“I’m wondering what the move to end the decade long tradition of the Stevenote speech at Macworld means to Apple (AAPL) and its ongoing strategy. While Apple always has its own developers conference and events for the iPhone and iPod product lines as well as its so-called ‘Special Events,”‘ there is no gathering quite like the MacWorld Expo [sic]. While in my previous post, I argued that pulling out of MacWorld is just the next logical step in a decision to minimize investment in tradeshows, it is undeniable that the MacWorld Expo is at least a little bit more important than the rest. Only at MacWorld, did average consumers, fanatics, and general press willingly gather to listen to Steve Jobs (and, hopefully, to Phil Schiller this year) set the tone for the coming year’s consumer tech products. It was, in many respects, a state of the union address both for Apple and consumer tech,” The Curious Investor writes for Seeking Alpha.
“I wish Apple could have chosen a better way to do this. A surprise withdrawal from MacWorld Expo is not necessarily the best way to inspire confidence especially when there is already concern over the CEO’s health. In the long run, this could be a good move for Apple. Steve is 53, and hopefully, he has many good years left, but everyone gets tired and everyone age,” TCI writes.
“The question for investors is whether or not there is someone or several ‘someones’ who could fill Steve Jobs’ shoes, and continue to execute and evolve its very solid business strategy in the event that Jobs does eventually decide to take a lesser role in the business. The problem for investors is that Apple refuses to be forthright about Jobs’ health, his intentions going forward, or any succession plan at all. While this isn’t something we ask of most companies, who would succeed Eric Schmidt if he became technology czar or 64-year old Larry Ellison? It is an issue for a company, which has willfully decided to turn its CEO into its greatest salesperson and the symbolic source of its intangible competitive advantages. For now, all we can do is speculate,” TCI writes.
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
There will never be another Steve!
Who knows, the next AAPL CEO might be better than Steve Jobs.
Good business decision or not, how Apple decided to exit Macworld was bad form. It was very bad form indeed!
Do companies regularly comment on their CEO’s colonoscopy’s. Or whether they failed their last stress test, or that that have early kidney disease? Don’t remember reading any articles to this effect on anyone lately.
He implies that Steve’s health is poor because it isn’t mentioned. Even though at last report, statements were to the contrary.
When would have a good time to mention they weren’t doing a Macworld? Two years away, three, six?
In sixth grade I was told that an editorial should some suggestions as to how to improve a situation on which one was commenting. He must have missed that part.
Oh, and by the way. Long on apple, and google is way to out there to even start.
The Steve is dead. Long live the Steve!
What I find funny about this is that in retrospect, one could see this coming a mile off. They have been scaling back their presence at trade shows for years now.
When Apple stopped appearing at Paris Expo is was hardly news, but somehow the USA based MacWorld is “special”? Hypocritical IMO to get upset about this, and borderline offensive to claim that the USA show is somehow “more important” in the long run.
Apple is slowly (very very slowly at times) turning into a global company. If (unlike most USA based companies) they “do it right” they should and will treat the whole world the same. Why should a trade show in some small town in the USA matter in the global scheme of things?
The next CEO will not be better than Steve Jobs. It would be a frigging miracle if that happened. Look at every other large public company. They pretty much SUCK. And their CEOs are money grubbing A-Holes.
A more orderly withdrawal from the conference would have raised less speculation about Steve Jobs. Whatever happened to giving more than a few weeks notice to a yearly event?
/* and borderline offensive to claim that the USA show is somehow “more important” in the long run. */
The USA is more important period.
How’s that for offensive.
get over it Jeremy.
@Jeremy: “When Apple stopped appearing at Paris Expo is was hardly news, but somehow the USA based MacWorld is “special”? Hypocritical IMO to get upset about this, and borderline offensive to claim that the USA show is somehow “more important” in the long run.”
IF Apple’s sales in France, or even all of Western Europe were equal to that of the US, then you’d maybe have a point. Since they are not, and also since the MWSF was the first, the longest running, the most widely attended, and the closest to Apple’s Cupertino headquarters, you just come off as an anti America bashing troll.
True Apple is “becoming” more of a global company if you define this by growing international sales, but they still sell far more products in the US, introduce products here first, have more retail presence here, and most of their employees and company operations take place here.
Why single out France as an international location? Why not complain about MW Tokyo? Are you prejudice against the Japanese?
The day we get regular drug-test (and alcohol tests…) and full medical check-up bulletins from other Fortune 50 CEOs (the above mentioned colonoscopies), that day people can come back again and ask “tough” questions on SJ’s health.
I can already hear the next complaint, once he’s left AAPL: “Phil Schiller is too obese, he should lose 30kg and exercise more!”.
If it wasn’t so disgusting, it would be hilarious.
I agree that Apple should have found a better way to do this. They worked hard to make it a known brand of excellence. Introducing this uncertainty in this uncertain time eats away into their efforts. Maybe Apple is failing? Maybe Apple has no new products of note? Maybe maybe maybe….you can see where this is going.
Look… we’re only paying steve 1 buck a year, so he better be healthy… I’m sure he’s just getting bored and wants to go into the energy or auto industry. Apple’s strategy is rock solid and they have the right business model for the future. This is not the same company that struggled strategically in the 90s.
Doesn’t it just boil down to plain arrogance on the part of Apple?
“We don’t care about what stockholders think.
We don’t care about all the Apple fans that bought tickets (hotel rooms, airplane tickets, car rentals) to attend MacWorld to see Steve Jobs.
We don’t care what anybody thinks – what ever Apple does is right, proper and correct and everyone else should adjust to our way of thinking.”
(Of course, Steve’s health could have went real, real bad overnight and it was too late for Steve to make a personal announcement; he can’t.)
———
Side note: Last year at this time Apple iPods were just about all sold out at electronic stores I visited.
Yesterday, my son suddenly said he needed a new Nano. Uh-oh, too late I thought – they will be sold out. Surprise. This year there are close to a hundred in the case displaying them. Every color and model available.
Hmmmmmm…..
maybe i am the only one but i thought steve exited prefectly. i mean, it might of been better if he physically hurt people, but always loved the way he doesn’t care how anyone feels. just does what needs to be done. i can respect that. i can’t respect bullshit politic’in.
The MacWorld Expo was being manipulated by the same people who are now questioning it’s demise.
They are just pissed at losing an illegal investment tool.
This is a good corporate decision that has nothing to do with the health of Steve Jobs.
Neither Steve Jobs nor Apple Inc. have made any errors in judgment or broken any laws or contracts over this affair.
There are no secrets being kept from the stock holders illegally.
@dd – A buck? 1$?
Are you looney? He gets mega-stock options and a couple of years ago he got hundred gazillion-million $$$ plane as a “gift”.
@Al – what are you talking about?
MacWorld an “illegal investment tool”???
I have been attending since the show was just Apple IIs and made about 4 out of 5 (traveling from the east coast) but I did not get tickets for this year… not after the disaster that was last year’s show. Apple was fine as always but IDG has been going downhill for many years and last year just clinched it for me. When I walked out the door the last day I already knew I wasn’t coming back to any more of their (dis) organized shows. Move on Apple.
“Surprise withdrawl”? How is it a surprise when you tell everyone over a year in advance of your plans. Besides, how can you withdraw from an Expo you never entered in the first place? Do these so-called journalists get paid for this crap?
The writer states the announcement was a surprise. How else were they supposed to announce it? Gradually?
The writer says he wishes Apple would have done it a better way, but offers no thoughts on how they could have done it differently.
3rd grade writing skills.
Here’s what is going to happen.
•Apple exits MacWorld to cut costs in a bad economy.
•Then, a couple of years later when MacWorld is but a distant memory and the economy is better, Apple starts its own expo under Apple’s/Steve’s control and design at a different time of the year that is more convenient for Apple. (Not competing with other expo’s and not so close to Christmas that it discourages sales in December)
Oh, and Apple keeps any profit made from the expo.
Even if Steve Job’s isn’t at MacWorld in person, I wouldn’t be surprised if he appeared if Phil Schiller called him up during demo.
“maybe i am the only one but i thought steve exited prefectly. i mean, it might of been better if he physically hurt people, but always loved the way he doesn’t care how anyone feels. just does what needs to be done. i can respect that. i can’t respect bullshit politic’in.”
That makes two of us.
@ Olternaut
> Good business decision or not, how Apple decided to exit Macworld was bad form. It was very bad form indeed!
Except Apple did not “exit” MacWorld. It is still fully participating in the show. It announced it would not participate AFTER the 2009 show. That’s over one year of advanced notice. How is that bad form?
As for Steve Jobs not giving the keynote, I think it’s all part of a clever plan. It’s obvious that Apple’s other executives need to step up and start giving more of the presentations, and not rely on Steve Jobs to be the master showman. What better way is there to transition such responsibilities, and get tens of millions of dollars in free media coverage leading up to the show, than to add a layer of mystery and uncertainty in the week before the show? This is intentional; Apple could have taken action to allayed investor “fears” if they wanted to do so.
So once again, the tech world is talking about Apple and largely ignoring other noteworthy events, such as CES. And the speculation and media coverage will only intensify. More people will be interested in MacWorld 2009 now, than if Apple had made this announcement in a more orderly fashion months ago.
Apple has once again, brilliantly engineered a media event. This time, they did it without even announcing a product. Apple’s ability to manipulate the media to do it’s bidding is amazing.