Apple has betrayed their Tribe
After years of carving out a niche of highly dedicated, involved, loyal & die-hard fans Apple has essentially turned their back on their base. I’m not MacWorld historian but I’ve got a pretty good idea that it’s a summit for die-hards, early adopters and major media press.
Apple just annouced they won’t be exhibiting at MacWorld this year.
Nothing like a “leader” walking away from their tribe in the midst of a rough economy & lack of any “new products.”
I’m an iPod user myself, but I’m not in love with the rest of their product line. I’d say, taking a cue from the boys over at Crispin Porter - “I’m A PC.”
And now, even more than ever 
michael.jozaitis
Say word homie, say word! I too am a PC
Tradeshows are dead. The cost is not worth it. Not only that the keynote creates an arena where products are forcefully introduced based on someone else’s timeline. Apple has been talking about leaving this Expo for at least 8 years.
http://www.macworld.com/article/137596/2008/12/apple_kills_expo_reax.html
I am proud NOT to be a PC.
All the trade shows I’ve been in the past few years have been wonderful / informative & well worth any cost. The knowledge I’ve gained to give your clients better ROAS has been amazing.
In my opinion, Tribes love keynotes, they live and thrive off conversation - they go viral, help products launch & create buzz that the brand can capitalize on.
I’m forever proud to be a PC
Say what you will about tradeshows, however you cannot deny Steve Jobs’ ability to have fan boys biting at the bit to pay top dollar for over priced, (and over rated) hardware.
Apple’s sudden decision to drop out, just weeks before MacWorld, makes absolutely no sense, and leads me to believe that Steve’s health is much worse than the company - or even he is letting on.
I think this will definitely hurt them in the eyes of their most loyal and hardcore consumers.
It makes just as much sense at this article being posted here. Apple does not need press, good or bad, because fans and haters make it for them. Tradeshows for a company like Apple is a waste of time. Anything that is released by them is on the cover of every news site, every forum, every blog. They have the Apple Store, the iTunes store, ..etc. There is no reason to spend thousands of dollars to show off one or two products to people (fans) who buy them anyway.
This is one of the smartest moves the company ever made. Over rated, over priced, why don’t they sell them at K-mart like “real” PC’s makers do… the Apple business model doesn’t work that way, and thank God for that.
http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2008/12/17/fearless-apples-macworld-expo-exit-is-part-of-its-dna