I maintain that you can tell how serious an event Steve Jobs thinks he’s going to by his manner of dress. It takes a lot to get Steve out of his black turtleneck, and pretty much nothing short of a Nobel Prize will get the man to put on a tie.
So it’s little surprise that Jobs showed up to a meeting in Brussels with our favorite European Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, dressed in his usual turtleneck and jeans. No offense should be taken by—hey, is that Mick Jagger? In a sports coat? Come on, Steve, a 104 year-old rocker put on a sports coat and a nice sweater, and you couldn’t button up an Oxford?
Besides Neelie, Mick, and Steve, Apple VP of Internet Services Eddy Cue was also present at the meeting, as were execs from EMI, eBay, and a handful of other organizations. The superfriends were there to discuss the subject of “opportunities and barriers to online retailing and the European Single Market.”
You might remember that Commissioner Kroes was spearheading an effort to break down the barriers between European countries this past July; this meeting was a brainstorm session for an EU report to come later in the year, but Kroes warned that unless content providers and distributors can find a better way to deal with the European market, the EU might have to hand down new rules on digital music sales.
On a related note, Apple Expo 2008 is currently taking place in Paris, less than 200 miles south of Brussels. But Apple has no official presence there this year, and Stevie J. is not expected to make an appearance. So the croissant alert level remains at bleu—just like the spirits of the French at the show.
[via 9 to 5 Mac]
OMG, Steve looks terrible!!
Well, at least Steve rolled down his shirtsleeves. What more do you want?