Filed under: Other Events
Apple Expo Paris has been cancelled
You may remember that Steve Jobs attended Apple Expo Paris in 2005 after undergoing successful pancreatic cancer surgery, but didn't deliver the keynote speech. Instead, Steve and a few other Apple Executives held a Q&A session.
Apple did not participate at all in 2008, and it was announced this week that the 2009 Apple Expo Paris has been cancelled all together, according to a report from Macworld. There were 30 events in this past September's expo.
It's unfortunate for all of the participants and attendees that the major European Apple trade show is going away, but in light of yesterday's news for Macworld Expo it's not entirely surprising.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben K. said 1:27PM on 12-17-2008
I'm usually pretty stupid when it comes to looking at the stock market, but I've noticed that Apple's stock opened up much, much lower than it was yesterday, which is notable considering these recent announcements.
Apple needs to come up with some sort of news to boost investor confidence.
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Maria said 2:00PM on 12-17-2008
My confidence as an Apple investor was not damaged by yesterday's announcement. It seems logical that in an economic downturn a company should cut back on expenditures. I'd much rather see Apple dropping out of Macworld Expo -- likely saving the company $1million+ -- than laying off employees or cutting back on services.
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Jash Sayani said 2:05PM on 12-17-2008
What the hell is wrong..?
1. Last MacWorld Expo
2. Steve not giving the keynote
3. Apple Expo Paris canceled
Is Apple shutting down or something !!?!?!
So much just in 2 days !
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actionbastard said 2:23PM on 12-17-2008
Sniff. Get over it. This is a long time coming and a good marketing move for Apple. One more thing, look for Steve to make an appearance, buff, tan, and rested.
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daenney said 2:40PM on 12-17-2008
It's no surprise really... I mean, if Apple is already cutting MacWorld why even give a damn about MacExpo, I mean, for God's sake, it's Europe!
Or at least, that seems to be the general Apple consensus lately, Europe is just not that interesting, even if they pay 300$ more to us for the same product...
To be honest I'm still not quite sure why Apple has quit all of the events so abruptly but they probably have a good reason for it, besides the economic pain all enterprise are feeling (though the IT-sector usually only gets a small smack delivered...).
Besides that, it might be good for Apple not to be tied to events for product announcements and such but that doesn't explain why the cut Paris Expo since they never introduce anything groundbreaking there...
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Andy said 2:46PM on 12-17-2008
"Apple needs to come up with some sort of news to boost investor confidence."
Maybe there is someone who wants those Apple shares go down. Maybe that someone has sold one's shares a year ago and now only waits when they hit rock bottom so that someone could buy them back and wait the prices go up again.
That's what this financial crisis is all about.
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J.R. said 2:49PM on 12-17-2008
Insider info from an Apple source:
Due to CEO Steve Jobs' rapidly deteriorating health, the company is opting to remove themselves from the hype limelight to help further minimize a hype created by Steve's expected exit by June 2009. This is one of many measures being taken to minimize losses and panic as the inevitable is expected.
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Graham Barnes said 3:53PM on 12-17-2008
Its a lot better than cutting employees, as a person who was cut during the recession from a small web company here in the UK as well as owning my own company i understand what its like from both sides. Apple is actually behaving properly and I think anyone should commend them for it, isn't this better than cutting their employees which is the first thing other companies have done, apple seem to truly have people at heart and they deserve that commendation.
Regarding Steve's health there does get a time when someone has to retire and sometimes it can just become too much for a person, I think if steve where to retire (i hope he doesn't as I make every effort to watch his keynotes and presentations) this would be the best time for him to leave not only due to the issues surrounding his health but also due to the current climate if apple where to axe employees he doesn't want to be remembered for that and trust me people always seem to remember the worst of someone.
Naturally as a buyer of apple products i would hate to see Steve leave apple as his presentations are outstanding they are funny yet still have that business requirement which is unique in itself and I would love to see a keynote in person which unfortunately will no longer happen unless something turns around. So the best thing to do is to wish Steve all the best for the future.
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J.R. said 3:00AM on 12-18-2008
After seeing Steve's recent keynotes live, I can tell you that he his getting more frail by the day.
Gregg said 6:06PM on 12-17-2008
The fact of the matter is that for several years now the expectation has been that new products will be announced at Mac World which somewhat binds the companies hands as to when and how new products will be announced. I dont blame them for pulling out. Why should any company be beholden to an expo for product announcement. The entire world waits in eagerness for these announcements and when there are none or the expectations dont meet the hype, the company is damaged fiscally. By pulling out, Apple now has control over how and when new products are announced.
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Ender said 12:43AM on 12-18-2008
Agreed that it's better than cutting employees. Also, I think that it shows how much Apple has grown in the past ten years that they don't have to rely on expos anymore. I think it would be much worse if Apple had cut its expo ties several years ago and had to go BACK to doing expos.
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fteo said 3:43AM on 12-18-2008
Seems like a "Change in strategy" for Apple or Jobs handing over the baton. There is still WWDC (and if that is cancelled then Apple is closing...), and sporadic product announcement events.
I think the next guy better deliver much more than just Jobs. People don't need more hype, they need good products, quality and frequency. Much like Paul O did for Intel after Grove. There has to be a better way of running Apple, at the same time pleasing the majority of customer out there.
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