The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

I believe this is to keep the speculation about products to a minimum and Steve will in fact deliver a Keynote!
Maybe the entire Expo will be winding down when the closing speaker announces "Oh, and one more thing!" as Mr.Jobs enters, stage left...

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I bet this means that something didn't go right with production of a new product and that they can't release it at the expo like Steve wanted. If this is the case, that's disappointing. I love going into expos and seeing if the rumors are true. I remember crying a bit after WWDC when the Intel rumors were true.

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Loki,

I hope you are right.... otherwise we won't have anything to look forward to, as without Steve there most likely wouldn't be product announcements...

I hoping...hoping....

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I think Apple are (wisely) changing their well-known schedule for delivering new and updated products. They have lost a lot of the mystery & secrecy they are renowned for, maybe they're just tightening the reigns a bit?

I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled any or all major announcments until they can find where the leaks are coming from. Admittedly, there aren't as many as there have been, but I'm sure they don't want to be complacent. The Apple legal team seem to be handing out their fair share of "schtum" orders recently.

Cheers;
Poncho

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I'm really disappointed about this, I was looking forward to my first SJ keynote :-).

I was hoping to get more information about Leopard and the Intel transistion and how it effects consumers. I think there's a lot of stuff SJ could talk about, regardless of new product announcements.

Also, why the event on the 7th? - couldn't that have waited until Paris?

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Could it be that Jobs is intentionally letting the iPhone rumors fly just to divert attention from a different product that is going to be announced?

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This sounds every more exciting! People asking questions and Apple replying! Excuse the n00b type.. OMFG!!!!111!!!1!1

Lets pray there are some nice questions. ;)

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"Could it be that Jobs is intentionally letting the iPhone rumors fly just to divert attention from a different product that is going to be announced?"

Let us pray that that's the reason!

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Perhaps they don't want to try sharing the headlines with stories of death and destruction?

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So Apple announced the Keynote date and location back in June, when the reservation of Expo and Keynote passes started. They evidently booked the Palais de Congr? and while it was at no point stated that Steve Jobs was to be the speaker, Apple and Reed Expositions stated that there absolutely WOULD be a Keynote.

Based on this, people from all over France, Europe, and even the whole world will have planned their journey to Paris, and if it's by rail or air, paid a hefty sum for the privilege. Hotels in Paris will also have been booked, and at a general price of about 80� per person, per night, this isn't cheap. Many will have, of course, booked with their main intention of going to the Keynote, hoping to see Steve Jobs' RDF in person.

If Apple didn't intend to have a Keynote presentation, then stringing people along like this is utterly shameful. Maybe there are perfectly valid reasons for cancelling it - and I accept that this really could be the case - but to cancel an event with worldwide interest, to have been held in an arena with a seated capacity of 8.000+, is almost beyond belief.

I couldn't care less about there not being a Keynote, but the way Apple have handled this affair is utterly dreadful. I got my pass in the post last week, with Keynote access entitlement. An email today from Apple just tried to sweep the Keynote cancellation under the carpet. Quote:

"Dear visitor,

Thank you for registering for Apple Expo 2005, a five-day event that gives all a chance to try new products from Apple and over 250 companies.

Apple Expo will begin at 11 a.m. (CET) Tuesday, September 20 at the Porte de Versailles in Paris. There will not be a formal keynote presentation at this year's Apple Expo at Palais des Congr?

We look forward to seeing you.

Kind regards,
The Apple Expo team"

If I'd actually spent the 200�+ it would have cost for me to get to and stay in Paris for this event, I would have been incandescent with rage at this absolute lack of honesty on the part of Apple and Reed. I thought Apple were growing up last year when they admitted they'd screwed up the iMac G4-G5 transition, but it turns out they haven't changed.

No two ways about it, this is a fiasco. Imagine they'd done this at an even bigger event - MWSF - to try and picture just how pathetic this makes Apple and Reed look.

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iWork '06 featuring Keynote 3.0 — it's so complete, you can skip the human and just let your computer deliver the presentation.

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Dude, don't admit to *crying*. You want potential switchers to think we're all backpack-toting whinging emo kids with too much money and time on our hands, spending our days blogging about how our hearts break each time we auto-enhance pictures of forests in iPhoto?

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Again a grave mistake by Apple. Why do they do such crap? I can really feel for Mike. The Mac-world is always waiting fro 2 keynotes a year. I find them entertaining and excellent and would miss a frnch keynote. I just hope they will bow to popular demand.

Cheers
Oliver

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