The End of MacWorld, The Biggest Mac Lover Party

GigaOm discusses Apple’s recent announcement of Steve Jobs not keynoting the next MacWorld, and the jan 2009 event being the last MacWolrd for Apple.

The End of Macworld

Om Malik | Wednesday, December 17, 2008 | 3:00 PM PT | 9 comments

Yesterday, the world was abuzz over the news that Apple was pulling out of Macworld. While many were taken aback, as the publication Macworld (no affiliation with the show) notes, Apple has been backing away from trade shows for a few years already, among them the Apple Expo, in Paris, whose 2009 show has now reportedly been canceled.

In fact, the latest move, which led to further speculation about the health of CEO Steve Jobs and helped push Apple’s stock down some 6.5 percent today, is a sign of how the world of technology is changing. With virtually every technology service and product a mere click away, live video streams that allow people to watch events in real time — and liveblogging for those that want to read about them — trade shows are a relic of the past, like pinups from the 1940s.

Conferences are battling the green movement and recession to cut costs, and it is a sign of the times when Apple decides to end its biggest party/event for Mac Lovers. I’ve been to plenty MacWorld’s as I joined Apple in 1985, and even when working for Microsoft I went to MacWorld..

But, after 25 years does Apple need to be the main draw for a social event?

I’m stunned that Apple has taken a 25-year-old event that has been the single best meeting place for the entire community of users and vendors of Apple-related products and treated it like a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of its shoe. (hat tip to Daring Fireball)

Knowing how Jobs thinks, I am sure he has other plans for what to do with his money and resources that would work on MacWorld events.  Jobs also isn’t forced to do product announcements in January.  In a Web 2.0 world why be constrained to an annual event?  Talk about a bad product planning.  You hold up your Xmas sales as people anticipate new models being introduced at MacWorld. Then you try and sell them the new stuff after they spent their money at Xmas.

This may have worked during better times, but during a recession, Apple needs to be in tune with consumer spending habits.