"Apple announces its last year at Macworld Expo, no Jobs keynote"
http://www.macworld.com/article/137587/2008/12/macworldexpo.html
Last year they pulled out of NAB
http://www.macworld.com/article/132015/2008/02/nab.html
Does all this indicate a withdrawl of support from the pro video market with resources shifting to home video?
MacWorld has always been the main gathering place for the Mac community. I'm shocked!
I'm still planning to go. Does anyone know of a company still giving away exhibit only tickets?
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Slashdot (http://www.slashdot.com) has a lot of Mac fanboys and they are currently talking about it. They do offer some reasonable explanations for this. It could be that Apple simply has nothing earth shattering to present and is trying to lower expectations. It could also be that they would get more out of simply doing their own announcements rather than having to do them at such industry events. Those are the highlights of the discussion at Slashdot right now. The stock market is beating up Apple right now and assuming that this is due to health problems for Jobs, but that may not be true.
I can't answer your questions about whether or not they are withdrawing from the pro video market or how to get exhibit only tickets because I have no idea. You won't find such info on Slashdot either. -
I can't answer your questions about whether or not they are withdrawing from the pro video market or how to get exhibit only tickets because I have no idea. You won't find such info on Slashdot either.
You could have just as easily read the article, I know reading is so pedestrian today, and posted this part:
"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways."
From the press release we can assume Apple finds little value in attending trade shows since they can directly reach more people in other ways. Which is pretty typical of most businesses. -
MacWorld has been the prime cultural event and an annual pilgrimage for the Mac faithful. It has been far more than just a trade show. NAB serves a similar purpose for video professionals. Apple's manufactured introduction events are focused to the press and financial community, not the customer. I fear this is evidence Apple is distancing from pro users and rapidly changing into an isolated mass consumer products marketer.
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Not so joe, er I mean Ed.
The writing on the wall began the day they opened their first Apple
store and saw success: The Stores are for advertising, the TV is for
advertising, they work, NAB and MacWorld do not.
Avid also pulled out of NAB, does that mean Avid abandoned Pro users?
As someone who has spent money to set up at Trade Shows,
I can tell you, if I owned my own chain of retail stores, and
could afford 30sec TV Advertising on cable networks, I'd do that
and blow off trade shows. The amount of money you spend to fly
employees out, feed and house people, pay for banners and
premium space, and in Apple's defense, NOT ACTUALLY SELL ANYTHING
( MacWorld and NAB both are "Pre-Release Events" where
Apple showcases what's coming, not what's available TODAY for purchase),
is just p*ssing money away that could be better spent.
Apple hasn't abandoned Pro users.
There are in store Pro events, there is the "PRO" side of the apple.com website,
there are still MUGs that are supported
by Apple and that Apple sends people to talk / here feedback at,
and most reputable video houses and university labs are serviced
by a team made up of an Apple SE ( Sales Expert), Apple ES
(Engineer Support) and if necessary, an ACTC ( Apple Certified Tech Coordinator).
These people are on call 24/7 to answer needs
of Pro users.
I would disagree that the "events" are only for Press and Financial community;
The Press can choose to cover or not, but since
Steve Jobs taking a fart is BIG NEWS on a SLOW NEWS DAY,
the Press will do its job. The Analyst and Forecasters have nothing
else to grumble or cry about, so they pick up on anything "different"
as a chance to "hold, sell or outperform" on Apple's stock.
Since we haven't seen a "pro" event, we can't say they do not gear
towards that. Apple still advertises in CGW, DV Magazine, Videomaker,
and Digital Video last time I looked ( last months issues) so
they are still where the Videographers are.
Until Apple doesn't win another Academy Award for FCP, until Jobs
says there will be no more Mac Pros ever, until Apple stops offering
certification in FCP, Aperture, and DVDSP, then I'll believe they
don't support the Pro user."Everyone has to learn, so that they can one day teach."
------------------------------------------------------
When I'm not here, Where can I be found?
Urban Mac User -
Trade shows cost too much money. A lot of companies, in a lot of industries, are finding that the now-viral nature of the Internet tends to get the message out just as effectively, if not moreso.
Setting up at one of these shows can cost 10's of thousands of dollars. That's the salary for a whole job right there.Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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MacWorld and NAB are different. AVID was in the middle of reorganization and had nothing new to say at NAB. They were hiding. NAB will never be replaced by retail stores or local events. For a high end manufacturer NAB is the main direct sales channel for a large part of the international market. Local distributors bring their key prospects to Vegas. The USA is only 35% of the high end market. Even so, most large deals get closed in Vegas and many require multi-manufacturer participation. Apple doesn't operate in that league but AVID does.
My main point for Macworld is it is a user focused cultural event that has been central to Apple's user and partner communication. Maybe they can do it instead with blogs.Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
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My main point for Macworld is it is a user focused cultural event that has been central to Apple's user and partner communication.
Here's why:
"It was clear to me that Apple was tired of announcing products on someone else’s schedule. The elimination of the east-coast Macworld Expo reduced that expectation down to one event: Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
At the same time, Apple was toning its product-announcement muscles in other areas. The keynote address at Apple’s once-sleepy developer conference suddenly became a hot ticket. And Apple began making more and more major announcements at Apple-controlled media events, not only at the Apple campus, but at Moscone West in San Francisco, at the Yerba Buena Theater in San Francisco, and even at the California Theater in San Jose.
Those events were timed by Apple, controlled by Apple, and attended only by Apple’s invited guests—VIPs, members of the media, analysts, and Apple employees. The public couldn’t get in, and there was no intermediary like IDG World Expo to get in the way. But I think most important was the timing—Apple could announce products when it damn well wanted to, rather than being forced to adhere to a trade-show calendar that’s usually set years in advance."
http://www.macworld.com/article/137596/2008/12/apple_kills_expo_reax.html
Do you get it now? -
[quote="RLT69"]
Do you get it now?
Some additional quotes from the article.
"25-year-old event that has been the single best meeting place for the entire community of users and vendors of Apple-related products"
"The timing of the announcement stinks"
"Macworld Expo is the premier showcase for third-party companies who develop products for Apple’s markets."
"With Apple out of the picture, Macworld Expo might actually be a better show. Theoretically."
"But here’s the cold reality: It’s gonna be a tough sell. The departure of Apple will in all likelihood do for the San Francisco show what it did for the East Coast version: Lead to a mass exodus of other vendors until the show is basically a conference with a withered, vestigial trade-show limb. I hope it doesn’t happen, because I do think that the Mac, iPod, and iPhone markets are strong, vibrant markets that don’t require close proximity to Apple in order to shine. But even in the best economic times—and these ain’t those, friend—promoting a Macworld Expo without Apple is going to be hard."
This is what I mean by "community". MacWorld has always been primarily a venue for third party vendors to the Mac platform and their customers. They have been key to Mac acceptance in the "pro" markets. Where would the Mac be if it weren't for Adobe and the Canon laser printer for desktop publishing? Or Aja, BlackMagic, Panasonic, etc. for pro video?
What about the conference itself that is filled with Mac segment loyalists?
Are all these people being dissed by the new Apple?Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
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[quote="edDV"]
Originally Posted by RLT69
Let's put this to bed.
Your definition of the Mac Community and the actual Mac Community of today differ.
We no longer need to meet in one large tradeshow to feel good about being mac users.
No more closet hiding, The revolution is over, we won.
We meet in stores. We meet in thestreet. We meet in forums, and blogs, and newsgroups.
we meet wherever we meet. We get our questions asked and answered.
we no longer need to trek west or east, we just trek to the mall.
or school. or the office.
Apple is in the caplistic product manufacturing business period.
They manufacture products to make a product and fill NICHES.
The prosumer video niche. The music lover niche. The artistic niche.
thats it. All this talk about teleco and mass consumer is crap.
They make PRODUCTS people want to buy to fill a NICHE.
SONY DOES IT. GE does it. CISCO does it.
IF the next big thing is broadband ON DEMAND IPTV,
apple will do that as well. It's goal is to make products and make
a profit. Computers were the start, and now they are a small part.
Did you get this upset when HP bought Compaq and added
to their filling the PC NICHE?
EVERY Business goes with what sells. You want a company to stay making one widget,
move to India. In America, what sells, gets made.
So far, Imacs sell, so apple still makes them.
This is what I mean by "community". MacWorld has always been primarily a venue for third party vendors to the Mac platform and their customers. They have been key to Mac acceptance in the "pro" markets. Where would the Mac be if it weren't for Adobe and the Canon laser printer for desktop publishing? Or Aja, BlackMagic, Panasonic, etc. for pro video?
They made the engine, but they didn't make the market.
Adobe made Postscript, but Apple helped acceptance of it through its GUI,
and then helped them to build their licensing market of it, based on that.
If you tried to sell Postscript to the lay person, they didn't get it.
But when you showed it on An Apple II SE with a LaserWriter,
and how it all worked together, they got it.
AJA & BlackMagic I can't speak of.
Panasonic and Sony and Canopus
were doing fine before Apple.
Apple just helped intergrate their products into people's lives
through Innovation,
just like MS did for things, like Google and Sony does now,
etc.
What about the conference itself that is filled with Mac segment loyalists?
Are all these people being dissed by the new Apple?
Hell we have the web. And Apple has the Itunes store that sells APPS.
& MacUpdate's Bundles. And those App makers interface with Customers.
So apps still get sold, and (app makers)people still get exposure.
And no one is stopping them from selling at Trade shows.
MacWorld may be smaller after this, but they can still attend and sell.
Sure, some people won't show( those looking for Apple hype
will stay at home.) But people interested in , whatever, that
want to get out instead of surfing the web,or hanging out at the
Apple Store, or their favorite blog/forum/newsgroup,
will be there, & the App makers who want to waste money will
be there. Better to: beef up your website and customer service,
and spend money on setting up an Amazon shop, or getting
your product noticed in other ways, than a trade show.
Apple still has great customer service, and great products.
Loyalists still buy Apple products to fill their NICHE,
over iRiver, Creative, RIM, Sony, HP, etc. who make competing products,
of just as good as or better quality.
How are they dissed?"Everyone has to learn, so that they can one day teach."
------------------------------------------------------
When I'm not here, Where can I be found?
Urban Mac User -
Originally Posted by terryjRead my blog here.
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terryj,
Obvious you have little understanding of the core desktop publishing, photo, education, product design and yes video-audio post production markets that gave the Mac a reputation. Most of these application segments were solidified by partners, not Apple engineering or marketing which often were counterproductive in the early years. Imagine trying to explain video post production to the likes of John Sculley who should have been less clueless. The arrogance continued well into the 90's. It took Jobs to herd the cats.
Apple is in full transition to a consumer products company, Mac is now a business segment and 'pro' apps are niches. That explains their decision to ditch MacWorld but they could have done it with more respect to their partners. Developer conferences don't reach the sophisticated niche customer.
I agree with you that Apple needs to adapt to the new business plan especially for timing non-Mac product announcements. They could have executed better. There must be a story behind this story.
BTW AAPL has been downgraded and the stock was down 6% today to $89 after the announcment. One year ago it was $202.96. That hurts.
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@ stock: Every stock is in the toliet.
and.....?
Apple is doing what it needs to do to survive the economic downturn.
Not going to trade shows saves money. They have pulled out of NAB,
They pulled out of Apple Paris. So they have been saying for at
least a YEAR that they were pulling out of trade shows...
MacWorld should be nothing expected....they pulled out of two
fairly large ones, one that is Apple centric, BEFORE Macworld.
I don't understand all the fuss about pulling out of MacWorld.
It's an eventuality...either they were going to pull out of MW,
or MW would eventually fold. Nothing last forever.
geez. And if MacWorld continues in 2010, smaller, but with a tighter
focus on Third Party developers, then good for them.
As for @ little understanding: I have a fairly large understanding,
having been in the corporate arena first in DTP and Photo,
Then working as a Media Buyer's assistant for a few years,
before moving into IT and serving in the capacity of
assistant IT head with the ability to plan, purchase, and implement
computer needs for an 120 staffed Graphic Design and Communications
firm that got in to FCP in its early stages.
Apple solidified partner relationships just as any vendor did/ still does,
Vendors still call me constantly, and I meet with many
every Q2 and Q4 to sollidfy purchases and solutions for the year
and upcoming years.
Yeah I believe me when I say I got the "Business and Partners scenario"
down cold.
I agree that Times under Sculley and Amelio were...rough.
And that Jobs did a great job when he came back as iCEO.
"Developer conferences don't reach the Sophisticated Niche Customer" you say....
And yet, Quicktime Technologies is supposed to be a big focus
at the next WWDC. A SMART NICHE Customer, who realizes that
Quicktime is the backbone of apple's pro app stance would do well
to attend a WWDC. But a sophisticated one....well you can lead
a horse to water, yadda yadda.... :P
and as for the story behind the story, who knows?
You say you know their desision, but no where has a
"letter from Steve Jobs" come out EXACTLY saying that.
And the average person doesn't care as long as their NICHE
is getting served. Apple pulling out of MacWorld wouldn't affect
as many people as say if Apple sold out to Sony.
That's why I don't get all the fuss.
Having seen Apple at its Best, worst and back to Best again,
seeing packed Apple showcases and venues and trade shows
to Apple events and mac users break off to blogs and newsgroups,
and attendance dwindle on events left and right,
to no mac support in retail to Apple products EVERYWHERE in retail...heck i was at
the Korean ran gas station across from the shop this morning,
and they carry Apple iPod/ iPhone accessories....
Some change is good, some change is bad. But change is a
constant thing you can count on. And Mac users, pro or consumer,
Niche or a kid with an iPod, adapt. They are use to change.
In the big scheme of things, Macworld - Apple= change.
and we'll, be "we" I mean Mac users in general, niche or not, be better for it. *shrugs*"Everyone has to learn, so that they can one day teach."
------------------------------------------------------
When I'm not here, Where can I be found?
Urban Mac User -
For the NICHE users among us who have felt ignored:
Apple updates Pro apps today."Everyone has to learn, so that they can one day teach."
------------------------------------------------------
When I'm not here, Where can I be found?
Urban Mac User -
Such passion over what matters least. Apple doesnt just make Macs anymore. End of story.
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Originally Posted by AntnyMD
"Everyone has to learn, so that they can one day teach."
------------------------------------------------------
When I'm not here, Where can I be found?
Urban Mac User
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