“On the heels of announcing its plans to bail on Macworld Expo next year, Apple will be instead attending the more generic Consumer Electronics Show in 2010, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
“Sources close to the company have indicated to AppleInsider that the move is a done deal, a remarkable turn of events given that CES has long been dominated by Microsoft’s product announcements issued in keynotes delivered by Bill Gates and now by CEO Steve Ballmer,” McLean reports.
“Over the last few years, Apple’s announcements at Macworld Expo have overshadowed Microsoft’s at CES, as the Cupertino powerhouse released blockbuster products such as the iPhone and climbed to dominate the digital media future of online music, video, and now mobile software sales in iTunes,” McLean reports. “In contrast, Microsoft has announced a string of products that either never materialized, were grossly impractical, or have sold poorly and received bad reviews, from Spot watches to Mira terminals to Windows Vista to Windows Home Server to the Surface to Zune.”
“CES officials were said to have informed some exhibitors about the matter before the start of this year’s show, indicating that next year’s CES will have a section reserved for Mac-oriented exhibitors,” McLean reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s only natural that one of the leading CE innovators would want to have a major presence at a show where its products can be contrasted directly against what’s increasingly become a sea of knockoffs from imitators. A major Apple presence, to say nothing of a Steve Jobs keynote, would transform CES.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James W.” for the heads up.]
“…from Spot watches to Mira terminals to Windows Vista to Windows Home Server to the Surface to Zune.”
Now there’s a series of innovations of which anyone would be proud…*not*
I would be mortally embarrassed if I were M$. Especially if I had to confess how many $B were wasted on a series of consistent failures.
Talk about a great strategy. Rather than failing to live up to unreasonable expectations each year at Macworld Expo, all Apple will have to do now is look good in comparison to M$. I just hope that Apple doesn’t live down to the level of the competition.
Wonder who will be keynoting….?
Trade shows are still a necessary part of doing business. Apple exhibits at numerous shows every year including the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), AES (Audio Engineering Society), several Educator trade conventions, several high brow scientific cluster shows, etc. It’s a great way to showcase industry specific products and in some cases (like the NAB) the only opportunity to sell anything because the big networks purchase their equipment only from the show floor once a year. CES is a natural show for Apple to showcase their consumer product line. I wouldn’t expect them to have the largest booth or more than an occasional keynote speech.
I have been to CES. Too big. Too much crap.
Apple would be better if they created AppleWorld Expo and controlled it themselves.
This should say “Rumour” not “Report.”
I really, really doubt this.
First off, Apple has been pulling out of trade shows for more than a year. They had no booth at last January’s N.A.M.M show for the first time in years, the pulled completely out of N.A.B. and now MacWorld. Each time their press release had exactly the same message, trade shows are dying.
As someone who works for a company that exhibits in trade shows (NAMM being the largest) I can tell you that the costs associated with having a major presence are huge. I mean, this year we reduced our booth size for NAMM by about 5% and saved $1mil. Apple’s show property at MacWorld probably cost them between $20-30mil.
Secondly, pulling out of tradeshows allows Apple to release and announce products on their own schedule. There is no pressure to get things ready to try and meet the deadline of the show, only to have people’s wild-ass imaginations and completely impractical rumors overshadow the products themselves.
Finally, why would Apple leave a tradeshow where they are the biggest kids on the block, only to go to one where they would be just another exhibitor. They wouldn’t, it doesn’t make sense, and it is not in keeping with what we know about Apple and Steve Jobs.
btw – to MDN… you need to change the headline of this piece to ‘RUMOR’ not ‘REPORT’.
And Bitjockey
Trade shows are only even beneficial to smaller companies that are trying to get their name and product known. Sure, it’s cool to go look at Samsung’s new TVs (their AMAZING, actually, if you’re at CES you HAVE to see them), but I knew how cool they were before CES. Seeing them in person is fine, but they’ll be in stores at some point, and that’s when most consumers will see them anyway.
To big companies, trade shows are a bad investment.
Oh, and this RUMOUR, not REPORT (stupid MDN) is based on the assumption that there will be a CES next year. Their attendance is down 45% this year, and trust me, it shows. There are huge empty holes where exhibitors didn’t show up, and you can easily walk around pretty much everywhere.
oops, THEY’RE amazing, not THEIR, my bad.
A bit late to this party but, hey, you tell ’em Ron. An old Oxford man like you knows how to work the field. Playing a little futbol around Mesopatamia is good training
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Yea, haven’t used that word for a long time!
@HD Boy: You’ve been watching too many commercials, dude.
Ok, here’s how I see this if it’s true. Apple is done preaching to the choir (aka Macworld), so why not preach to the masses instead? They’ve already started this machine by the Rrtail Stores, iPod, iPhone and “Get a Mac” ads. Now they would be able to steal MS’s thunder and upstage them on their home court/field at a live event. Sounds like a blood bath to me, haha. Especially if they have a really cool “One More Thing” or two. Another thought…what if both Ms & Apple presentations are given at the same time in different halls? How cool would that be to see everyone lined up for Apple and crickets at MS, lol.
gadfly, you’re spot on. I am from Oxford.
@Ron,
So in which year did a Harvard sculler last outrow an Oxford man at Henley?
Even later to the party, but I’m from Oxford as well and I would like to point out that it is Mesopotamia with an “o” after the “p” not an “a”.
Anyway the Pot’s no good for football as it’s pretty much completely covered in dense woodland, the area however is a pleasant place for a walk throughout all the seasons. (Sometimes all found in one day
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Now that I live down under, I definitely miss the Snake’s Head Fritillaries in Spring.
@Fun and Games
Surely such a travesty has never occurred!!!
Apple does not need to do this. I was in an Apple store yesterday on Long Island, sales line to the middle of the store, 2 people deep at the accessory racks a minimum of 3 people per piece of equipment displayed. this is 3 weeks after the Christmas sales season with unemployment on the Island at 7%. This rumor/report should read CES to pay Apple to display products at show. They would recoup the payments to Apple by the significant ticket sales from increased traffic to the show. Now that makes more sense to me.
Deathmatch 2010 Jobs vs Ballmer