Macworld Expo

You couldn’t get very far on the Macworld 2011 show floor without running into an exhibitor promoting a protective case for Apple’s iPad. But some cases stood out from the crowd.

David Pogue was in true Pogue-ian form today in "Late Night with David Pogue," the kick-off feature presentation before opening the Macworld Expo showroom floor. After a brief tongue-in-cheek introduction by Paul Kent as "Steve Ballmer," ("Rock the new era," indeed!), Pogue wasted no time in cracking jokes.

Attending a Macworld Expo without Apple may seem like going to a rock concert to see the opening acts, but despite lacking the rock star presence, the show will go on nonetheless.

Macworld Expo 2010 is almost here, and whether you've been to the show or not, Expo can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you've never visited San Francisco. It helps to be prepared, and your iPhone can be your guide.

With the news that Macworld Expo will move from its traditional time in January to February in 2010, IDG World Expo is trying to rework the annual trade show to make it more appealing to show goers and vendors alike.

One of the more persistent rumors on the Macworld Expo show floor this past week -- besides the one saying that Jobs would parachute onto the stage during the keynote in order to prove that he's fit as a fiddle -- was that Apple would be ditching Macworld next year for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which also took place last week.

We hardly knew ye!

There was a standing ovation at the Macworld Conference and Expo this year, but it wasn't for Steve Jobs or a hot new Apple product. It was for singer Tony Bennett, who closed an otherwise lackluster keynote address -- Apple's last at the conference -- by Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro will join the rest of Apple's laptop line in getting a unibody enclosure, as Apple unveiled a new configuration of its largest laptop during the Macworld Expo keynote on Tuesday. Apple bills the updated MacBook Pro as lighter, thinner, faster, more environmentally friendly, and equipped with a unique, long-lasting battery.

Apple is expected to announce a $30-a-month iPhone tethering plan from AT&T and will also drop all DRM from its iTunes Music Store in what is the rumor du jour.

Until mid-December, the big news about the upcoming Macworld Expo and Conference was that Adobe and Belkin weren't going to exhibit at the big show. Then came the bombshell from Apple that it wouldn't take part in the event after 2009 -- and CEO Steve Jobs wouldn't even be on hand for his highly anticipated keynote address.

Steve, why have you forsaken us? You know we can't get enough of your "one more things"!