Macworld Expo 2009: Show History, Schedule and Apple's Final Appearance

The 2009 Macworld Conference and Expo is coming to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA from January 5-9. One of the largest technology events for the upcoming year, many consumers are not familiar with the keystone of Apple's technology conferences.

Previous Macworld Expos

The Macworld Expo has its origins pre-dating widespread Internet usage as an annual gathering similar to a flea market where vendors could sell products and consumers could come to purchase the latest gadgets at a discount! After hours every night there were post-expo events and parties on an extravagant scale. Primarily, however, the attendees at the Macworld Expo were hobbyists that shared a common interest in all things Macintosh.

The Conference and expo has evolved significantly since the pre-Internet days. Mac-users are no longer verging on being considered a part of a cult. The expo has become a place for consumers to not only seek out the latest in technology, but also come away with knowledge, ideas, and inspiration for their daily lives and work! Steve Jobs has been the keynote speaker a number of times at Macworld in the past. Typically, vendors release new products on Tuesday to coincide with the keynote speech of the Expo.

Apple to No Longer Attend Macworld after 2009

The 2009 Macworld Expo will be the final one that Apple plans to maintain a presence. Apple states this is because they are able to market new products in other means just as effectively as the Expo. Although some are disappointed, small companies which use the expo to market new products believe that the absence of Apple will provide greater opportunity for the remainder of the businesses to get the word out about their goods.

Previewing the 2009 Macworld Expo

The 2009 Macworld expo has over 140 educational sessions that are taught by industry experts. The conference programs are focused on the Mac industry trends and developments for the Mac enthusiast. This year's conference programs include:

Power Tools- 2-day in-depth training on popular Mac software applications and tools

MacIT Conference- Targeted topics for IT professionals

Users Conference - Skill development across Mac-enabled solutions

MacLabs- Interactive focused training classes

Market Symposiums- Analysis and deployment of Mac technology in key markets

Creative Safari - Day long, immersive field work with key Mac tools

The 2009 Expo and Conference also has sessions focused on in-depth overviews on emerging technologies:

Supersessions- Quick segments used to get you up to speed on key Mac technology

Feature Presentationsare designed to entertain and inform all attendees on a broad range of topics by industry leaders.

Birds-of-a-Feather meetings (BOFs)are complimentary, informal networking discussions, open to all Macworld attendees

To get a better feel for 2009 Macworld program, view presentations from the 2008 Macworld Conference.