The Macworld Conference & Exposition, or simply Macworld Expo, was a tradeshow dedicated to Apple Computer's Macintosh platform. It was organized by the publisher of Macworld magazine, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), founded by Patrick J. McGovern.[1][2]
The Pippin platform, jointly developed by Apple Computer and Bandai, was marketed at Macworld events held from 1995 to 1997.
Early history[]
In April 1984, Apple Computer held an "Apple II Forever" event at Moscone Center in San Francisco, with Apple co-founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and then-CEO John Sculley. Jobs introduced the Apple IIc computer and discussed the recent launch of the first Macintosh.[3][4]
The first Macworld Exposition was held at Brooks Hall near the San Francisco Civic Center in February 1985 with an 11-foot tall working model of a Macintosh as Apple's centerpiece. Steve Jobs did not attend and was forced out of the company later that summer.[4][5] The event was moved to the larger Moscone Center in January 1987 and was attended by 250 exhibitors. A 3-day expo-only pass was $15; a pass that included the conference cost $40.[6]
1995 events[]
Macworld Expo Tokyo '95[]
Held February 25-28, 1995 at Makuhari Messe, the 5th expo to date in Japan. Bandai Digital Software demonstrated an early Pippin Concept Prototype (EVT-1), branded as a "Pippin Power Player". Music ISLAND publisher Oracion was also in attendance. Preliminary software announcements included ClarisWorks, The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time and Music ISLAND vol.2: The Nutcracker,[7] though many were never released for the platform.[8][9]
1996 events[]
Macworld Expo San Francisco '96[]
Held January 9-12, 1996 at Moscone Center, the 12th expo to date in San Francisco.[10] Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki showed off a Pippin prototype in a finalized design (internally identified as EVT-2) running alongside an ITV (Apple Interactive Television Box) in the exhibit hall.[11][12] Tentatively named "PowerStation", it was running Netscape Navigator with an announced target price of $600 in Japan and $600 in the United States.[13] Apple and Bandai hosted a Pippin event nearby at the Exploratorium, where musician Chris Isaak performed on stage.[14]
Macworld Expo Tokyo '96[]
Held February 21-24, 1996 at Makuhari Messe.[15] The Pippin Atmark was introduced by Bandai and became a major attraction that drew crowds.[16][17] The console was put up for pre-sale reservations during the event.[18] Several display units were connected to the internet, running Atmark Town, Franky Online and other titles, though one crashed during a demonstration.[19] A developer seminar limited to 100 attendees was jointly held by Apple and Bandai Digital Entertainment on February 21.[20] Pioneer begins showing systems based on the faster PowerPC 604 processor.[19]
Macworld Expo Boston '96[]
Held August 7-10, 1996 at Bayside Expo Center,[21] where a new attendance record was set.[22] However, the focus of this event was the survival of Apple Computer.[23] Though the Pippin @WORLD console had just been unveiled in May at the Electronic Entertainment Expo,[24] it had not yet shipped in the United States and was already being overshadowed by the rollout of new systems based on faster PowerPC 603e and 604e processors.[23]
1997 events[]
Macworld Expo San Francisco '97[]
Held January 7-10, 1997 at Moscone Center, the 13th expo to date in San Francisco.[25] The return of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs overshadowed CEO Gil Amelio at an opening day media event held nearby at the Marriott Hotel.[26][27] After Jobs took over as Interim CEO later that year,[28] Apple's work on the Pippin platform was halted with Jobs' reorganization of Apple and its product lines in order to return the company to profitability.[29]
Macworld Expo Tokyo '97[]
Held February 19-22, 1997 at Makuhari Messe.[30] Bandai promoted Tamagotchi CD-ROM, based on their hit digital pets.[31] Bandai Digital Entertainment's booth was split into a "Home Use Zone" and "Business Use Zone",[32] where new prototypes, including the Pippin Atmark-PD and Atmark-EX were shown.[33] A seminar was held on February 20 to promote the use of the Pippin Atmark in a business environment.[32] However, the Pippin platform would be abandoned by the following year and none of the new models would be released for sale.[34]
MacWorld after Pippin[]
Steve Jobs' "Stevenotes" became a central part of MacWorld events in the following years. His product announcements, from PowerPC G3-based Macs in 1998 to the iPhone in 2007, drove the resurgence of Apple Computer's business.[35][36] His final appearance at MacWorld Expo was in 2008, when he introduced the MacBook Air at Moscone Center in San Francisco.[37] He did not return in 2009 due to health reasons and died of complications from pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011.[38][39]
Hiatus and cancellations[]
The last MacWorld Expo in Tokyo was held March 21-23, 2002 at Tokyo Big Sight with Steve Jobs providing the keynote address.[40] Future Tokyo events were cancelled due to the lack of exhibitor applications.[41] A MacWorld Conference in London was held May 17-18, 2004 at the Barbican Centre.[42] MacWorld moved its East Coast event from New York City's Javits Center, last held in 2003, to Boston's Bayside Expo Center, causing Apple to drop out of the 2004 event.[43] The move was considered a mistake and Boston events after 2005 were cancelled to focus on the last remaining MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.[44] The event was rebranded as "Macworld | iWorld" in 2012 since Apple's primary business had shifted from Macintosh computers to iOS devices.[35] With Apple no longer attending the event and IDG founder Patrick J. McGovern having died earlier in March 2014, Macworld | iWorld went on "hiatus" as of October 2014 and parent company IDG was put up for sale.[1][2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 IDG cancels Macworld/iWorld 2015 conference, says show 'going on hiatus' by Neil Hughes, Apple Insider. 2014-10-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tech Publisher IDG Transforming Itself From Within As It Braces For Sale Or Breakup by Ava Seave, Forbes. 2016-04-11.
- ↑ ‘Apple II Forever’: Found photos offer early look at icons by Peter Hardlaub, San Francisco Chronicle. 2018-03-23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Here’s what the first Macworld looked like in 1985 by Peter Hardlaub, San Francisco Chronicle. 2014-03-26.
- ↑ When Steve Jobs Got Fired By Apple by Joel Siegel, ABC News. 2011-10-06.
- ↑ Macworld Expo 1987 San Francisco, 32by32. 2013-04-04.
- ↑ Macworld TV Tokyo 1995 by KandaNewsNetwork,Inc., YouTube. 2013-08-29.
- ↑ Pippin software (Japanese), Atmark Channel. Archived 1997-06-29.
- ↑ PIPPIN@MARK software release list (Japanese), Retrogeme. Accessed 2017-05-03.
- ↑ Calendar, InfoWorld, p.73. 1995-12-04
- ↑ Macworld Expo/SF 1996 Report by Koya Matsuo, YouTube. 2016-05-10.
- ↑ 開発用PIPPIN (Japanese) by みすてぃく, PIPPINであそぼ~. Archived 2002-11-07.
- ↑ Putting all its eggs in one box, InfoWorld, p.49. 1996-01-29.
- ↑ The best party I ever attended was the Apple/Bandai Pippin party there. by Just This Guy, Twitter. 2019-08-23.
- ↑ Computing Japan, vol.19-24, p.53. LINC Japan, 1996.
- ↑ Is Pippin a Breakthrough or Outmoded on Arrival? by Andrew Pollack, New York Times. 1996-03-14.
- ↑ アップル不在のMacworld Expoが開幕 (Japanese) by 林信行, PC User, ITmedia. 2010-02-11.
- ↑ Pippin Atmark 先行予約受け付け開始 (Japanese, EUC encoding) by 市原誠雄. 1996-02.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mac World EXPO 1996 (Japanese) by Takayuki Nakano, Web.targz. 2004. Accessed 2019-02-06.
- ↑ Macworld Alert by Paul Dreyfus, Apple Directions. 1996-08-05.
- ↑ Process Think: Winning Perspectives for Business Change in the Information Age, p.364 by Varun Grover, William J. Kettinger. 2000.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Macworld Boston 1996 by Stewart Cheifet, Computer Chronicles. 2015-02-17.
- ↑ E3 and Other Adventures in Electronic Entertainment by Jake Richter, PC Graphics Report. 1996-05-21.
- ↑ At Macworld, Apple failed to regain believers among the once-faithful by Denise Caruso, The New York Times. 1997-01-13.
- ↑ Macworld SF 1997, NotesKey. 2016. Accessed 2019-01-17.
- ↑ Gil Amelio with Steve Jobs #1997 #MACWORLD by KandaNewsNetwork,Inc., YouTube. 2010-05-04.
- ↑ Jobs named interim Apple CEO, C|NET. 1997-09-16.
- ↑ For the good of the company? Five Apple products Steve Jobs killed by Casey Johnston, Ars Technica. 2011-08-25.
- ↑ Computing Japan, vol.30-35, p.39. LINC Japan, 1996.
- ↑ Pippinは元気です! From B.D.E by 松山由美子, MacWeek / Japan. 1997-02-20. Archived 1998-12-01.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 MACWORLD Expo/Tokyo '97 (Japanese), Atmark Channel. Archived 1997-06-29.
- ↑ Macworld Tokyo: Of Cameras and Macs by Chuck and Linda Shotton, Tidbits. 1997-03-03.
- ↑ Bandai Says Goodbye to Pippin by Chris Johnston, GameSpot. 1998-02-27. Archived 1998-12-05.
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 15 Years Of Macworld History In Just 10 Minutes by Buster Hein, Cult of Mac. 2013-01-29.
- ↑ Macworld Expo attendance breaks records by Peter Cohen, Macworld. 2007-03-13.
- ↑ Apple Introduces MacBook Air—The World’s Thinnest Notebook, Apple. 2008-01-15.
- ↑ Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs by Steve Jobs, Apple. 2009-01-05.
- ↑ Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age by John Markoff, The New York Times. 2011-10-05.
- ↑ Jobs to keynote Macworld Expo Tokyo by Peter Cohen, MacWorld. 2002-03-06.
- ↑ Macworld Expo Tokyo cancelled for 2003 by Jim Dalrymple, MacWorld. 2002-12-06.
- ↑ Macworld Conference 2004 coming to London by Peter Cohen, MacWorld. 2004-02-06.
- ↑ Macworld Expo moves to Boston; Apple will not go by Jim Dalrymple, MacWorld. 2002-10-17.
- ↑ Macworld Expo Boston cancelled by Jim Dalrymple, MacWorld. 2005-09-16.
See also[]
External links[]
- Macworld/iWorld at IDG World Expo
- Macworld Expo (archived 1998-12-05, 2011-10-23)
- Macworld Tokyo Conference (Japanese) at Apple (archived 1996-12-02)
- MACWORLD Expo Tokyo 96 by Seio Ichihara
- Macworld Conference & Expo at the Apple Wiki
- Macworld/iWorld at Wikipedia