Macworld has been going on since 1985 and over the years, Apple has helped support the conference by attending. Unfortunately and starting back in 2008, the company said they would no longer be participating in the event.

This has definitely caused the conference to lack in attendance. Being that the tech company was there, it brought more interest and gave it that must go appeal. Now however, things have changed and the lack of them is definitely clear.

“Despite all the fresh new ideas on display for the Apple world from exuberant third-party companies, it matters quite a bit that the mothership isn’t here with her children. Attendance is down noticeably over 2010 and previous years, and there are fewer vendors showing their wares. There is more room to roam in the main expo hall, parking is easier to find, and that’s certainly good for attendees.”

“Although this still ranks as one of the most interesting and innovative of all the IT-related shows each year, the intensity has ratcheted down. Apple reported a high of 45,572 attendees in 2007; this year’s numbers aren’t yet available, but estimates are that between 10,000 and 15,000 people are at the show this week.”

The reason that Apple pulled from the conference is rather simple. Steve Jobs was not a fan of the conference and believed it was a distraction for the company and he does have a point. With that said however, to disregard such a large event that’s focused around your ecosystem, does make it feel like people are a bit shunned.

Would you ever attend Macworld or an Apple related conference?

Macworld 2012 Attendance Low, Lack Of Apple To Blame is a post from: The Inquisitr

The editors at PCWorld and MacWorld are the master minds behind this, not-so scientific-yet-there-is-so-much-truth-in-it chart.

I recognize a lot of attributes from a few of my friends, though none of us drinks Mountain Dew while playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Click to see a larger image.

Source: PCWorld

Chart Compares The Characteristics Of Fansboys is a post from: The Inquisitr

As a disgruntled current Dell former Mac user, this.

[Friends of Irony]

Juxtaposition win is a post from: The Inquisitr

The decision, announced at the Macworld Expo today, will be fully in effect by the end of March. Already, about 8 million of iTunes’ 10 million tracks are available for DRM-free downloads, Apple says.

The change is accompanied by a shift in pricing. Rather than offering all songs at a rate of 99 cents, iTunes will soon introduce a three-tiered system. Beginning in April, songs will be available for either 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29. Apple’s Phil Schiller said the decision will be made based on what record company is behind the song. He also said more tracks will be at the 69 cent rate than the $1.29 rate.

Finally, as of today, iTunes purchases will be made available over 3G networks for iPhone users. Previously, iPhone users had to connect via a Wi-Fi connection in order to make a purchase.

iTunes Goes DRM-Free, Changes Pricing System is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’ve noticed a trend lately (actually I noticed it back when I worked at Microsoft and my bosses kept refusing to buy booths at conferences, saying they didn’t return the ROI, but that trend has grown and grown big time). Big companies are throwing their own parties to get news out inside of going to big trade shows. Last night I was at Facebook’s party, where they told everyone they had just passed 140 million users. That deserves a blog post of its own, but we’re here to discuss the trade show crunch.

Earlier in the year we attended a day-long event where Electronic Arts introduced a bunch of bloggers to Dead Space, here’s our video with the producer of that.

I’ve watched as Apple invites a few hundred bloggers and journalists into a conference room at its headquarters in Cupertino and gets the news out to the world without having to go to an expensive venue.

What changed?

Continue Reading >

Are bloggers & social networks killing the big shows? is a post from: The Inquisitr