Whether or not it has something to do with Apple pulling itself from the annual expo, the event promises to bring even more, starting next year.

Although the show hasn't even kicked off properly, by accessing the MacworldExpo site, visitors are greeted with a message that announces “The start of a new era.” For Mac users, it's almost like “Good thing Apple's gone, now we can finally put our plans into action.” After reading the surprising greeting, they can hit ENTER Macworld 2009, and go about their business.

Readers should already be familiar with Apple's December 2008 announcement saying that “Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo, and Apple Expo in Paris.” The reason? The company has achieved its goal in reaching customers, mostly thanks to the increasing popularity of its retail stores. These attract more than 3.5 million visitors every week, “So, like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers,” the company said in a statement.

Reliable sources recently spoke of Apple's longtime plans to withdraw from Macworld. The “scheme” included scaling back on many trade shows, one by one, just like the official Apple report said. In fact, the company almost quit Macworld in 2002, a Gizmodo report revealed.

For one reason or another, it didn't, but around two years ago (the source said) a “friend from Apple” made a rather shocking statement to the author of the report. He was quoted as saying that “We are going to phase out all trade shows.” Pressed to answer whether or not Macworld was on that list, the Apple staffer (allegedly) said, “Yes, MacWorld will go too. I don’t know when, but it will.”

Yesterday, Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs shattered fans' dreams of witnessing a surprise appearance at Macworld 2009. In an open letter to the Apple Community, Jobs stated, “For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.” Mr. Jobs' doctors recently discovered that a hormone imbalance was causing Apple's CEO to lose weight. The company's board of directors also became vocal promising to deliver its “complete and unwavering support during [Jobs'] recuperation.”