[mac_savant]

Cloudmover said:

Steve Jobs health? WHAT are you talking about? Let's not jump to unfounded conclusions, okay.

While there's no conclusive evidence, the one big clue is there.

Apple is delivering a keynote, but it's not delivering a Steve Job's keynote.

If they're going through the time and trouble of having a keynote, why isn't Steve presenting it?

It would be one thing if it was a long trek or an unusual venue, but it's not. It's Apple's hometown.

The best guess without further details from Apple, is that it's health related.

My 2c.

[taugust04]

As sad as this news is, it doesn't surprise me. Apple gets just as much attention from the small "Apple Events" that they have every year as they do at the MacWorld keynote.

[AnubisIV]

I remember when they cancelled their Macworld east coast appearances. People called it a bad move, and I'm sure some even suggested it foretold the end of Apple's comeback. Shortly thereafter, Apple's WWDC became a much bigger event than it had previously been (or rather, it stopped sharing the spotlight and took it all for itself).
As has been said, Apple has proven over the last few years that it can stage a keynote whenever it wants and receive plenty of media coverage, which means that it doesn't have to cater to the schedule of some industry conference. As such, why shouldn't they? They can make announcements whenever they want, instead of having to rush to meet some externally-decided-upon date.
Personally, I don't much care for their decision, since the Macworld keynote was always something I looked forward to every January, but I can understand their decision, and I think they'll be fine. I don't think it's related to Jobs' health either. Heck, just look at how many companies have pulled out of the conference this year. I'm guessing there's a reason, and it's not that the flu is going around. It just doesn't make as much sense to go to conferences and expos at times like these.

[themick171]

That has got to be the end of Macworld. As for Steves health who knows. It may be Apple signalling a shift in Steves responsibilities.

[montgomery_burns]

Maybe the Simpsons "Mapple" episode got to Steve and now he is throwing one of his temper tantrums. For example, when someone from ATI told reporters about the G4 Cube, Steve promptly removed all mention of ATI in his keynote speech.

[mosley]

It's product related. i.e. Nothing ready yet. It's health related: i.e. Steve is getting tired of doing these presentations. Having said that I do see the logic in getting Phil to do the last one. Then it doesn't seem as if Steve is bowing out while he still can. I also see the sense of announcing products when they are ready and not to some set-in-stone annual jamboree. However deadlines do concentrate minds and so I think Apple will become a little more boring without Macworld Expo. It's inevitable, but without another charismatic figure like Steve I'd prefer to have no one rather than a ghastly Ballmer-like stand-in!

[6555]

It's more than health related. It says that after 2009, NO MORE APPLE at Macworld. That's more than just a Job's health issue. And quite frankly, I would like to see some new lead voices in the keynote, anyway. This is the way Apple keeps growing and producing new leadership. But to not present at Macworld at all seriously seems like a slap in the face to long time Mac fans.

[context]

Obviously many people prefer the days when Apple was a barely-known company teetering on the brink of ruin.

[dfs]

Some other major players have already pulled out of Expo. Is it simply that participation has become so expensive that it doesn't make economic sense any more? And, yes, one does have to agree that the traditional annual cycle of expositions and trade shows has had the effect of imposing artificial and potentially harmful deadlines on product development, not just for Apple but for the whole Mac-related industry. We customers lose the entertainment of value of the show and its anticipatory build-up (I bet that's what's driving a lot of the negative commentary in this thread), but I suspect the real losers will be small developers and newcomers who won't have the chance to grab a little bit of the limelight for themselves. But what's impossible for me to calculate is how damaging this is for MacWorld itself, how much if any clout it may lose within the industry.

[Argent]

mac_savant said:

If they're going through the time and trouble of having a keynote, why isn't Steve presenting it?

How about the logical answer?because a Mac mini refresh, an update on how well iTMS sales is doing, and a progress report on a not-yet-shipping OS X 10.6 aren't worth his time.

I'm not surprised by this decision. Back in the day, Macworld Expo was the only place to see and hear about new Apple products. Things like liveblogging, digital cameras, video streams and 24/7 tech coverage didn't exist. Today, Apple has 200+ retail stores around the globe to showcase its products to consumers and the ability to gather a flock of tech journalists and bloggers to San Francisco or Cupertino with a simple email invitation. The tech trade show has been rendered obsolete.

[dreyfus]

This sure is sad and it is bad timing IMHO. To initiate new speculation about Job's health at this point is stupid, unless there is any substance to it (hope not).
I do not quite agree with Gartenberg's assessment, that Apple can draw the press anytime. This used to be the case, but the last press events were all kind of lame or extra-lame, and the press is hit a lot harder by the economic situation than many other industries.
If dropping an annual event will allow Apple to time product releases more freely, that may be a benefit. The statement of "better ways to interact with customers" is rubbish though. Apple does not "interact" with customers at all - they are a "my way or the highway" company, they do not listen, they do not care and especially Schiller is well known for always responding rudely and unacceptably to valid questions. He might be one of the best heads of marketing in the world, he is certainly nobody I'd like to watch or even hear.
Sounds like there will be only very minor announcements in January. After having really not a single big innovation in all of 2008 (if the Air counts or not is debatable), this is not a good sign.

[TeaEarleGreyHot]

mosley, I think you hit the nail on the head. I also see sense in the way they're doing it. Steve Jobs will some day leave Apple. If there was an expo and suddenly SJ couldn't make it, for retirement or otherwise, Apple might once again be viewed as "beleaguered". And it's always better to leave the party while the guests are cheering, than to stay till the bitter end.

Apple gets to call it quits to what has become a pointless expo (in their eyes) with minimal impact.
Apple no longer has to save big announcements for January--hurting December sales.
Apple gets to begin the transition to new leadership at an Expo, without explicitly saying it is so.
Jobs can leave whenever he wants.

The only losers are the small companies who got famous by a showing at the Expo (ElGato comes to mind). I've been to one expo in 'Frisco and one in the BigApple, and each time the fun part was meeting the vendors, discovering new and exciting products. And there may be some synergy lost among developers who liked to interact at the venue.

The big winner, I think, will be MacWorld.com, who is now the sole focus for Macintosh advertising, and is more important than ever for product launches and big news from the small guys.

[adobephile]

[quote name='mac_savant']
>

Cloudmover said:

> Steve Jobs health? WHAT are you talking about? Let's not jump to unfounded conclusions, okay.

While there's no conclusive evidence, the one big clue is there.

Apple is delivering a keynote, but it's not delivering a Steve Job's keynote.

If they're going through the time and trouble of having a keynote, why isn't Steve presenting it?

It would be one thing if it was a long trek or an unusual venue, but it's not. It's Apple's hometown.

The best guess without further details from Apple, is that it's health related.

My 2c.

Your 2c is LESS than worthless. Get over this health rumor gossip crap.

Apple's stated reasons for pulling out of MWExpo make sense. Trade shows are no longer worth the expense.

It's also a PR thing. Not that they're following Adobe's lead, but Adobe pulled out, too. Now just who at Adobe is rumored to be in bad health, and they're in the neighborhood, too!! But if Adobe is observing its fiduciary responsibilities in not squandering its resources on trade shows which have become outmoded in their value/effectiveness, then how would Apple look in showing up, and to a commensurately more poorly attended show because of Adobe's non-presence?

Steve Jobs has far more valuable things to do with his time than to pander to a few superstitious idiots just to prove that he's healthy.

[Moof_in_Charge]

What you liked about Macworld was Apple's announcements of new products. If you think Apple is going to stop announcing new products then go bash them over the head but if you think the announcements are going to continue to come, then put a sock in it and stop whining.
Macworld has been a dwindling in prowess for years....not because of what they were doing but because the industry and sentiments changed.
Stay with the changing time or expire like a dinosaur. What Apple did here was to bring more focus to its developer conference and if anyone of you fault the company for that, you can go bite a tree.
They have also made a huge strategic move to bring people in to their stores at record clips.
Way to go Apple, about time.