Macworld Expo

Bandai's Pippin Atmark exhibit at Macworld Expo Tokyo '96.

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.

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.

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. 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.

## 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*, though many were never released for the platform.

A Pippin Concept Prototype on display*The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time* for Pippin Power Player*ClarisWorks* for Pippin Power Player*Music ISLAND: The Nutcracker* for Pippin Power Player
## 1996 events

### Macworld Expo San Francisco '96

Held January 9-12, 1996 at Moscone Center, the 12th expo to date in San Francisco. 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. Tentatively named "PowerStation", it was running Netscape Navigator with an announced target price of $600 in Japan and $600 in the United States. Apple and Bandai hosted a Pippin event nearby at the Exploratorium, where musician Chris Isaak performed on stage.

### Macworld Expo Tokyo '96

Held February 21-24, 1996 at Makuhari Messe. The Pippin Atmark was introduced by Bandai and became a major attraction that drew crowds. The console was put up for pre-sale reservations during the event. Several display units were connected to the internet, running *Atmark Town*, *Franky Online* and other titles, though one crashed during a demonstration. A developer seminar limited to 100 attendees was jointly held by Apple and Bandai Digital Entertainment on February 21. Pioneer begins showing systems based on the faster PowerPC 604 processor.

Pippin Atmark consoles and controllers.Pippin Atmark Floppy Unit at Bandai's exhibit.Pippin Atmark keyboard at Bandai's exhibit.Pippin modem, memory "cards", and adapters.
### Macworld Expo Boston '96

Held August 7-10, 1996 at Bayside Expo Center, where a new attendance record was set. However, the focus of this event was the survival of Apple Computer. Though the Pippin @WORLD console had just been unveiled in May at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, 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.

## 1997 events

### Macworld Expo San Francisco '97

Held January 7-10, 1997 at Moscone Center, the 13th expo to date in San Francisco. The return of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs overshadowed CEO Gil Amelio at an opening day media event held nearby at the Marriott Hotel. After Jobs took over as Interim CEO later that year, 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.

### Macworld Expo Tokyo '97

Held February 19-22, 1997 at Makuhari Messe. Bandai promoted *Tamagotchi CD-ROM*, based on their hit digital pets. Bandai Digital Entertainment's booth was split into a "Home Use Zone" and "Business Use Zone", where new prototypes, including the Pippin Atmark-PD and Atmark-EX were shown. A seminar was held on February 20 to promote the use of the Pippin Atmark in a business environment. However, the Pippin platform would be abandoned by the following year and none of the new models would be released for sale.

## 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. His final appearance at MacWorld Expo was in 2008, when he introduced the MacBook Air at Moscone Center in San Francisco. He did not return in 2009 due to health reasons and died of complications from pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011.

### 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. Future Tokyo events were cancelled due to the lack of exhibitor applications. A MacWorld Conference in London was held May 17-18, 2004 at the Barbican Centre. 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. The move was considered a mistake and Boston events after 2005 were cancelled to focus on the last remaining MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. The event was rebranded as "**Macworld | iWorld**" in 2012 since Apple's primary business had shifted from Macintosh computers to iOS devices. 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.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 IDG cancels Macworld/iWorld 2015 conference, says show 'going on hiatus' by Neil Hughes, Apple Insider. 2014-10-14.
2. ↑ 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.
3. ↑ ‘Apple II Forever’: Found photos offer early look at icons by Peter Hardlaub, *San Francisco Chronicle*. 2018-03-23.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Here’s what the first Macworld looked like in 1985 by Peter Hardlaub, *San Francisco Chronicle*. 2014-03-26.
5. ↑ When Steve Jobs Got Fired By Apple by Joel Siegel, ABC News. 2011-10-06.
6. ↑ Macworld Expo 1987 San Francisco, 32by32. 2013-04-04.
7. ↑ Macworld TV Tokyo 1995 by KandaNewsNetwork,Inc., YouTube. 2013-08-29.
8. ↑ Pippin software (Japanese), Atmark Channel. Archived 1997-06-29.
9. ↑ PIPPIN@MARK software release list (Japanese), Retrogeme. Accessed 2017-05-03.
10. ↑ Calendar, *InfoWorld*, p.73. 1995-12-04
11. ↑ Macworld Expo/SF 1996 Report by Koya Matsuo, YouTube. 2016-05-10.
12. ↑ 開発用PIPPIN (Japanese) by みすてぃく, PIPPINであそぼ～. Archived 2002-11-07.
13. ↑ Putting all its eggs in one box, *InfoWorld*, p.49. 1996-01-29.
14. ↑ The best party I ever attended was the Apple/Bandai Pippin party there. by Just This Guy, Twitter. 2019-08-23.
15. ↑ *Computing Japan*, vol.19-24, p.53. LINC Japan, 1996.
16. ↑ Is Pippin a Breakthrough or Outmoded on Arrival? by Andrew Pollack, *New York Times*. 1996-03-14.
17. ↑ アップル不在のMacworld Expoが開幕 (Japanese) by 林信行, *PC User*, ITmedia. 2010-02-11.
18. ↑ Pippin Atmark 先行予約受け付け開始 (Japanese, EUC encoding) by 市原誠雄. 1996-02.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mac World EXPO 1996 (Japanese) by Takayuki Nakano, Web.targz. 2004. Accessed 2019-02-06.
20. ↑ Pippin Developer Newsletter No. 5 (Japanese), Atmark Channel. 1996-02-15. Archived 1998-05-08.
21. ↑ Macworld Alert by Paul Dreyfus, Apple Directions. 1996-08-05.
22. ↑ *Process Think: Winning Perspectives for Business Change in the Information Age*, p.364 by Varun Grover, William J. Kettinger. 2000.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Macworld Boston 1996 by Stewart Cheifet, *Computer Chronicles*. 2015-02-17.
24. ↑ E3 and Other Adventures in Electronic Entertainment by Jake Richter, *PC Graphics Report*. 1996-05-21.
25. ↑ At Macworld, Apple failed to regain believers among the once-faithful by Denise Caruso, *The New York Times*. 1997-01-13.
26. ↑ Macworld SF 1997, NotesKey. 2016. Accessed 2019-01-17.
27. ↑ Gil Amelio with Steve Jobs #1997 #MACWORLD by KandaNewsNetwork,Inc., YouTube. 2010-05-04.
28. ↑ Jobs named interim Apple CEO, C|NET. 1997-09-16.
29. ↑ For the good of the company? Five Apple products Steve Jobs killed by Casey Johnston, Ars Technica. 2011-08-25.
30. ↑ *Computing Japan*, vol.30-35, p.39. LINC Japan, 1996.
31. ↑ 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. ↑ 32.0 32.1 MACWORLD Expo/Tokyo '97 (Japanese), Atmark Channel. Archived 1997-06-29.
33. ↑ Macworld Tokyo: Of Cameras and Macs by Chuck and Linda Shotton, Tidbits. 1997-03-03.
34. ↑ Bandai Says Goodbye to Pippin by Chris Johnston, GameSpot. 1998-02-27. Archived 1998-12-05.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 15 Years Of Macworld History In Just 10 Minutes by Buster Hein, Cult of Mac. 2013-01-29.
36. ↑ Macworld Expo attendance breaks records by Peter Cohen, Macworld. 2007-03-13.
37. ↑ Apple Introduces MacBook Air—The World’s Thinnest Notebook, Apple. 2008-01-15.
38. ↑ Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs by Steve Jobs, Apple. 2009-01-05.
39. ↑ Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age by John Markoff, *The New York Times*. 2011-10-05.
40. ↑ Jobs to keynote Macworld Expo Tokyo by Peter Cohen, *MacWorld*. 2002-03-06.
41. ↑ Macworld Expo Tokyo cancelled for 2003 by Jim Dalrymple, *MacWorld*. 2002-12-06.
42. ↑ Macworld Conference 2004 coming to London by Peter Cohen, *MacWorld*. 2004-02-06.
43. ↑ Macworld Expo moves to Boston; Apple will not go by Jim Dalrymple, *MacWorld*. 2002-10-17.
44. ↑ Macworld Expo Boston cancelled by Jim Dalrymple, *MacWorld*. 2005-09-16.

## See also

* *Apple PIPPIN Macworld Presentation & Demo*
* Electronic Entertainment Expo
* *MacUser*
* Tokyo Toy Show

## 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

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