End of an Era: MacWorld fizzles out without even a Jobs keynote to ease the pain
MacWorld has been Apple’s flagship trade show event for 10 years. It has seen the launch of many of Apple’s finest and more innovative products. In spite of 10 years of product launches and good press, Apple announced today that this year would be its last MacWorld. An even bigger blow was dealt to Apple fans when the other shoe dropped: Steve Jobs won’t be doing the keynote.
It may come as no surprise that to me the bigger blow is the end of MacWorld. This is not necessarily because I think it is still a viable trade show – I don’t. Apple hasn’t launched a truly innovative product there in quite some time, reserving its most fun innovations for its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) and the online sector. Mainly, I’m wishing they had lasted longer as an Apple flag ship event so that I could finally get to one!
All kidding aside, MacWorld is a mecca event for Appleheads and Mac junkies. To couple the blow with the lack of a Jobs keynote seems needlessly cruel to those who live and breathe the pixie dust that is Apple and all its spectacle and function. Delivering the keynote at the last MacWorld will be Phil Schiller, news that reached Apple lovers with a giant collective yawn.
I suppose that this generation, the one that grew up with Apple, will have to accept that Steve Jobs will need a successor one day. We even have to accept that based on the lackluster keynotes at WWDC and other launches this year that day has come sooner than anyone expected. Why step away from the podium now is anyone’s guess, though rumors are already circulating about his health (again).
What do you think? Are retail operations and online launches enough to carry the giant forward? They aren’t really innovative, but they do seem to do the trick for driving sales. Perhaps Apple is girding its loins for a major internal staffing shift in coming months and wants to focus all attention on mundane things like trade shows. Who knows. All I know is it will be fun to watch the rumors fly over the coming weeks until Apple lets us get a real peek behind the curtain.
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