Apple pulls plug on Macworld

The web's been alive with talk about whether Steve Jobs would be showing his face at Macworld in January. And now official word is out – not only will Jobs not be making the journey to San Francisco, the event in New Year will be Apple's last.

In a statement on their official site, Apple said, "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. "

It's a fair point – even CES showcases plenty of products that have already hit the shelves or that those in the know have been up–to–speed with for months.

While Apple's statement confirms that Phil Schiller will host the opening keynote on January 6, there's no mention of their erstwhile CEO. Will Steve Jobs quit his role at the top of the Apple tree? And what about those health rumours?

Either way, we'll doubtless be seeing plenty of awesome new Apple kit out in San Fran come the start of 2009. Stay tuned for our full round–up of the hottest Macworld rumours.