Apple announced Tuesday that Macworld 2009 will be the last Macworld show the corporation will attend. Steve Jobs won't be appearing, either, which once again raises questions about the CEO's health.

"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers," Apple said in a press release.

Apple said Jobs would not appear Jan. 6 for his traditional keynote to announce new products at the show: Philip Schiller, Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, will take the CEO's place. This should come as a surprise to Apple fanatics and investors alike, who will, without a doubt, bring up discussion about Jobs' health: The CEO is a pancreatic-cancer survivor. He made his last public appearance Oct. 14 to unveil new MacBooks.

"Whoa, the end of an era," tweeted Bruce Evans, better known as "Snaggy," co-author of the popular web comic Joy of Tech.

Reacting immediately to Apple's announcement, another fan published a humorous press release saying Apple had canceled Christmas.

In the weeks before Macworld Expo, Apple's annual trade show, the tech media is filled with predictions about what product Jobs will unveil in his keynote address. Consumer-tech web sites live-blog the speech as it happens, generating their biggest traffic of the year. And the next day, practically every media outlet covers the announcements.

Harvard business professor David Yoffie has said the introduction of the iPhone resulted in headlines worth $400 million in free advertising.

In fact, part of the joy of being an Apple customer is anticipating the surprises that Santa Steve brings to Macworld Expo every January.

Apple is pulling out of Macworld as its retail stores grow rapidly: The corporation has expanded from just two stores in 2001 to 240 retail locations worldwide to date. Before the proliferation of Apple stores,

Macworld Expo was Apple's major outlet to make contact with the public and give exposure to its products. Since the Apple brand has become so popular, the company has been scaling back on trade shows, which is why Apple plans its final appearance at Macworld for 2009.

Though Apple is backing out, host IDG World Expo said Macworld already still plans to return for another show in January 2010.

"We're on track for a terrific show this year with strong attendance numbers and nearly 500 exhibitors showcasing their products at this January's event," said Paul Kent, general manager of IDG World Expo. "We look forward to many successful years of Macworld to come."

Macworld Expo was first held in January 1985 in San Francisco, and was subsequently hosted twice a year on the East and West coasts. Apple pulled out of the East Coast show in 2003, effectively killing it, though it struggled on for a few more years. Apple cited the same reasons for bowing out then: Growing traffic at its retail stores. Macworld sister shows are also held in Paris and London, but the Tokyo show ended in 2002.

Since 1997, Macworld has drawn huge attention, thanks to Jobs, who took to the stage to introduce new products. And as Apple has grown, so has Macworld Expo: After the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the show saw a nearly 20 percent increase in attendance, according to IDG, and a further 10 percent increase in 2008.

Apple's move could appear troubling for IDG, the company that owns the Macworld conference as well as the publication that goes by the same name. In addition to Macworld, IDG World Expo also produces the E3 Media gaming show, LinuxWorld and the DEMO tech conference.

"On the one hand, it's quite a surprise," said Dan Moren, an associate editor at Macworld magazine. "I think we've all started to think that Macworld and Steve would be there forever, even despite the questions about his health. On the other hand, the way they lay it out in their press release makes sense from a business perspective.... I'm certainly disappointed by the decision, though I can understand why they're doing it."

Apple did not immediately return phone calls for comment.





Wired.com editor Leander Kahney contributed to this story.

Press Release [Apple]

See Also:

Photo: TomStardust/Flickr