Apple drops out of 2008 NAB Show

“Apple has announced that it will not have a booth at The NAB Show this year,” TV Technology reports.

“Rumor had been spreading on the Internet in recent days about Apple’s presence at the show. Speculation increased after Avid Technology, the company’s main competitor at the NAB Show dropped out late last year,” TVT reports. “An Apple spokesman said the company is cutting down on its trade show participation overall.”

“‘Apple is participating in fewer trade shows this year,’ said Anuj Nayar, senior manager of PR at Apple,” TVT reports. “‘Often there are better ways to reach our customers. The increasing popularity of our retail stores and Apple.com Web site allows us to directly reach more than 100 million customers around the world in innovative new ways.'”

Full article here.

40 Comments

  1. This will be interpreted negatively on the street, no matter the explanation. It will be seen as Apple not really having anything new or revolutionary or world-changing, even in it’s effort to get serious about movie and tv show rentals – exactly what NAB is all about.

  2. Last year Apple had huge presence – as in a whole section of the Convention Center – and a big roll out of latest version of Final Cut Pro that attracted giant ballroom full of invitation only attendees – and reassurance of the power of the MacPro to run it – which turned out to be a huge overstatement. When Steve’s hardware can’t run his software, that’s really telling.

    This year – nothing. We are paying a terrible price for all the distractions of the past couple of years.

    Wonder if Google will be there with their new phone?

  3. If you keep up on your research, you already KNOW about 99% of the stuff that you see at trade shows.

    There is the chance of seeing something exciting.
    Or discovering that something that looked great online is actually a POS.

  4. “We are paying a terrible price for all the distractions of the past couple of years.”

    If by ‘distractions’ you mean the very things that have driven the stock price up and added BILLIONS of dollars to the bottom line while adding several % points of market share to the Mac then yes.

    Oh and could you elaborate on the ‘terrible’ price being paid?
    Please. Tell us. How terrible is it?

  5. I hope this message finds its way onto other sites too.
    Apple has always been strong on promise / marketing.
    Every year at Macworld SJ promises that ‘this’ year will be full of announcements. Again Steve has promised 2008 to b a rollacoaster of new technology. Checking back 2006 / 2007 was a mediocre year for Apple Tech.
    Apple pulling the Avid line about not showing at NAB 2008 sucks.
    Where is the new version of Shake? nearly two years and guess what, everyone from the Shake team has left Apple.
    Final Cut Server:
    Two weeks ago I googled Final Cut Server on Amazon. I regularly check the release date of the book which will complement the product. It read 18 May 2008, it has slipped continually. Now we have 28 June 2008.
    Maybe a good indicator of a release date
    Read of it what you will but Apple in the Film / Broadcast market is a no no.
    How can any business build a model on a platform, Apple, that treats you as if you were in Alice In Wonderland?
    Avid, Adobe and EVERYONE else shares a road map.
    How do you mitigate Apple Product on your risk register?
    Who fancies buying some XServe Raids, how old is this technology, and Xsan?
    Apple only comment is that it is committed to bringing great innovation to the consumer. Or Prosumer.
    I have no doubt that one day everyone will make their own content and everyone will be a part of that content.
    Until the Truman show arrives on your PC, sorry Mac, with you in it…
    NUFF SAID APPLE!

  6. Yeah phenomenal strides in the Pro Market!

    Yes very funny! Thanks!

    From Apple’s Website

    2007
    iphone
    apple tv
    drm free music
    final cut server ~ I’m still waiting
    final cut studio 2
    iLife 08
    Leopard
    various updates to software and hardware

    2006
    iLife 06
    iPod hifi
    Final Cut 5.1
    Aperture 1.1
    Boot Camp Beta
    Nike and iPod
    June 2006 Shake 4.1
    ? Shake EOL
    Aperture 1.5

    various updates to software and hardware

  7. “‘Apple is participating in fewer trade shows this year,’ said Anuj Nayar, senior manager of PR at Apple,” TVT reports. “‘Often there are better ways to reach our customers. The increasing popularity of our retail stores and Apple.com Web site allows us to directly reach more than 100 million customers around the world in innovative new ways.'”

    The just-completed NAMM Show was very well attended by exhibitors and attendees alike, and Apple’s presence there was limited to a small private suite on the 2nd floor. All Apple needs at these trade shows is a way to meet and greet business partners, since they’re doing such a great job reaching end-users through their stores and website. Sky

  8. Maybe things have changed but long ago I worked for a company that was developing the first ever solid state slo-mo machine they hoped to sell to the big networks for sports replays. I was one of 200 temps in a rented building working night and day on the project. The deadline was that years NAB show. Money was no object, we were getting 24 hour turn arounds on custom PC boards and ASIC’s. One night while I was raking in the OT it was explained to me that the only time major equipment was purchased by the TV networks was at the NAB show. They all wait to see the latest gear and then snatch it up. If we didn’t have the machine ready for the show there would be no need to continue. That’s just what happened. The night before NAB show opened the protoype wasn’t ready to hand over to the waiting show personnel so they laid off the entire staff and closed the building. The product was never released.

  9. “:Apple pulling the Avid line about not showing at NAB 2008 sucks.”

    Well, since Apple’s beaten AVID quite thoroughly already, if Avid’s not even there, what’s the point of Apple showing up? FCP will be in hundreds of other vendors’ booths.

    The most important thing to see at NAB this year will be the Red camera, not the editing system that everybody’s already moved to.

    -jcr

  10. Musicians enjoyed one of the most groundbreaking releases of its kind from Apple in 2007. Logic Studio @ $499 and no dongle was easily a high point in the last 4 years. And yes, the largest tradeshow of its kind NAMM was this year and Apple had no booth. (first time in like, ever)

    Anyhow, I think Apple’s been on a great roll and its still going. Surprised that the pros are not as important as consumers? ha!

    You shouldn’t be.. Apple knows where the money is.

  11. Sad! Apple is one of my favorite vendors to visit, whether it be NAB or as far away as InterBEE.

    I’m wondering what’s happening to Shake. Rumor had it receiving a brain transplant of Motion’s rendering engine, but including higher end functions of the current (orphaned) version.

  12. Apple in the last few years have refocused to the more profitable elements of their business which is ipod and everything related to it.

    Last year was a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t fix the major issues of Final Cut (they just added some “features” like open timeline which is the lazy man’s feature) cause Media Manager is still a mess. Color is cool but they should have ironed out the integration kinks before launch. There are workarounds but I don’t remember Apple’s motto being “It’s just a workaround.”

    You know, you get what you pay for. Pay $1300 for an NLE and this is what you get. Want to get an NLE with no problems, get a Discreet (now Avid) Fire system and prepare to pay up. A bare bones system alone is six figures and the software is fully customizable within Fedora or whatever distribution you want (I can’t remember the stock distribution).

    Apple not showing up at NAB could be a sign of it abandoning the pro video market. Hey if they do and sell it to someone who actually cares, like AJA, then maybe we’ll actually get some real product enhancements.

    I’m not saying that Apple is bad or what they did for the market isn’t short of remarkable, but they obvious want to cater to consumers and have left professionals out on a limb. It’s not bad that they have but the fact is that they have. And people who make their living on this should not have to worry about whether or not Apple will be reliable enough to deliver marketable and up to date products so that they can continue to make a living. It really makes you wonder…

    If Apple doesn’t want to abandon the pro video market, then they need to get their act together.

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