I’m too sexy for your show
Apple appears to have decided that it doesn't need trade shows any more, with the announcement that the next Macworld Conference and Expo will be its last as an exhibitor and keynote speaker.
San Francisco based Macworld has been the venue for many key Apple announcements, such as the launch of the iPhone two years ago, which have often upstaged the concurrent CES event held in Las Vegas. But Apple seems to have decided there are better ways of communicating with its audience.
"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers," said the press release.
"The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways."
Steve Jobs won't grace this last hurrah with his presence, with Philip Shiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, deputising for the keynote. The press release goes on to say that this is just the latest in a long line of trade show pull-outs by Apple in recent years, including: NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.
Giving Apple the benefit of the doubt that this is a carefully thought out strategy rather than a display of hubris, it sets a worrying precedent for trade shows on the whole if one of the world's leading technology companies considers them superfluous.
