No Partying at Macworld: Parties Are Way Down
7:00 am, February 9th, 2010, Leander Kahney
You can tell it's a party by the disco ball. CC-licensed pic by Steve Rhodes.
The best thing about Macworld was always the parties. MacWeek’s annual Mac The Knife Party was a drunken bacchanal for the ages; Peachpit and O’Reily put on nice literary soirees with cash bars; and Microsoft’s events always had fancy hors d’oeuvres.
Even Apple, a stranger to shows of public hospitality, once threw parties with generous helpings of food and booze. I got so ploughed at one event, I forgot my heavy laptop bag — computer, camera and all. Apple designer Jonny Ive kindly picked it up and lugged it about all evening until we ran into each other later at a nightclub, and he handed it back.
But like everything else this year, parties at Macworld are way down. Check out the Hess Party List, which is usually chockablock with events. Not this year. There’s hardly anything going on, except perhaps the Circue du Mac party on Thursday night (which is invite only).
“The list is really thin and pitiful,” said Eileen Hoffman, the long-time keeper of the list. “It used to be three or more parties a night. Now it’s just one, and they’re small things.”
Hoffman regretted the absence of companies big and small, escpecialy big, which could be relied on to throw lavish bashes and not check too carefully the names on the guest list.
She laid the blame at Apple’s feet:
“Apple is really an obnoxious piece of shit for not supporting the people who made them who they are,” she said.
Posted by Leander Kahney in Macworld, News | Comment on this article
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“Apple is really an obnoxious piece of shit …”
I guess Ms. Hoffman doesn’t see the irony in her obnoxious, rude, and extremely self-indulgent comment. As for the long time Apple fans “who made [Apple] who they are”, I doubt Ms. Hoffman speaks for anywhere near as many of them as she thinks.
Joseph, on February 9th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Hey Apple! Throw your cash out of the window to support a tradeshow that reaches as many people as the Apple Stores reach in one day of operation worldwide! Investors will be happy !
Camillo, on February 9th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Yeah, how irresponsible of them to be cutting unnecessary expenditures during the worst recession since the Depression. Protecting one’s cash position is soooo obnoxious and vain.
thanx_al, on February 9th, 2010 at 9:17 am
I feel it would be, well, nice for Apple to be seen to be supporting the community. However, calling anyone an “obnoxious piece of s—” is never justified.
Alfred, on February 9th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Obnoxious comment aside, that is badass that Jonny Ive kept your bag for you when he found it.
Tommy T, on February 9th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Yeah — kudos to Jonny for doin’ that.
As to Apple’s dismissal of MacWorld — I agree with Hoffman.
CaryMG, on February 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
What the hell?
Parties at or around conventions and the such has been down across the board due to the most companies tightening their belts and the piss-poor economy in general. How is this Apple’s fault?
As noted, it would be nice to see Apple support the development in any way, but providing them with free booze and finger food is at the absolute bottom of that list.
Who the hell is this Eileen Hoffman precisely? She sounds like another spoiled tech writer who is clearly in the line of business for free shit, nothing more.
fort90, on February 9th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
why not throw your own party~! what’s that? you don’t have the money? Perhaps that’s the reason others aren’t throwing one… silly list keeper…
shaunathan, on February 9th, 2010 at 2:51 pm