SAN FRANCISCO — Jan. 19, 1998 — Attendees Rally Around Apple’s
Announcement of a Profit and Microsoft’s Release of Office 98 for the Mac
Attendees to this year’s MACWORLD Expo San Francisco saw a diversity of new
Mac-based products, participated in a first-of-its kind technical
conference and heard from some of the best-known names in the graphic arts
and entertainment communities confessing their loyalty to the Macintosh
platform. “You could feel the excitement in the air at this year’s MACWORLD
Expo San Francisco,” said David B. Egan, president of IDG Expo Management
Co. “As a result of a number of new products, a stellar lineup of keynotes
and the brand new Macworld/Pro technical conference, our exhibitors,
attendees and business partners told us firsthand that the show was a
rousing success.” Throughout the five-day show, held Jan. 5 – 9 at the
Moscone Convention Center, a number of surprising – and welcomed –
announcements were made. Attendees clearly rallied around Apple Computer,
Inc. when interim CEO Steve Jobs announced in his keynote the computer
maker expected to report net profits exceeding $45 million for the first
quarter of 1998. Apple also announced its new Power Macintosh(R) G3
computers, launched on Nov. 10, 1997 significantly outsold Apple’s
forecasts for the quarter (over 133,000 units shipped versus a forecast of
80,000 units) becoming Apple’s most successful new product launch in
history. “Apple’s announcements about its profitability and its Power PC
G3, as well as Microsoft’s release of Office 98 Macintosh Edition helped
excite exhibitors and attendees alike at the show,” said Egan. Apple’s good
news continued with a demonstration at the Jobs keynote of all the powerful
new enhancements to QuickTime, the multi-platform, industry-standard
multimedia software architecture. In his keynote, Jobs also announced that
Office 98 Macintosh Edition would begin shipping later this month – months
ahead of their Windows version. This version of Office offers Macintosh
users advanced functionality, such as self-repairing applications, not
currently available to Windows users. “This release underscored Microsoft’s
commitment to the Mac platform, signifying the strength and vitality of the
Mac market,” said Egan.
The Keynotes
Much of the insight on the direction of the Mac market was provided by a
stellar lineup of keynote speakers. In addition to Jobs’s speech,
cyberartisan and technology visionary Kai Krause of MetaCreations hosted “A
FireWireside Chat with Kai and Friends,” in which he and several prominent
colleagues discussed the convergence of the Web, television and computers.
The third MACWORLD Expo keynote, “AppleMasters, Forward Thinkers and
World-Changers,” featured extraordinary people – artists, athletes,
scientists, educators, designers, writers, producers, architects and
musicians, to name a few – who use the Macintosh daily in their personal
and professional lives. Among them: Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner Dr.
Donald Glaser, Dancer/Actor/Director Gregory Hines and Actress Jennifer
Jason Leigh.
Macworld/Pro
In addition to the traditional conference lineup, this year’s MACWORLD Expo
San Francisco saw the debut of Macworld/Pro, a series of in-depth technical
workshops and day-long sessions designed for highly technical Macintosh
users. Among the highlights of the Macworld/Pro conference were three
keynotes delivered by Wall Street Journal reporter and author Jim Carlton;
Macintosh industry veteran Scott Knaster of Microsoft, and Colin Crawford,
CEO of Mac Publishing, LLC, a joint venture between IDG and Ziff-Davis.
Developer Central
More than 42 exhibitors were featured in this year’s Developer Central
Pavilion, which is a marked increase over last year’s numbers. “The figures
point out the fact that many more developer companies are clearly
optimistic about the market for Mac-based software,” said Egan.
Attendance Demographics
According to an on-site survey, more than 97 percent of attendees said they
came to MACWORLD Expo to see the new products. Eighty-nine percent of all
attendees are involved in purchasing products for their organization.
Nearly three-quarters said they believed the event is important in
determining upcoming technology purchases. Eighty-six percent said the time
they spent at the show was “well worth their time and money.”
Exhibitor and Attendee Figures
More than 450 exhibitors set up shop at MACWORLD Expo. The number is down
slightly from last year’s figure of 465. Now-defunct clone makers were
responsible for the decrease in exhibitors, Egan said. The number of
attendees at this year’s MACWORLD Expo San Francisco was 68,000 – slightly
down from last year’s number of 76,100. Egan said the decline in attendance
numbers is a result of the turbulence the Mac market endured last year. He
said he is confident that much of that turbulence is in the past. “The
future holds incredible opportunities for the Mac market,” said Egan. “The
strength of the core Mac market and the hot Mac-related new media markets
set the stage for the next event in New York.”
About MACWORLD Expo San Francisco
MACWORLD Expo San Francisco, produced by IDG Expo Management Company, is
the world’s most comprehensive Macintosh OS event, featuring the latest
Mac-focused technology. High-tech buyers, corporate and small-office
decision makers and home consumers attend MACWORLD Expo to discover the
latest developments and experience the hottest products the Mac platform
offers. The conference program covers beginning and advanced uses of the
Mac in areas such as the Internet, Web, design, education, entertainment,
and more. A new addition to this year’s conference, Macworld/Pro, will
offer a first-of-its kind, technology-intensive professional development
series for Macintosh design, management and networking professionals.
MACWORLD Expo is sponsored by Macworld and MacWEEK magazines, which are
published by Mac Publishing, LLC, a joint venture between International
Data Group and Ziff Davis. For more information on MACWORLD Expo, call
800-645-EXPO or visit our Web site at www.macworldexpo.com
About International Data Group (IDG)
Headquartered in Boston, International Data Group (IDG) informs more people
worldwide about information technology than any other company in the world.
With annual revenues of $1.7 billion, IDG is the leading global provider of
IT media, research, conferences and expositions. IDG publishes more than
285 computer newspapers and magazines and 500 book titles in 75 countries,
led by the Computerworld, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, PC World and
….For Dummies global product lines. IDG offers on-line users the largest
network of technology specific sites around the world through IDG.net
(http://www.idg.net), which comprises more than 200 targeted Web sites in
52 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 110 computer-related
expositions in 35 countries and research arm International Data Corporation
(IDC) provides computer industry research and analysis through 49 offices
in 41 countries worldwide. Company information is available at
About IDG Expo Management Company
Headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, IDG Expo Management Company is a
premium producer and manager of exposition and conference events that shape
the U.S. IT marketplace. IDG Expo Management Company is an affiliate of the
IDG World Expo Corporation family of companies; together, the two companies
produce the broadest array of conferences and expositions related to
information technology around the world. IDG Expo-produced events include
the MACWORLD Expos in New York and San Francisco; ComNet in Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco; the Telecommuting & Remote Access Conference &
Exposition (TRACE) in Santa Clara, CA; and E3 – the Electronic
Entertainment Expo, produced for the Interactive Digital Software
Association (IDSA). Each year, more than 2,000 exhibiting companies and
more than 250,000 IT professionals attend IDG’s U.S. events to buy, sell,
learn about and influence the IT purchasing agenda. IDG Expo Management
Company was founded in 1979 as Mitch Hall Associates. For more information,
please call 781-551-9800 or visit the company’s Web site at
www.idgexpos.com
CONTACT: IDG Expo Management Company
Michelle Lifton, 781-440-2827
mlifton@idgexpos.com
or
Brodeur Porter Novelli
Matt Hutchison, 202-973-1374
mhutchison@brodeur.com
