Jobs Skips Macworld, Apple Quits Macworld in 2010

I came into the office this morning to see a colleague’s IM status reading ‘No Steve keynote at Macworld’, or something to that effect. Given that the news popped a couple hours earlier in international time, hopping onto Techmeme and the other tech news sites I usually frequent, there was plenty that the Internet had to say concerning Steve Jobs’ absence at Macworld 2009 due during the first week of January in San Francisco. Not only that, Apple’d also released an official statement that 2009 would be their last year exhibiting at Macworld, though organisers IDG state that Macworld would continue in 2010.

What I think this all really means:

• Steve’s Reality Distortion Field generator’s broken; getting replacement parts during the holiday season probably isn’t so easy, given the hordes of shoppers thronging the stores for last minute gift-shopping. Either that, or his health’s taken a turn for the worse. After all, he did look pretty gaunt at WWDC earlier in June this year. Hope that’s not the case.
• There’s nothing major to announce, so why send the top honcho when you can send a lower-ranked flunky in his place? I personally predict upgrades to the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro lineup, among other ‘educated’ guesses, but despite what the rumor mill appears to be saying these days, fat chance Apple’s going to announce a netbook. Given their propensity for premium products, the last thing that’d sell are low-end laptops priced at a premium, even with the famous fruit logo slapped on.
• It’s time to start grooming the future leader of Apple. Steve Jobs certainly isn’t immortal, and this is a good time as any to pass the torch on to someone else, and to drive home the point that Apple is run by a team, and not by a single man. Granted, every keynote Steve Jobs does is an event all by itself, but its obvious that there isn’t really anyone who can do it like he does. Savor those past keynotes, ’cause damnit, this’ll be my first trip to Macworld, and it had to be the one time Steve decides not to take the stage. On the other hand, one wonders why he decided not give the final keynote, given that this is Apple’s last year at Macworld; that would’ve been a fitting send-off.
• Ditching Macworld is something that Apple’s been toying with for a while, and given the current state of the economy, it makes even more sense to forgo the big, public spectacle. There’s also the argument that pre-Macworld, holiday sales of Apple merchandise slows down to a crawl, with everyone in anticipation of newer and better products announced. Times like these, the revenue from holiday sales like those would certainly come in handy.
• The trade show as we know it is dead. Belkin’s pulled out of Macworld, Seagate’s spending a great deal less at the upcoming CES, and CeBIT is all but dead. Why bother with events hosted by third parties (IDG organizes Macworld) when self-planned events i.e. WWDC offer more control over who gets in and what information goes out. Besides, one less tech trade show attended means more money in the bank. If Apple really wanted to demo their newfangled products to the public, that’s what the Apple stores are there for, no? Besides, it’s become a regular thing that major tech blogs worldwide become bogged down by traffic from the Mac faithful each time Apple takes the stage, WWDC or otherwise.
• Ditching Macworld gives Apple greater flexibility in terms of product development. Coming up with new products on a schedule determined by a trade show far in advance is no mean feat, but it’s also not something that any company can keep up. Ditching that one trade show gives Apple more time to firm up their strategies and bring better products to market. The last thing you want to do is to stifle innovation simply to keep to a schedule you didn’t set to begin with.

Whatever the real story, one can’t help but shed a tear for Macworld. To many, the Steve Show is literally one not to be missed. Each time Steve took the stage, all eyes were on him and him alone. 2009 signals the end of an era, but hopefully for the Mac faithful (and the rest of tech enthusiasts), Apple’s got a solid plan to bring to the company to the next level, with or without Steve.