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Silicon Valley Insider Week In Review: Macworld And CES Were More Fun Before The Recession Unfortunately, we saw this coming: Steve Jobs skipped Macworld this year, citing a "hormone imbalance." The keynote fell to marketing chief Phil Schiller, and it was booooring. No new Mac mini, which we were hoping for. But Apple did show off a new 17" MacBook Pro, and there are some updates to iTunes (check out photos from SAI's Dan Frommer, who was live on the scene). At the tech world's other big event, Palm (PALM) unveiled its new Pre smartphone and Web OS platform, breathing life back into the tired company. Early reviews look good and shares soared on the news. Steve Ballmer gave a refreshingly dull keynote, but announced Microsoft's (MSFT) twin search deals with Verizon (VZ) and Dell (DELL). More news, in case you missed it: Netflix (NFLX) announced plans to build streaming into TVs, and the $99 Roku box added Amazon (AMZN) streaming movie rentals. The New York Times (NYT) ditched integrity for survival and ran its first front-page ad. Microsoft (MSFT) raised the idea of a Yahoo search deal -- again. Yahoo's (YHOO) board wants a new CEO by February -- meet the newest candidate. BlackBerry-loving Barack Obama became the unofficial RIM (RIMM) spokesman. We ranked the 20 VC firms most exposed to Web 2.0 (hint: they didn't lose as much as you think).

Mashable MacWorld vs CES: The Battle for Twitter Buzz I?m not at MacWorld or CES, but there have been enough tweets about the event that it almost feels like I?m there. Trendrr has done some analysis of the buzz surrounding the events using its graphing tools, displaying how many tweets relating to each event are showing up over time. Not surprisingly, MacWorld saw an enormous spike during and around the keynote, where upgrades to iPhoto and new iTunes pricing got both people at the event and the broader Twitter community talking. But since then, CES has taken over the buzz lead, with a significant (but not even 1/4th the size) spike surrounding its own keynote by Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer last night. Here are the charts: Unfortunately, Twitter hasn?t been great at dealing with these spikes in volume. The site was running on a delay during MacWorld, and again this morning as CES kicked into full-gear. ---Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:5 New Ways To Get Your MacWorld FixSteve Jobs Speaks. Twitter Goes Down.Google at MacWorld: New iPhone Interface for Google AppsThe Daily Poll: How Did You Follow the Steve Jobs Keynote?Sans Steve Jobs, Twitter Still Can’t Handle MacWorldiPhone Update Renders Unlocked Devices UselessNo, Steve Jobs Didn?t Die; Just More Hacking

Silicon Valley Insider Seven Post-Macworld Questions For Apple (AAPL) As usual, Apple's (AAPL) Macworld keynote led to more questions than answers. We learned about some of Apple's new products and services -- 17-inch MacBook, more DRM-free music at iTunes, new software suites -- but missed out on a lot more. Here's what we'd ask Steve Jobs or marketing exec Phil Schiller if we could. What's going on with the Mac mini? A new mini was yesterday's most anticipated announcement, and many Apple fans I spoke to at Macworld were let down. It's been ages since the mini has seen an update. Is a speed bump next -- where Apple updates the chip and moves on? Or can we expect a complete overhaul, as some have suggested, including new optical and disk drive options? How are iPhone sales holding up in the recession? Last year, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had shipped 4 million iPhones by Macworld. At least tell us that Apple hit its easy layup of shipping 10 million iPhones in 2008 as planned. (Meanwhile, in Canada, iPhone activations fell 50% in Q4 over Q3, despite holiday sales.) When will the 15-inch MacBook Pro get a longer-lasting, enclosed battery like the new 17-inch Pro did yesterday? We can't imagine 15-inch buyers want to switch out their battery any more than 17-inch buyers, but not everyone wants the extra 2 inches of screen space/bulk. The 15-inch MacBook Pro was just updated in October, so we ordinarily wouldn't expect a significant update so quickly. But will this be an exception? And will the 13-inch MacBook get the same treatment, too? Where's the updated 30-inch cinema display with built-in camera? Perhaps it would have been too many things to squeeze into a keynote, but this one should happen sooner than later. Or perhaps Apple is waiting to add its new display port to more computers like the Mac Pro before it updates its pro-level display. Is AT&T getting anything for over-the-air iTunes downloads? We're impressed that Apple managed to (smartly) convince the labels that an over-the-air song download really isn't any different than one using wi-fi -- meaning they could keep the same pricing. We don't expect AT&T is getting a kickback, which is probably not something they're thrilled with -- selling data services like music is one of their big plans for future growth. But given how much of a blessing the iPhone has been for them, we're not sure they can complain. Where's DRM-free iTunes video? It's nice that Apple is selling more music without copyright protection. When will movie and TV studios realize this is a good idea, too? We aren't holding our breath -- Apple will still need to include some proprietary code to handle things like rental downloads expiring when they're due, etc. But it would be nice to be able to play iTunes movies on non-Apple devices -- especially movies we've purchased, not rented. What about the Apple TV? We don't expect it to get combined with the Mac mini, like some do -- there's always going to be separate markets for a $300 video device and a $600 computer. But we're hoping for some hardware updates -- like a build-in DVD player -- and some software updates -- like support for more Web video content, like Hulu, Netflix, or MLB streams -- before we bet on putting Apple in our living room. See Also:Macworld Keynote: SnoozefestMacworld 2009 Gallery: Live From San FranciscoPhil Schiller No Steve Jobs, But Better Than Your CEOMissing From Macworld: Mac Mini, Steve Jobs Surprise

CrunchGear Moscone Center gearing up for Macworld Macworld is almost here and in true Apple fashion, the venue is done up in cloth-covered banners. Only a select, Apple kool-aid-drinking few knows what's behind them. A new Mac Mini? A larger iPod Touch? A netbook? Other sizes of the new aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pro? We'll find out on Monday! More teaser pics after the jump.

CrunchGear Rumor: Quad-core MacBook Pro at MacWorld I'd say this irresponsible and inflammatory rumor is half-true. With Snow Leopard likely being shown off at MacWorld (by Schiller, alas), Apple will want something to make the OS pop a bit. Since Intel's new budget quad-core processor is just starting to make its rounds, it's not totally out of the question that Apple will want to include it in the comparatively old 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Wired: Gadget Lab Will Apple Launch a Quad-Core MacBook Pro at Macworld? Some are speculating that Apple's top-of-the-line notebook could receive a significant chip upgrade at January's Macworld Expo. When Apple refreshed its MacBook family in October, it mysteriously left out the 17-inch MacBook Pro -- Apple's high-end notebook designed for creative...

VentureBeat The many rumors of Apple?s final Macworld The Macworld Expo, formerly the most anticipated Apple event of the year (before Apple kicked out its legs by pulling Steve Jobs and announcing it was pulling out entirely next year), starts on Monday. Not surprisingly, rumors of what we can expect from Apple at the event are all over the map. Apple?s senior vice [...]

CrunchGear No Steve Jobs at MacWorld means he?s leaving soon, right? Right?! As you well know, Steve Jobs won't be at MacWorld next month; Apple won't be at MacWorld next year.

VentureBeat More whispers of an OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard appearance at Macworld Will the greatest trick that Apple has ever pulled be convincing the world it has nothing big to show off at this year’s Macworld? With no Steve Jobs keynote and Apple announcing that this January will be its last time coming to the Macworld Expo, many people are now expecting little, if anything from the event [...]

ranchero.com ‘Mac Mingle’ party planned for Macworld Expo Macworld: “Mac author, consultant and radio personality Deb Shadovitz is planning another Mac Mingle party for the week of Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Calif.”

ranchero.com More on Apple and Macworld Expo Andy Ihnatko: “So this is a straightforward business decision for Apple. They certainly see this as a Win. They get to do their big product announcements and strategic whoop-de-dos at times and places of their choosing, and in venues that they can control as tightly as Kim Jong Il controls the May Day parade in Pyongyang.”

GigaOm The End of Macworld Yesterday, the world was abuzz over the news that Apple was pulling out of Macworld. While many were taken aback, as the publication Macworld (no affiliation with the show) notes, Apple has been backing away from trade shows for a few years already, among them the Apple Expo, in Paris, whose 2009 show has now [...]

Gizmodo Macworld Expo Organizers IDG Have No Plans To Bail on Next Year's Show [Macworld] Even though Apple pulling out of Macworld after this year probably spells the end, IDG is going on record saying they're barreling ahead with Macworld 2010. No, it's not the most shocking announcement, since Macworld is arguably one of the brighter jewels in IDG's portfolio of trade shows that includes everything from the DEMO conference and LinuxWorld to the Vietnam ComNet and Telecom World Expo. If you ask me, though, I'm with Wilson: one less trade show is a good thing. And even though they're pledging activity for 2010, I don't see Macworld staying alive much longer after that. [Macworld] [Macworld via Mac Rumors]

Gizmodo Apple Always Wanted to Get Out of MacWorld [Apple] Apple bowing out of MacWorld after January 2009 comes as a shock to many. But, really, according to a source at Apple, they've been planning to get off MacWorld for a long, long time. They are not lying in their press release. NAB, MacWorld Tokyo, AppleExpo in Paris, and Summer MacWorld at New York/Boston were the path to this not-really-that-shocking event. They almost quit in 2002, but about two years ago I was sharing some wine with a friend from Apple and he told me: "We are going to phase out all trade shows". "Even MacWorld?," I asked. "Yes," he said, "MacWorld will go too. I don't know when, but it will." I was a bit shocked then, but I understood. The effectiveness of these events in terms of media impact is not as important as it used to be. In fact, the impact is no different from the smaller press- and analyst-only events. These generate the same amount of buzz as a big fair. The first time I went to the Apple campus was for the first truly specialized Apple event: They presented the Xserve to a group of trade journalists and analysts. They got exactly the impact they wanted in exactly the media they wanted. In addition to this, the special events dates are set by Apple. They don't have to depend on other people's schedules. But none of these reasons explain why Steve Jobs is not giving the final keynote himself. If any other thing, Steve Jobs retiring from active duty at Apple sooner than expected is the factor that has precipitated this cancellation. The company is not going to have a showman like him, capable of keeping the crowd with their mouths open during a two-hour long MacWorld presentation, so why do it? And with smaller events centered on single product families?where Steve absence won't be so hard to cover? who cares? On the other side, it could all just be that they don't have anything to announce this time and Steve has had enough of this stupid yearly big bang that crushes everyone at engineering and marketing. However, all the signs point to Steve preparing to transfer the company to new hands. The simplest explanation, following previous events, is that canceling MacWorld and having Phil Schiller to present it is just another part of His Plan. This doesn't mean that he is leaving the company tomorrow, however. it is just one more step towards that goal, as I explained back in October.

Paid Content Macworld Without The Mac: Apple Pulls Out Of The Expo In the blow to the franchise, the upcoming Macworld Conference & Expo will be Apple's last. The tech giant is pulling out of the yearly event where Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) faithful convene to be wowed by new products, attend seminars and info sessions, and generally geek out. Philip Schiller, Apple's SVP of worldwide product marketing, will deliver the opening keynote?which is normally delivered by co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs?for the conference this January, but the company said (via a press release) that it would not exhibit at future shows. As Digital Daily notes, the unexpected news poses quite a headache for IDG, parent company of the Macworld brand (magazine, Website and conference). Given the sorry state of print advertising, any new budget holes on the events side of the Macworld business will be sorely felt. It also raises the question of how the conference will sustain itself without what has arguably become its main attraction?Steve Jobs showing off new products. Jobs debuted the iPhone and AppleTV in 2007, for example, and the ultra-thin MacBook Air laptop this year. But apparently the buzz whipped up at Macworld isn't worth the amount it costs to host an exhibit: Apple said that trade shows had become a "very minor part" of how it reaches its customers, and hinted that it was doing fine through in-store and online sales. Meanwhile, Wall Street took the news as a worrisome sign for Apple, whose shares were down more than five percent in after-hours trading following the news. Release.

CBS 5 - San Francisco Bay Area's source for news, weather, traffic and sports Apple CEO Jobs Absent From Macworld Lineup Apple Inc. said charismatic CEO Steve Jobs won't be taking the stage at the annual Macworld computer trade show in January.

TechCrunch Apple Leaves MacWorld: It?s About Time Apple has just announced that this January's MacWorld event will be the company's last, and that Steve Jobs won't be giving the event's much-anticipated keynote (Philip Schiller, Apple?s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will be taking his place). Stocks are sure to tumble on the news as rumors of Jobs's health are rekindled, but in reality this move has probably been a long time coming. MacWorld's timing as a January event has always been questionable - many consumers have long since learned not to purchase Apple products in the weeks leading up to the event, which likely resulted in lost sales during the holiday shopping season. When Apple has had something major to announce it has managed to totally overshadow the competing Consumer Electronics Show (as they did with the iPhone), but Apple just can't produce such blockbuster products at regular intervals.

CrunchGear Confirmed: No Steve Jobs? keynote at Macworld San Francisco ?09 & Apple?s last year at the event There was a big of rumbling the other day when Steve Jobs was curiously left off the Macworld SF speaker / events list and now it looks like big man�himself�isn’t going to take the stage at all. That’s right, no jeans and black turtleneck. No “one last thing.” No “boom!” Also, Apple has�announced�that this will be [...]

VentureBeat Not a rumor: No Steve Jobs keynote at this year?s Macworld ? which will be Apple?s last Here’s some big Apple news regarding the upcoming Macworld Expo that is not a rumor: This will be Apple’s last appearance at Macworld and chief executive Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote. Let me repeat: Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote at the event that is traditionally Apple’s largest of the [...]