RSSJobs to duck Macworld keynote, drawing concern
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published December 17, 2008, 2:57 PM
Apple CEO Steve Jobs won't be delivering the keynote at next month's Macworld, a revelation that's sounding off new alarm bells about Jobs' health and Apple's succession plans.
After years of hotly anticipated Macworld speeches, in which Jobs typically announces new Apple products, he will break with tradition by skipping his appearance at the show.
On Tuesday, Apple announced that it will not participate in future editions of the IDG-produced Macworld event, starting in 2010.
A further acknowledgment that Jobs will not serve as keynoter at next month's Macworld 2009 has since generated new concerns among shareholders about his health, which were first sparked when Jobs underwent treatment for pancreatic cancer a few years ago.
Now, as Job approaches retirement age, some financial analysts are pointing to the need for a publicized succession plan from Apple, regardless of whether or not Jobs is currently ill.
An Oppenheimer analyst, Yair Reiner, has downgraded Apple's stock on grounds that the company lacks such a a plan.
"Six months have passed since Jobs appeared at the Apple Developer Conference, looking drawn and unwell. It's past time for Apple to either disclose the state of his health or elaborate a visible plan for eventually transferring power," the analyst wrote in a note to clients.
Another possibility -- a simpler one to imagine, but perhaps less simple for the Apple faithful to entertain -- is that Apple does not have "one more thing" to announce next month. In the current economic climate, companies everywhere are reducing capital expenditures, and Apple is most likely among them.
Personally I have no feelings either way, for or against Apple, it's just another brand. But if Steve Jobs is unwell, get well soon!
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|Never mind whether you like or dislike a product / company or persons associated with. The fact is that Steve Jobs and the people he hired have made significent contrbutions to the technology that we all enjoy today. Not to mention that the technology we enjoy today may have never come about if Steve hadn't done what he did. I am by no means a fanboy and have never owned an Apple product (but have used Macs in the work environment and they worked just as well as the other PC's) If I had a need or desire to carry music around, I would probably buy an Apple product, or maybe not. But I do respect his leadership and contributions to modern society. There is no denying that what Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and others have done through innovation has been an incredible service to world development. Like em or not a hundered years from kids will read about him and Thomas Edison in the same textbooks (Ibook):)
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|Boys and girls take heed. Not a one of you nor me would hesitate to ask "How high", if Steveo were to ask us to jump. He's got more brains than 'nads and we respect him for what he's done in our world. And don't tell me you've never used QT, iTunes, a Mac, etc!
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|Uh...
Wow...
Qt - is a disaster and a horrible application
Itunes - if people had a choice to use whatever they wanted, it would be the last app used
a Mac - well, since a mac is just a PC everyone has used one, now OSX thats a different story, not everyone has used that
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|MacWorld with out Apple and Jobs = end of MacWorld..
iPoodWorld coming soon....
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|"Six months have passed since Jobs appeared at the Apple Developer Conference, looking drawn and unwell. It's past time for Apple to either disclose the state of his health or elaborate a visible plan for eventually transferring power," the analyst wrote in a note to clients."
He appeared at the Laptop refresh conferency thing.
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|I dont understand why people care if he's sick or not... It's not like he's Apple. It's a corporation. I just dont get it.
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|Because Steve Jobs is why Apple succeeded, without him its been stated Apple would have failed
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|Actually, he was Apple. It's not been tested yet whether he is Apple now.
When that eventually happens, we will know, and by then it is too late.
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|Nonsense.
Like his vision to keep the Mac closed without allowing IO slots was an inspired move!
The only real substantial 'thing' that distinguishes the Mac from any other 'designer' PC is OSX. And that does not depend on Steve Jobs.
As far as the commodity MP3 and cell phone market - who cares. They are just that commodities where any one of several can easily do whatever you need to accomplish.
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|You can't be serious...
Macs have a tiny market share in overall computer sales compared to the mp3 market dominated by Apple.
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|Microsoft saved em.
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|And those are not what saved Apple. Geez.
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|Saved Apple?
What are you smoking?
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|Uh Oh..... that wasn't a marlboro
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|Believe it. It's a "security" issue. Steve Jobs and his gang have committed so many acts of perjury and fraud, that they need maximum security now in order to protect them from getting legally served with even more lawsuits.
Even when he does get served by courts, they somehow weasel him out of it and he is able to somehow not show up to court and get away with it.
On another note, I am flabergasted by the sheer number of computer illiterates still out there.
People, Apple is just a marketing company and that's all.
I am truly amazed that people buy these obsolete buggy iGarbage from apple...Hats off to their marketing department for conning and brainwashing so many idiots out there...But, I bought an HP iPaq for a couple of hundred dollars - it came with a phone, full featured GPS with voice directions, and oh yea a full Windows Mobile OS long before Crapple's iPhone ever existed.
And why would anyone pay over $3000 for a crippled, obsolete-out-of the box Apple Mac OS X computer? I bought an HP pavillion laptop, fully loaded, with DVD/Blue Ray, Super Hi-res wide screen, 2 Gig RAM, HD Tuner, built-in web cam etc. etc. etc. for under $1000
And Apple Mac OS X is based on FreeBSD, an open-source Unix look-alike, available FREE for the PC back in 1992, with a artsy-fartsy GUI. Whoopy Doo..
It is too expensive, too buggy, and the only software available is a bunch of dinky puzzles written by 14 year olds. No engineering or scientific applications available for "Mac OS X"...
Apple has a long history of fraud, racism and corruption...Steve Jobs and Nancy Heinen (and her shyster subordinates) are both knowing criminal participants in the stock options scam, and were caught trying to cover it up.
They were caught red-handed in early 2006 when a former employee who was cheated out of all of his stock after being wrongfully dismissed, filed a lawsuit against Apple Con-puter.
In short, dont waste your time and money on apple...
PS: If Apple was supposed to be "invulnerable" to viruses, why are there so many security fixes being passed around? Even with all of Apple's virus and spyware vulnerabilities...which i'Tard would target a virus against an con-puter "OS" used by 2% of people out there?
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|"which i'Tard would target a virus against an con-puter "OS" used by 2% of people out there?"
The one who wanted to have the instant recognition of doing exactly that which many have tried and failed. DUH.
On the other hand, they could waste their time trying to knock over a system that any nitwit can do. Big notoriety there - whoopdeedo
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|FFS still posting this crap? Remember!
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|FFS....
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|Since when has it been about noteriety?
That stopped the moment they realized they could use these things to make *money*...
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|So, following your illogic, there are no longer any Windows hackers generating malware.
And as malicious hackers don't make much money on simply cracking a system, whoever is the first to knowck over a Mac in the wild will gain instant notoriety.
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|Wow cut and paste the same crap how creative.
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|do you wanna play "repeat"?
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|This kind of sensationalistic crap is annoying. Why can't people just shut the hell up and leave Mr. Jobs alone? Why whip out these tabloid-ish articles that are just full of speculation? It's not helping anybody - at least anybody that matters. It's a crappy way to try to increase traffic to a site, and I think it sucks that people do it.
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|Its out of character and with the reports of his health being an issue, of course they are going to speculate, ALL the tech sites are doing the same thing, its not just betanews...
Should they be playing "follow the leader?" probably not, but again if Jobs is leaving that's pretty big
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|Why get so pissed about it?
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|If Jobs is not well enough to attend or speak at the conference, that is a MUCH different thing than to say he is "ducking" the event! A term which implies an active attempt to evade or avoid the event!
Great try at making a story instead of simply reporting the news!
The headline would be better stated "Reporter has nothing of substance to offer - so we'll try to invent a controversy"
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|Any proof he is sick? Perhaps he just has an obsession with being very thin? Happens to woman.. why not men? Also, if he is very ill - he has a legal obligation to tell the company.
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|The company yes, everyone else, no.
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|don't forget- when you buy an Apple product you're part of one big happy family.
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|Here's a news flash.
I couldn't care less if he gives some dog and pony show or not. Not at MacWorld or at his own birthday or coming out party.
He doesn't need a reason to not give a keynote. Anyone at Apple could - or for that matter, could not. The Mac community is larger than the cult worship of one irrascible Bozo quite capable of making mistakes like any one of us. If MacWorld is about products for the Mac, and not simply a Frye's showroom of Mac models, it really doesn't matter if Apple is there or not.
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|Yep a big happy family just like Jonesboro.
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