Macworld Expo minus Apple still equals Macworld Expo

Apple was the biggest name to pull out of Macworld but they weren't the only ones. Adobe and several others are not showcasing at Macworld 2009 at all. And I don't know if they'll be back either.

This is the problem - Apple's presence attracts a significant proportion of the show's attendees. Is it worth big companies continuing to invest during a recession in a show that will experience a significant drop in attendance next year? And if IDG can't attract the big guys is it worth it for them to even put on the show at all?

I concur! The East Coast Expo was a Swap Meet the year Apple was out. If the popularity of the Expo is supposed to "bring Apple back in" then they would not have opted out to begin with. I have been attending the Expo for the last 12 years and since the introduction of the iPod the Expo attendance has increased.

Looks like this might be my last year! At least I saw "His Steveness" at last year's Keynote.

Hey! I liked the Notebook...

That being said, I am not so sure about the expo continuing beyond 2010. Granted, I could be wrong, but I always assumed a large portion, if not a majority of the attendees at the conference have been brought in by Apple's presence alone.

I doubt that Macworld Expo will continue. I still remember when Macworld New York turned into Macworld CreativePro Expo, with Steve Jobs and Apple passing on big product introductions there.

In a year, the east coast expo was gone. I expect sort of the same thing with San Francisco.