Apple bans Jobs flyers

The man behind "Bring Back Steve Jobs" flyers at last week's Macworld Expo says the stunt was not meant as a slam against Apple. Gleb Budman and his colleagues were told by Apple representatives to stop handing out flyers to Expo attendees lined up for Apple's keynote on Tuesday morning. Budman says the message was meant as a "compliment" to Steve Jobs -- and a plea for Apple to reverse its decision to abandon the Expo after this year.

The flyer also served as a publicity stunt however, as Budman is the CEO of the online backup service Backblaze. The company's logo was printed on the back of the Apple-shaped flyers.

Budman's message may have resonated with many Mac faithful, who have been coming to San Francisco for more than a decade to see Jobs. As with many other developers and businesses that depend on the Mac, Budman says he is also worried that Apple's pullout could eventually kill Macworld. Although Apple is reportedly saving more than $20 million by quitting the show, Budman suggests that the goodwill and loyalty generated by the event makes it worth the money.

The Backblaze CEO claims that even though Jobs is ill, a cameo appearance at Apple's final Macworld keynote would have made a big difference to attendees.

by MacNN Staff