It's our last Macworld Expo, announces Apple

CALIFORNIA: Giving a shock to the Apple fans, the computer major announced on Tuesday that this year to be the last year for the company at Macworld Expo to be held at San Francisco's Moscone Center from January 5 to 9, 2009.

The Keynote address at the Expo will be delivered by Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Apple. With Apple reaching wider range of consumers with better ways, trade shows play a very minor role, Apple said in a statement.

The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.

This has resulted in Apple to steadily scale back on trade shows that include NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.

Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications, said a press release.

Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.