For many years, Macworld Expo served as one of the main events for Apple product introductions, with the annual January event in San Francisco in particular being the stage for some important events such as the unveiling of the original iPhone. Apple last presented at Macworld Expo in January 2009, deciding that trade shows were no longer important for allowing the company to reach consumers as the Internet and the company's network of retail stores provided better opportunities for interaction.
Macworld Expo has reinvented itself since 2009, naturally refocusing on third-party companies offering products of interest to Apple users following the loss of Apple's presence. While attendance is down from Apple's last few years of involvement, the event has still been drawing crowds in the neighborhood of 25,000 attendees, and Macworld Expo organizers are now looking to continue rebuilding the show with a new rebranding that will emphasize the rapid increase in visibility of the iOS side of Apple: Macworld|iWorld.
“The brand is evolving from Macworld [Expo] to Macworld|iWorld to illustrate that the show is about the whole ecosystem of Apple products,” said Paul Kent, the event’s vice president and general manager.
The exhibits and conference sessions that have characterized past expos remain with Macworld|iWorld. But show organizers are also adding elements aimed at providing what Kent characterized as a “dynamic culture experience.”
Among the new showcases for Macworld|iWorld are the "Music Experience", which features performances and sessions from musicians who use Apple technology, and the "Film Event", which highlights Apple's role in television and movies.
Even with the rebranding, Macworld|iWorld will reportedly retain a heavy OS X presence, with organizers introducing new packages to attract OS X developers.
Macworld|iWorld will be held at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco from January 26-28, 2012, and registration for the event is now open.
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)This is getting old and the 'i' in front of words makes things no better.
iDontUnderstand
and of all the 'i' - words .... iFANEVENT ...??? ... really ???? You must be kidding. That sounds more like an insult.
:D ;)
I guess the Macworld folks finally see the writing on the wall. iOS, the operating system custom designed for content consumption, has obviously become Apple's primary focus over the last few years. Mac OSX, the operating system custom designed for content creation has been taking a back seat for a while now.
I've seen these kinds of posts THOUSANDS of times, yet not ONCE have I seen a list of requested features from the posters complaining about the iOS focus about a list of features they want from OSX, that aren't being provided. So, go ahead. I literally can;t think of a single major thing I'd want from a desktop OS that OSX isn't providing. The main improvements I see in the future are related to UI, and making iOS and oSX more consistent. But power features? Really what could they add?? Lion was a fantastic update that added features that are actually useful and practical on a day to day basis.
The battle is currently in the mobile space, and Apple would be idiotic NOT to focus on that. It's where most of the innovation and energy is, for logical and understandable reasons. It's where the money and consumer interest is. It's the future. That's a fact, not an opinion. Do you see what Microsoft is doing with Windows 8? Basically adding a touch skin on top of it, making it windows 7 phone-esque. These kinds of posts are a lazy attempt to complain, without offering a better roadmap than Apple is currently embarking on. You want them to shoot themselves in the foot? Most of their profits and R&D $ is coming from mobile devices, which directly benefits the mac line. My 2011 Macbook Air is the best laptop I've ever used. I'm a designer, and all I use it for is content creation, while hooked up to a 15' monitor. Noone has even begun to match it. Spit out a list of missing features Apple would have added to OSX if iOS didnt exist, or stop with the mindless complaining just for the hell of it.