been awarded tens of millions in stock options (which were the subject of that SEC investigation, btw), and also that the critique of Apple's board was addressed by the new appointments.
Your post reminds me of the Simpsons MAPPLE where Steve Mobs makes an appearance from Apple headquarters, deep below the sea.
on another note - More like they better setup a huge screen and section of part of the parking lot. I was dumb enough to go to my local apple store during the iphone launch weekend this past summer (and I was not there for an iphone). there were 2 lines.
1. iphone stretched all the way around the entire strip, people waiting in line (one guy said for 4 hrs).
2. Non-iphone. I waited in line for an hour just to find out they were out of stock of what I wanted.
They were only letting about 20 people in the store at a time. many people complained about the wait, and the fact the store usually has 40-50 people in it at any given time during a non-event. Could you imagine what you are talking about? Mass chaos. and you think Apple employee tempers where flaring the weekend of the iphone release (I watched one woman tell off a customer who was upset about not being allowed in to exchange a defective power supply on a last model iphone, and she was getting on a plane to Rome in 2 hrs; for a two-week business trip). the customer's biggest complaint was "I am only here to exchange a defective part. My plane leaves in 2 hrs. I have already been standing here for over an hour, and you let other people in around me who are in this same line"
So long MacWorld Expo. You were too good while it lasted..
MacWorld without a Steve keynote is like the SuperBowl without the stand out commercials! Good luck with the press coverage.
Sad but true, I share you sentiment.
Wonder what Apple's gonna be like post-Steve?
For what it's worth, aside from the announcement, I found MacWorld to be pretty boring. Sure, a booth or two are great, but the hype that surrounds this event is wayyyyy overblown. If you live too far away to go, you are not missing a thing, especially in light of the recent news.
Care to elaborate? I'm interested.
It's all obvious now.
Steve Jobs is sick of Macs and Apple.
"It's due to politics."
President-elect Obama called on Steve Jobs to consider an appointment as "Industry Revival Czar of the American Auto Industry". Obama wants Jobs to do CPR on the dying US auto industry. There is only one man in the USA who can revive the dying auto industry. His name is Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs is sick of Macs and Apple.
"It's due to politics."
President-elect Obama called on Steve Jobs to consider an appointment as "Industry Revival Czar of the American Auto Industry". Obama wants Jobs to do CPR on the dying US auto industry. There is only one man in the USA who can revive the dying auto industry. His name is Steve Jobs.
I wonder how much effect the rumour mill has had on this move. True, ROI on expo expenditures may be diminishing, and it's also possible that there isn't enough upcoming product to warrant an SJ appearance. Not to mention Apple-vs-IDC power plays.
But consider: in the weeks leading to an event, there is heightened attention paid to every shipping box, accessory case mold, and any box opened in an elevator. Maybe Apple is tired of having the wind stripped from their promotional sails, and wants to have tighter control on WHEN announcements are made.
But consider: in the weeks leading to an event, there is heightened attention paid to every shipping box, accessory case mold, and any box opened in an elevator. Maybe Apple is tired of having the wind stripped from their promotional sails, and wants to have tighter control on WHEN announcements are made.
That part might actually be true. He has a tendency to get bored with things and let them lay fallow until something new and exciting can be thought up.
Or maybe Steve is just sick and tired of every Macworld Expo being a microscope that is once again going to scrutinize his personal health?
Hey, it's time for Macworld Expo again? Steve Jobs, how's your health this month? The whole world is watching.
Hey, it's time for Macworld Expo again? Steve Jobs, did your MD certify you as cancer free this week? The whole world is watching.
He's sick of and tired of all that garbage. Can you blame him?
Whether Steve retires or whatever, as long as there's a succession strategy in place, with people who've been taught/share the same vision and operate to the same standards(Tim Cook, I'm looking at you), to take over the helm, then things will continue to be good.
It's a phasing in and out process, so that when the switch comes, it will be next to seamless.
When Enzo Ferrari passed away in 1988, many thought that it would signal the end of Ferrari, both as a marque and a successful F1 racing team.
The Commendatore had a strategy in place for his succession, long before he passed, and guess what? Ferrari is still here, and as big as ever.
It's a phasing in and out process, so that when the switch comes, it will be next to seamless.
When Enzo Ferrari passed away in 1988, many thought that it would signal the end of Ferrari, both as a marque and a successful F1 racing team.
The Commendatore had a strategy in place for his succession, long before he passed, and guess what? Ferrari is still here, and as big as ever.
If Apple hadn't switched to Intel, their laptops would still be running on slow G4 PPC chips. That would have killed their laptop line completely.
As far as I know a mobile version of the G5 still isn't possible. The PPC architecture simply can't compete with Intels in the "Power Per Watt"-race.
On top of that Apples switch to Intel has delivered hordes of new customers since Apple users are now able to run Windows as well.
The switch to Intel certainly hasn't "eroded Apple completely" as you put it. Stuck on PPC, Apple would no longer be making computers.
I was looking at Apple's plans for 2010+, rather than Phil being put front-and-centre, as the larger picture. The reasons for Jobs to personally withdraw are as plentiful as his closet of black turtlenecks.
I think the largest factor in Jobs dropping out is the real possibility that he wants to retire sometime in the near future. I don't think that he is being forced to retire because he is 'near death,' as the media would have us believe, I think he just wants to retire. Perhaps he wants to have some personal time to enjoy his millions of dollars, as well as go out as a legend. Hell, Bill Gates officially retired earlier this year and he is the same age as Jobs...the legends of the industry are getting old and they may want to pass the torch and enjoy life with their fat stacks of coldhard.