Macworld 2010: Where are the exhibitors?

That time of year is coming up again. And no, I’m not talking about Christmas. This event is going on February 9th through the 13th, and is known as the Macworld Expo. And yes, while it’s sad that Apple won’t be appearing this year, you might also be surprised to hear who else isn’t showing up. Despite IDG mentioning HP, Microsoft, FastMac, Shure and Intuit had already signed up during their town hall meeting last January, the exhibitor list they’ve posted says otherwise. Currently missing from there are both Microsoft and Intuit. Other than imitating Apple as Microsoft commonly does, why would they choose to also leave the Macworld expo?

While the answer to that question is currently unknown, there could be a few reasons. For one, maybe it is simply that Microsoft doesn’t feel a need to be present at an event for Mac products that Apple isn’t even present at. That said, it could also be that Microsoft doesn’t have any announcements worthy of paying the price to set up a booth there. However, Office for Mac is currently still a 2008 product, and while I don’t use it myself, I’m sure there are some updates due for that software. Perhaps the plans just fell through as Microsoft got distracted and too caught up in the Windows 7 and Zune HD product launches. Whatever the reason is, it is certainly interesting to see such a large name missing from that list after having committed to it nearly a year ago.

Another big company missing from the list is Adobe, makers of the popular Creative Suite design package. While they certainly dominate the photo editing space with Photoshop, they have seen recent competition from Mac focused applications such as Acorn and Pixelmator. For that reason, I would think that they would want to make their return to the expo to show why their software is still better. However, I also get the feeling that they, too, may no longer see the point, especially considering they’ve been known to skip the Expo even when Apple has been present. After all, their software is already a household name, so perhaps they just don’t see the point in advertising it further at an event where everyone knows of it. Either that, or they, again, don’t have any products or updates to announce to make their presence worth it, either.

Also not on the list is Sonos, creator of iPod focused multi-room speaker systems. With their recent launch of the ZonePlayer S5, the absence of this company makes me really feel for Macworld and where it may be heading. An event like this would be perfect for a company like Sonos to appear, in my opinion. With hardware such as Sonos’ and software such as Adobe’s not on the expo floor, the event will certainly be lacking some of the big players in the Mac marketplace. Gaming, for instance, is not represented at all. Although there’s been a slow drift away from Macworld, regulars such as Freeverse, Feral Interactive and Ambrosia have yet to commit.

It could be the absence of all of these companies is a sign of Macworld losing support after Apple left, or maybe exhibitors are holding out to see who else signs up or are awaiting better deals. While I certainly would love to see Macworld continue strong for many more years, it may be hard if these big name companies do indeed back out.