Aidan MalleyNo matter Apple's plans to attend CES on its own, those accessory builders who once only attended Macworld are being offered a chance to exhibit in a special section of the larger Las Vegas show.
The official doesn't name any of the firms or clarify whether any of these are dropping one trade show for another. However, he explains that the decision to launch a unique section is the result of talks regarding "2010 show participation" and that many of the companies involved have been receptive.
"We are pleased with the feedback we've received regarding this [Apple-friendly] space," Oxman says.
The news follows a troublesome Macworld Expo for its host IDG, which saw Adobe, Belkin and others pull their booths from the show late into the run-up for the San Francisco gathering. In a number of these cases the reasons for withdrawing are known to be strategic decisions unrelated to the expenses of running the booths or to the poor economy.
It also potentially signals a broader shift away from an Apple-specific presentation by both third parties and Apple itself. The Mac maker is believed by sources of AppleInsider to be attending CES itself and so would create an incentive for related companies to attend the event themselves.
Oxman declines to comment on whether or not Apple will exhibit at CES, but does observe that Apple is already a CEA member and has a "longstanding relationship" with the technology promotion group.
Apple for its part has never hinted at making such a shift and publicly claims that its withdrawal from Macworld Expo is a lessened need for trade shows.
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Apple, Adobe, Belkin to IDG ... "It's too late to apologise.... It's too late... yeaahhhh" (like that song)
Also, w00t first post! Been a while.
I"m just messing around, not sure if IDG actually did anything wrong to fail to attract/ negotiate with the marquee brands.
My guess is that Apple will come LARGE to CES and take it over from a hype standpoint. If Jobs gets healthy enough, I would imagine a strong keynote performance that would see the launch of the next big thing from Apple. If anyone saw the live blog of the Dell Adamo disaster non-launch, it will not take much effort for Apple to dominate this event. Maybe they will launch HDTV displays and tablet/netbook device in addition to new generations of mac, ipods, iphones. With the broad range of products Apple now offers, seems like an invasion of CES is a smart move.
drama
While Mac-centric trade shows are nice, I have always wondered why the companies involved didn't try to have both Mac and Windows PC products in the same show for direct comparison, etc.
After Apple both moved to Intel-based systems, effectively becoming "PCs", and changed its name to "Apple, Inc." to become a consumer electronics company, I was waiting for them to attend CES.
It seems pretty obvious to me that Apple is ditching Mac-centric shows and is going to be more aggressive toward competing with Windows PCs. This takes the Mac vs. PC commercials to the showroom floor. We may even see huge nerd fights at CES.
Obviously, the third parties benefit. Adobe, Belken, and the like can now attend ONE show in January. Consumers benefit because they can compare both platforms right there. And maybe we'll see some interesting changes with keynotes.