14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is well known for its rebel attitude towards expos and conventions, sometimes having pulled itself out from some important ones (like NAB), and surprising industry players. The most recent such move from the Cuperino-based Mac maker concerns a certain Apple Expo '08 in Paris. Although the Expo's very name implies Apple officials' presence there, the company has made it clear that it doesn't want to attend this September's Apple Expo.
Apple's official position was published by the French-language Mac Plus. AppleInsider spotted the Apple Expo terse release, which goes a little something like this: "Year after year, Apple reduces its participation in trade shows because there often exists better means of getting in contact with our clients." Even more, "the growing popularity of the apple.com website permits us to directly touch over 100 million clients around the world in innovative ways," the statement goes.
This year's event also marks the 25th anniversary of the Apple Expo. AppleInsider notes that the Expo "has historically been held in September," but that it "conflicts with a relatively new practice on Apple's part of holding its own stateside media events around the same time." The publication explains that, over the past three years, the company has used those events to usher in its holiday consumer electronics offerings.
Apple's official statement saying it is pulling itself out of the Apple Expo in Paris confirms a report published on Monday by the French tech-based website Mac Generation. The source noted that original plans for the conference suggested Apple was to occupy the two largest floor exhibits. However, all mention of the Cupertino-based electronics maker was recently removed from the floor plan.
Apple Expo 2008 starts September 17 and ends three days later, on the 20th. Apple has made it official that it will not attend this year's Apple Expo in Paris.