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Have we all lost our minds?

Okay, what the fuck is up with the revisionism, and just...stupidity about Macworld Conference & Expo?

<disclaimer, I'm heavily involved with the show. Deal.>

Seriously, the shit I'm reading lately is appalling bullshit of the highest order, and it reads like there are a few people who are actively trying to ensure Macworld Conference & Expo dies. I'm absolutely not denying that this year is going to be the hardest that Paul Kent, his crew, and IDG have faced. Apple not being there is a huge PR issue for them. Of course, the fact that the country is in the middle of a huge fucking recession isn't helping either.

But no, you don't see that last bit being listed as a point. It's all about Apple not being there. Oh and keynotes.

How bad is it getting? So bad that even Jim Dalrymple, normally one of the saner people on the Mac web has lost his mind and is posting shit like this:

Apple not only backed out of exhibiting, it also canceled the keynote presentation. Typically these were given by Steve Jobs and were truly a sight to behold.

Da Fuck? Because I remember him bitching, along with the rest of us, how truly boring or unremarkable a lot of those keynotes were, and guess what folks: for every iPhone, there was an iWork. For every Aluminum Powerbook, there was 45 MINUTES OF FUCKING iDVD THEMES! These were not magical fucking experiences, they were marketing pitches, and guess what? Not all of them were astounding. Or in one memorable case, one that was almost a riot. Pro Tip: Taping coupons for free mice to the bottom of the chairs? Stupid idea. For every iBook, there was a Keynote that was not much more than the Megahertz Myth. For every iTunes, there was the iMac G4. For every Safari, there was an updated iMac. Get the picture? Oh, and even the nothing keynotes were hours of Steve going on and fucking on about shit, and you just want to stand up so you can feel your butt again, and maybe take a massive piss. Not to mention that Apple's paranoia meant you had to queue up even as a "VIP" or press something like 2-3 hours early EVEN WHEN YOU HAD RESERVED SEATING! Jesus.

Along with the "EVERY KEYNOTE WAS MAGICAL" myth, we have the idea that the Apple Booth was some magical place where a mystical joining of Apple employee and customer occurred, in an open, congeniAAAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Fuck, I can't even TYPE that shit without laughing. The Apple booth was a loud-assed place where you queued up 4 deep to get your 20 seconds on a fucking Mac, new or otherwise, and a canned schpiel on a product from someone who may or may not know fuck all about it. But you weren't learning anything other than what Apple wanted you to know from them. You might learn some stuff IF you had a relationship with the right people AND they were there AND they weren't being mobbed by the hundreds of other people who knew them AND Apple MarCom wasn't RIGHT THERE.

What the Apple booth was? Loud, in the fucking way, and kind of useless. Dave's, now that was the real Apple "booth". The show floor? Not so much. But at least it was big enough that you could get through to the smaller vendors behind it who had the really cool stuff, and would actually talk to you.

Where the FUCK was this magical unicorn village that these people are on about, and why wasn't I invited to it, because I would have really liked to have gone to that one.

Not to pick on Jim, because he's sure as fuck not the only one carping about Apple being Macworld Expo, (just the latest), but then we have the oh-so-precious CES comparisons:

Macworld Expo has to contend with some new competition in the space now — CES. The iLounge pavilion will host almost 100 companies at this years consumer electronics show, splitting the developers between the two shows.

First, HOW IS THIS NEW? Other than the iDoucheLounge pavilion, how the fuck is this "competition" new? Every fucking time CES and Macworld Conference & Expo were running the same week, it was "The year CES would take down Macworld".

First, I'm glad that Jim and other press are going to enjoy CES, along with the vendors who will be there. For a lot of vendors, like Griffin, CES makes more sense. Griffin, if I had to guess, probably does many, many times the amount of sales through other resellers than they do directly from their web site. So for a Griffin, or a similar company, does CES make more sense than a Macworld, especially in a recession, when you have an even smaller number of show dollars? Abso-fucking-lutely.

But lets again bring up the "minor" point that Jim leaves off in his rush to compare CES to Macworld. Jim can go, he's press. The Griffin folks can go, they're vendors. Joe's Computer Shack, they can go, they're resellers/in the industry Even I can go, I'm press.

Other IT managers? Fuck no, they can't go, and good thing, there's nothing there for them, and they aren't allowed into CES. These folks that Jim speaks of?

People would start lining up in the wee hours of the morning just to get a seat at the back of the keynote hall. I doubt that will happen this year.

None of them can go to CES.

No, I'm not full of shit, here, from the CES 2010 registration form:

PLEASE NOTE: The International CES is not open to the general public, and all attendees must be affiliated professionally with the consumer electronics (CE) industry to be eligible to attend the show. Due to the investment made by our exhibitors, International CES show management wants to ensure that its attendees are members of the trade. All attendees must provide two forms of ID: one photo ID and the other proving their affiliation with the CE industry (pay stub, business card, etc.). Attendees will not be admitted into the 2010 International CES without these two forms of ID.

Meanwhile, to get into Macworld you need: Money. ID. To be able to get to the show.

So yeah, the tens of thousands of 'normal' people who go to Macworld aren't going to fucking CES, because they're not allowed. That's not a slam on CES either. CES is not, has never been, and I doubt it ever will be a show for the general public. That's not its mission, and I think if CES changed that, the show would lose a lot of its attraction for the industry its aimed at.

Of course, Jim's going to another 'exclusive' show, NAMM. Bet you most of the people who go to Macworld won't be going to NAMM either. Well, I don't "bet", I "know":

Attendance at NAMM trade shows is restricted to "trade only" companies (not open to the public).

So yeah...it's easy to pump up CES/NAMM over Macworld, when most of the people reading your words can't go to 2 of the 3 shows.

Will this Macworld be the same? Shit no, to say otherwise would be stupid. But when you have, (and this is from Paul Kent mind, you not some schmuck on the streets or some blogosource who sells frogurt), 30,000 pre-registrations already filed, and that's BEFORE the last 5 weeks, when they usually double that? If that history continues, and no reason why it shouldn't, then on opening day of the show, they'll have 60,000 or more people registered. Even if say, 60% of those show up, that's still 36,000 attendees in the worst economy in Macworld history.

From IDG, here are the attendance records for Macworld San Francisco from 2005 to 2009:
2005 - 28,864
2006 - 30,651
2007 - 36,373
2008 - 36,799
2009 - 25,926

Well look at that. The attendance for this year looks to be about the same as the previous 5 shows. There must be a lot of people for whom Apple is not in fact the alpha and omega of the Mac world. Funny that.

</ADDENDUM>

That's not a show generating no interest. Considering all the factors, that's pretty damned good. And, the last day this year is a saturday, which means one day, at least for local people who can't get off work to go to the show, where they can actually go to the show. That doesn't suck.

Is 157 exhibitors a small number compared to other years?? Hell yes. But is it nothing? No. It's not nothing, and again, the attempts to blame this on a lack of Apple show a lack of reality:

We are in a recession. A bad one.

Guess what folks, people don't spend money on shit in a recession. Yes, Apple is a major factor, but it is specious, specious in the fucking extreme to make it sound like the only problem Macworld faces is no Apple. There's also a change in how things work, and this is a long-term problem for all conferences. People and companies are more used to never, ever meeting or even talking to the vendors they deal with. Online-only presences, no telephone numbers, no postal addresses, this shit was pretty rare five, ten, hell even two years ago. Now? Common. For these companies, they not only don't see a need to go to a conference, what the fuck is the point? If you're a CLOUD-only service, there's no conference ala CES, NAMM, or Macworld that's worth a fuck to you. Maybe SXSW, but that's about it, and you're probably there for the music as much for the people.

Hell, Google doesn't even have a tech support department for its products, what the fuck do they do at Macworld? Have kiosks under a sign that says "Gmail Bitches!"?

But no, the recession doesn't matter, CLOUD is a fad. It's just Apple. Wait, no that's stupid.

It's not just Apple, no matter how hard people want you to think it is.

If you think about it, the vendors who are there should have a pretty fucking good time, because they'll have tens of thousands of people to talk to. Wow, feel the suck. I'd just HATE to have that kind of undistracted access to potential customers. Oh hurt me.

Oh, and the conferences. Those aren't nothing either, and for a lot of people, they justify the entire show. Oh, and anyone can go to a conference, you just have to pony up the cash, and show up. No need to be a member of a specific group other than "can afford to go" which in this economy, is still all too small. To be honest, without the sponsors we have for AMB, I'd be hard pressed to go this year, and I could give a fuck about the Apple booth.

But here's the best reason to not put the knife in shows like Macworld that are open to the general public, and have a wide range of vendors and conferences for all:

If the only shows left are ones where only press and "industry" can go, you know who you'll be relying on to get most of your news of important announcements?

That's right. The fucking blogosphere. If that doesn't scare the shit out of you, then go away you fucking blogtard.

Categories: Macworld Expo, Other

Posted by John C. Welch at 17:05 | Permalink

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Okay, what the fuck is up with the revisionism, and just...stupidity about Macworld Conference & Expo?\n\n<disclaimer, I'm heavily involved with the show. Deal.>\n\nSeriously, the shit I'm reading lately is appalling bullshit of the highest order, and it reads like there are a few people who are actively trying to ensure Macworld Conference & Expo dies. I'm absolutely not denying that this year is going to be the hardest that Paul Kent, his crew, and IDG have faced. Apple not being there is a huge PR issue for them. Of course, the fact that the country is in the middle of a huge fucking recession isn't helping either.\n\nBut no, you don't see that last bit being listed as a point. It's all about Apple not being there. Oh and keynotes. \n\nHow bad is it getting? So bad that even Jim Dalrymple, normally one of the saner people on the Mac web has lost his mind and is posting shit like this:\n

Apple not only backed out of exhibiting, it also canceled the keynote presentation. Typically these were given by Steve Jobs and were truly a sight to behold.

\nDa Fuck? Because I remember him bitching, along with the rest of us, how truly boring or unremarkable a lot of those keynotes were, and guess what folks: for every iPhone, there was an iWork. For every Aluminum Powerbook, there was 45 MINUTES OF FUCKING iDVD THEMES! These were not magical fucking experiences, they were marketing pitches, and guess what? Not all of them were astounding. Or in one memorable case, one that was almost a riot. Pro Tip: Taping coupons for free mice to the bottom of the chairs? Stupid idea. For every iBook, there was a Keynote that was not much more than the Megahertz Myth. For every iTunes, there was the iMac G4. For every Safari, there was an updated iMac. Get the picture? Oh, and even the nothing keynotes were hours of Steve going on and fucking on about shit, and you just want to stand up so you can feel your butt again, and maybe take a massive piss. Not to mention that Apple's paranoia meant you had to queue up even as a \"VIP\" or press something like 2-3 hours early EVEN WHEN YOU HAD RESERVED SEATING! Jesus. \n\nAlong with the \"EVERY KEYNOTE WAS MAGICAL\" myth, we have the idea that the Apple Booth was some magical place where a mystical joining of Apple employee and customer occurred, in an open, congeniAAAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!\n\nFuck, I can't even TYPE that shit without laughing. The Apple booth was a loud-assed place where you queued up 4 deep to get your 20 seconds on a fucking Mac, new or otherwise, and a canned schpiel on a product from someone who may or may not know fuck all about it. But you weren't learning anything other than what Apple wanted you to know from them. You might learn some stuff IF you had a relationship with the right people AND they were there AND they weren't being mobbed by the hundreds of other people who knew them AND Apple MarCom wasn't RIGHT THERE.\n\nWhat the Apple booth was? Loud, in the fucking way, and kind of useless. Dave's, now that was the real Apple \"booth\". The show floor? Not so much. But at least it was big enough that you could get through to the smaller vendors behind it who had the really cool stuff, and would actually talk to you.\n\nWhere the FUCK was this magical unicorn village that these people are on about, and why wasn't I invited to it, because I would have really liked to have gone to that one.\n\nNot to pick on Jim, because he's sure as fuck not the only one carping about Apple being Macworld Expo, (just the latest), but then we have the oh-so-precious CES comparisons:\n

Macworld Expo has to contend with some new competition in the space now — CES. The iLounge pavilion will host almost 100 companies at this years consumer electronics show, splitting the developers between the two shows.

\nFirst, HOW IS THIS NEW? Other than the iDoucheLounge pavilion, how the fuck is this \"competition\" new? Every fucking time CES and Macworld Conference & Expo were running the same week, it was \"The year CES would take down Macworld\".\n\nFirst, I'm glad that Jim and other press are going to enjoy CES, along with the vendors who will be there. For a lot of vendors, like Griffin, CES makes more sense. Griffin, if I had to guess, probably does many, many times the amount of sales through other resellers than they do directly from their web site. So for a Griffin, or a similar company, does CES make more sense than a Macworld, especially in a recession, when you have an even smaller number of show dollars? Abso-fucking-lutely.\n\nBut lets again bring up the \"minor\" point that Jim leaves off in his rush to compare CES to Macworld. Jim can go, he's press. The Griffin folks can go, they're vendors. Joe's Computer Shack, they can go, they're resellers/in the industry Even I can go, I'm press.\n\nOther IT managers? Fuck no, they can't go, and good thing, there's nothing there for them, and they aren't allowed into CES. These folks that Jim speaks of?\n

People would start lining up in the wee hours of the morning just to get a seat at the back of the keynote hall. I doubt that will happen this year.

\nNone of them can go to CES.\n\nNo, I'm not full of shit, here, from the CES 2010 registration form:\n

PLEASE NOTE: The International CES is not open to the general public, and all attendees must be affiliated professionally with the consumer electronics (CE) industry to be eligible to attend the show. Due to the investment made by our exhibitors, International CES show management wants to ensure that its attendees are members of the trade. All attendees must provide two forms of ID: one photo ID and the other proving their affiliation with the CE industry (pay stub, business card, etc.). Attendees will not be admitted into the 2010 International CES without these two forms of ID.

\nMeanwhile, to get into Macworld you need: Money. ID. To be able to get to the show.\n\nSo yeah, the tens of thousands of 'normal' people who go to Macworld aren't going to fucking CES, because they're not allowed. That's not a slam on CES either. CES is not, has never been, and I doubt it ever will be a show for the general public. That's not its mission, and I think if CES changed that, the show would lose a lot of its attraction for the industry its aimed at.\n\nOf course, Jim's going to another 'exclusive' show, NAMM. Bet you most of the people who go to Macworld won't be going to NAMM either. Well, I don't \"bet\", I \"know\":\n

Attendance at NAMM trade shows is restricted to \"trade only\" companies (not open to the public).

\n\nSo yeah...it's easy to pump up CES/NAMM over Macworld, when most of the people reading your words can't go to 2 of the 3 shows. \n\nWill this Macworld be the same? Shit no, to say otherwise would be stupid. But when you have, (and this is from Paul Kent mind, you not some schmuck on the streets or some blogosource who sells frogurt), 30,000 pre-registrations already filed, and that's BEFORE the last 5 weeks, when they usually double that? If that history continues, and no reason why it shouldn't, then on opening day of the show, they'll have 60,000 or more people registered. Even if say, 60% of those show up, that's still 36,000 attendees in the worst economy in Macworld history.\n\n<ADDENDUM>\n\nFrom IDG, here are the attendance records for Macworld San Francisco from 2005 to 2009:\n2005 - 28,864\n2006 - 30,651\n2007 - 36,373\n2008 - 36,799\n2009 - 25,926\n\nWell look at that. The attendance for this year looks to be about the same as the previous 5 shows. There must be a lot of people for whom Apple is not in fact the alpha and omega of the Mac world. Funny that.\n\n</ADDENDUM>\n\nThat's not a show generating no interest. Considering all the factors, that's pretty damned good. And, the last day this year is a saturday, which means one day, at least for local people who can't get off work to go to the show, where they can actually go to the show. That doesn't suck.\n\nIs 157 exhibitors a small number compared to other years?? Hell yes. But is it nothing? No. It's not nothing, and again, the attempts to blame this on a lack of Apple show a lack of reality:\n\nWe are in a recession. A bad one. \n\nGuess what folks, people don't spend money on shit in a recession. Yes, Apple is a major factor, but it is specious, specious in the fucking extreme to make it sound like the only problem Macworld faces is no Apple. There's also a change in how things work, and this is a long-term problem for all conferences. People and companies are more used to never, ever meeting or even talking to the vendors they deal with. Online-only presences, no telephone numbers, no postal addresses, this shit was pretty rare five, ten, hell even two years ago. Now? Common. For these companies, they not only don't see a need to go to a conference, what the fuck is the point? If you're a CLOUD-only service, there's no conference ala CES, NAMM, or Macworld that's worth a fuck to you. Maybe SXSW, but that's about it, and you're probably there for the music as much for the people.\n\nHell, Google doesn't even have a tech support department for its products, what the fuck do they do at Macworld? Have kiosks under a sign that says \"Gmail Bitches!\"? \n\nBut no, the recession doesn't matter, CLOUD is a fad. It's just Apple. Wait, no that's stupid.\n\nIt's not just Apple, no matter how hard people want you to think it is.\n\nIf you think about it, the vendors who are there should have a pretty fucking good time, because they'll have tens of thousands of people to talk to. Wow, feel the suck. I'd just HATE to have that kind of undistracted access to potential customers. Oh hurt me.\n\nOh, and the conferences. Those aren't nothing either, and for a lot of people, they justify the entire show. Oh, and anyone can go to a conference, you just have to pony up the cash, and show up. No need to be a member of a specific group other than \"can afford to go\" which in this economy, is still all too small. To be honest, without the sponsors we have for AMB, I'd be hard pressed to go this year, and I could give a fuck about the Apple booth.\n\nBut here's the best reason to not put the knife in shows like Macworld that are open to the general public, and have a wide range of vendors and conferences for all:\n\nIf the only shows left are ones where only press and \"industry\" can go, you know who you'll be relying on to get most of your news of important announcements?\n\n\n\n\nThat's right. The fucking blogosphere. If that doesn't scare the shit out of you, then go away you fucking blogtard.