The announcement of Apple leaving MacWorld has stirred up as one would expect a whole host of rumors as to why they’re pulling out of the conference they’ve dominated for so many years. What I find so funny with all the rumors is that there isn’t a single one that supports or even believes Apple’s rationale (our stores are so great) as announced in their press release.
Here’s a short list of some of the arm chair geeking as to why there will be no more Apple at MacWorld.
Steve Jobs’ health – He’s been looking rather skinny and the company’s economic outlook is dependent on Steve. They haven’t been publicly grooming his successor.
Apple got in a dispute with IDG – Apple likes to get its way all the time and there’s a feeling that Apple wanted something that IDG, the producers of MacWorld, couldn’t deliver on, so Apple picked up their ball and went home.
Apple is hitting a wall for product delivery – Apple can’t keep up the once a year schedule of delivering a whiz bang product. They simply can’t manage the expectations they’ve built for their audience.
Apple wants to release products on their own time schedule – Instead of once a year, Apple will release products at their own events whenever they damn please.
Apple can’t control MacWorld – Since MacWorld isn’t owned by Apple, they can’t control it. Jobs and the entire company are built on control. They’re going to launch their own products in the venues of their choosing at the time they want to do it.
OK, so that’s just a short list. I’m sure there are plenty more. Got some ideas as to why Apple’s not coming back to MacWorld?
This news item is for the Spark Minute week of 12/22/08 which can be heard daily on Green 960 and 910 KNEW in San Francisco, CA.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Can I pick all of the above?
Any one, or combination of these reasons would be believable and valid. The one that I really don’t want to be true is Steve Jobs’ health rumors.
Seriously, if Steve steps down, retires or worse, I wonder who would be responsible for keeping the technology world innovating. It took Apple – a computer company – to wake up Nokia/Symbian to the fact that their phones and UI had been stagnant and lacking for years. Without Apple, their competitors would have no reason to innovate. I fear for a company that would revert to corporate “safe plays” and over-thinking products to the point of making them plain and boring (i.e., Sculley & Amelio days)
I’m in complete agreement. All of them seem plausible. I think Apple wants to take control of their schedule and not be beholden to MacWorld anymore. They don’t need the brand of MacWorld to help their brand. MacWorld needs them.
And yes, it would suck if Jobs’ health was sliding. Regardless, they still need to start lining up a successor.