A competing Apple press event during MWC week would annoy a lot of people
Have a read of this text from The Telegraph — Matt has picked up the various iPhone 5 rumours flying around. The Mobile World Congress mention caught my attention:
When users will find out for certain is also subject to debate; a March launch has been suggested for the iPhone by a number of blogs, who have also suggested it for the iPad 3. Hexus, however, has claimed that Apple could make a rare announcement at February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Generally speaking — and famously — Apple never bother with conferences unless it’s got “Mac” or “Apple” written on it.
I don’t see them breaking the habit and exhibiting at MWC any time soon.
However, I do think that it would be very, very smart if Apple made an announcement either the week before or during Mobile World Congress — especially if it was iPhone-related.
Apple already did this to an extent with CES — however, the iPhone and the mobile industry are a seriously different kettle of fish.
If Apple really wanted to upset the existing world order (and the millions upon millions of Euros being invested during Mobile World Congress), they should call a “Let’s talk about iPhone” press conference for the first Monday of MWC-week.
Goodness me.
Can you imagine?
Just speculating brings me out in goosebumps.
The world’s consumer media (mainstream and bloggers) will be flying into Barcelona on Sunday evening to record their “here’s a new Android” segment for 30 minutes on Monday morning, before flying out same-day. [Of course, the trade media will be there for the duration].
Can you imagine the shock if Apple made the media choose? Either you cover our keynote about the new iPhone in San Francisco. Or you go to that also-ran in Barcelona.
To be clear, I’m certainly not labelling MWC thus! That was me putting fighting words in Apple’s mouth.
Sparks would fly though.
And there’d be no choice. The media would flock to San Francisco. The anchors, the editors, the pundits — they’d all be in California and MWC would either be ignored or
The ramifications for the industry would be profound. Of course the mobile industry now exists in Apple’s shadow. But not officially. Not, really. And certainly not at MWC. In Barcelona, the operators can freely strut their stuff and the other platforms can have a bit of time in the media sun. Apple is always in the back of everyone’s mind at MWC, but it’s possible to suspend reality for at least a few minutes.
And it’s in this limited reality that the rest of the industry gets to pretend that it’s still relevant, that things are still the same as they were pre-iPhone. That nothing has really changed.
Look at the keynotes at MWC over the last few years since the iPhone’s announcement. iPhone and Apple has been largely irrelevant — the industry’s still under the impression it’s in control.
A serious tub-thumping press conference from Apple timed to remove all attention from MWC would illustrate the new world order nicely.
I’m a fan of this kind of hard ball because it’s one of the only measures that might prompt the rest of the mobile marketplace — the operators in particular — to actually get off their arses and start innovating properly.
Anyway.
Perhaps Apple will be too polite and give-way.
