Even without Apple’s support, the venerable Macworld Expo is back again. Datamation has the story.
The show took a major hit last year when the biggest news coming out of the event was that its largest supporter, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), was dropping out. Amid health problems, CEO Steve Jobs did not give his usual keynote and his fill-in, marketing executive Phil Schiller, made no major announcements.
Apple, by far the show’s biggest exhibitor, also said it would no longer participate in the event for various reasons, including the success of its retail stores and a general decision not to participate in big trade shows.
If that wasn’t enough, last January’s Macworld happened against the backdrop of a failing economy and questions about whether enough exhibitors could support such an event. But tech publisher IDG, owners of both of the Macworld magazine and conference, promised to carry on without its bigger backer. Next month’s event, starting Feb. 9, will be a critical test of whether the 25 year-old event still has legs.