Macworld to be chucked from next year

Apple has announced that Macworld, the annual tech gathering for the Apple developers and enthusiasts  in San Francisco, would be its last.

Chief executive Steve Jobs would not present the keynote address. This comes after confirmation by Apple that Steve Jobs is indeed not well.

Some analysts, however, see Mr Jobs' decision as part of a succession plan.

"Steve is clearly beginning to share the spotlight with some other executives and sooner or later someone has to step up to the CEO role," said Van Baker, vice-president of research for IT consulting firm Gartner. "I don't think this is about Steve's health. I think he is trying to back off from being a 'one man band' and he is trying to make way for a possible succession and spread the wealth among the executive team that Apple has," explained Mr Baker to BBC News.

Apple has said the reason for pulling out of future shows is because it feels the event does not provide value for money possibly more so due to the current economic recession. In an earlier statement, the company said that "every week 3.5m people visit our retail stores. And like many companies, trade shows are a minor part of how Apple reaches its customers".