Macworld Expo Boston Canceled

[broken_keyboard]

Don't know if anyone has suggested this, but what about having "shows" at the larger Apple stores themselves? Like NYC, SF, LA, Chicago.. they own the space, just canopy the outside and you have a good venue with a ridiculous amout of hype. Block off a street for a day (I know, big ass streets, but still), and let fly. Why bother with the MacWorld organizers and their mob kickbacks.

I think that's a great idea, though I wouldn't close the streets! Just close the store for normal business and have stalls inside. And just small up and coming developers who have something interesting to show.

 

[Detlev]

Maybe they'll relocate to NYC. Apple in the Big Apple always had a nice ring to it.

Radio (WBUR) is saying MacWorld is consolidating down to one major event a year.

 

[Detlev]

edit: Too bad Apple pulled out when they moved to Boston. Probably just another case of Jobs throwing a hissy-fit for not getting his way.

This has been reviewed before. There is no evidence of "Jobs throwing a hissy-fit" but there is plenty of evidence that MacWorld just made a business choice that didn't pan out the way they expected. Don't forget, there are other players in the story also.

 

[nsjoker]

i can't honestly blame them. this doesn't come as a surprise at all. for the past two years macworld expo in boston has been like a bunch of crappy opening bands with no headliner.

 

[ltgator333]

I realize that by Apple not showing up that it makes a big difference and there may be other reasons for this happening, but I think this is just yet another indicator of the whole "changing of the guard" when it comes to the people, attitudes, technology, and politics of the Apple community that has been slowly occuring since the late 90's.

 

[wdlove]

Radio (WBUR) is saying MacWorld is consolidating down to one major event a year.

Would that just be continuing with MWSF only? Maybe someday I can save enough to attend.

 

[Mr.Hey]

I'm greatly saddened, speechless at this point. Once again Steve got his way, no Apple meant decrease attendance.

Steve? They shouldn't have moved it from N.Y.C in the first place. But those jerks thought they knew better. Serves them right.

 

[inkswamp]

Jobs keynotes becoming anachronistic with Intel

When Apple switches to Intel, there will be considerably fewer "one more thing" type surprises to unveil and so the fewer of these kinds of shows with Steve Jobs keynotes, the better. Speed bumps will be concurrent with the rest of the industry (hopefully!) and therefore will not be a surprise. I don't see how Apple is going to pull out that many surprises anymore. Maybe once a year with some major new piece of software or a new consumer item of some sort, but the days of waiting on the edge of your seat for the announcement of an anticipated speed bump will be over. I don't see how Apple can keep processor speed increases with Intel chips a secret (or at least a secret worth keeping.)

 

[Roller]

I have some fond (and some not so fond) memories from Boston expos. Anyone remember the time the air conditioning failed at the Bayside Expo Center? Or the fun shuttling between the hotels and the two venues by bus in the summer heat and humidity? Still, you were always assured of seeing some really cool new products for the first time.

These days, it doesn't make sense for Apple to invest in several large trade shows a year, and the same applies to many other major and minor vendors. That's especially true now that most Mac peripherals are now commodity items that are virtually identical to their Windows PC counterparts.

 

[mn_hawk]

Perhaps this will be the beginning of Apple iPod Expos where they can discuss all of the things you can do with an mp3 player (is there more than one?) and for the "one more thing", Steve can remind us that Apple still builds computers . . . assuming they still do. 🙄

 

[Evangelion]

I don't agree, I think one Pro conference and two consumer conferences each year is pretty much spot on. I would like to see them move the consumer one from Paris to somewhere else, maybe ooo.... Sydney?

Bad idea. Conference in Sydney would be pretty much restricted to Australians (and maybe New Zealanders), whereas Expo in paris would be accessible to the French, British, Germans, BeNeLux, Scandinavia....

 

[trose]

Well, having moved to Maine from Montana, I was excited to be close to a Macworld. When I found out Apple wasn't going to be there, I decided it wasn't worth the drive down.
So, yes, I see why they are cancelling the show. On the other hand, I don't see why Apple withdrew from Macworld Boston, since Boston and Massachusetts are both quite Apple centric.

Ah well.

 

[wdlove]

I have some fond (and some not so fond) memories from Boston expos. Anyone remember the time the air conditioning failed at the Bayside Expo Center? Or the fun shuttling between the hotels and the two venues by bus in the summer heat and humidity? Still, you were always assured of seeing some really cool new products for the first time.

These days, it doesn't make sense for Apple to invest in several large trade shows a year, and the same applies to many other major and minor vendors. That's especially true now that most Mac peripherals are now commodity items that are virtually identical to their Windows PC counterparts.

Yes, I also remember my time at MacWorld fondly. Don't remember the A/C incident though. Do remember the shuttle bus rides very well. Had that pleasure in NYC once. Getting to see a lot of Mac vendors in one place was awesome. That is what I will miss the most.
🙁

 

[djlu]

I guess this is really no surprise but the economics don't make any sense. Running a convention in Javits is just too expensive. Although Boston is cheaper if you run it at Hynes, It is not really the same thing.

The better convention centers that are reasonable are in Baltimore and the new one in Washington DC. I don' think either of these fit into Apple or IDC's plans.

Also the attendanace at all computer shows have been dropping for quite a while and I don't think the companies want to pay the exorbitant booth fees.

doug

 

[tveric]

I can't believe IDG just now heard about MacWorld East getting cancelled. I mean, jeez, Apple cancelled it two years ago.

 

[Aqua Structure]

Steve? They shouldn't have moved it from N.Y.C in the first place. But those jerks thought they knew better. Serves them right.

Do you how fanatical you sound when you say that?

 

[numediaman]

Big shows are a problem for smaller vendors and the such. FOSE, the big Fed Government show, in DC is an example. The costs have skyrocketed to a point that smaller vendors were/are being pushed out. Add to that it was a "freebie" fest for anyone with a government ID to get a beanie, a ruler, or what ever freebie was being given out.

When I last was a part of FOSE back in the late 90's; there was great talk from the "local" arms of companies like Cisco, M$, HP, and the such - that FOSE was a waste of ever growing limited resources.

Both MW and FOSE share something in common: they are both run by companies without imagination, and very little ability or desire to concentrate on good customer relations. I wouldn't be surprised to see the WaPost Company sell off their entire tech division -- it is a small (and getting smaller) part of the magazine division (which, in reality, is simply Newsweek).