Suddenly, there is just a hint of worry in Apple-dom about Apple-dom. The company's computer sales fell last month (more on that later), and Apple announced that January's Macworld Expo is the last one it will exhibit at, claiming "'trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers." And, as rumored, Steve Jobs won't give his usual keynote speech even at this show. "It's likely impossible to mention this without re-starting the speculation about Jobs' health and/or Apple having nothing major to unveil at the show," says VentureBeat. On the health question, Tech Check with Jim Goldman advises followers to relax: Jobs' decision was more about politics than his pancreas: "Apple has been trying to separate itself from Macworld for some time, preferring instead to host its own 'special events'." Still, speculation continues...

Daring Fireball engages in psychology, suggesting that where Macworld is concerned, Jobs has been there, done that, and "where other CEOs can't bring themselves to do something different, Jobs can't bring himself to keep doing the same thing." Edible Apple figures, more practically, the company needed to deflate Macworld's importance: "Ever since the iPhone was introduced, pundits have been looking at subsequent Macworld and Apple events with the expectation that Apple would release another game-changing device." Scobleizer suggests that blogging, online video, and social networks are killing the big tech shows anyway: "I've watched as Apple invites a few hundred bloggers and journalists into a conference room at its headquarters in Cupertino and gets the news out to the world without having to go to an expensive venue." Byte of the Apple agrees that Apple's pullback from MacWorld makes a statement about the reach and quality of trade shows in general but wonders if maybe Apple and Jobs will switch in future years to the January Consumer Electronics Show instead. 9 to 5 Mac wonders if Adobe, Belkin, Seagate and Google, who also have bailed out of or scaled back at MacWorld, knew in advance about Jobs' planned absence. Infinite Loop says despite many Apple fans declaring Macworld Expo dead without Apple, the show will go on. Though Apple Insider is among those reporting Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicting a "shift in leadership roles" at Apple.

And the possibility that Apple won't have a killer product at Macworld is a concern. Digital Daily says maybe a netbook. Gadget Lab busted out a scoop that Apple will unveil a new Mac Mini, adding "it's unlikely this will be Apple's big product launch at the show." Meanwhile, while everyone was bust coveting iPhones, "sales of Macs in U.S. stores last month [November] declined 1% from a year ago, while industry-wide PC sales rose 2%," The Wall Street Journal says, citing NPD data. This is quite the reversal of recent trend but perhaps not surprising in this economic climate as PCs are generally priced cheaper, observes Blogging Stocks. Between the Lines says concerns about Apple says may be overblown. Anyway, that NPD data doesn't include enterprise sales or overseas sales, points out Silicon Alley Insider, which also wonders dreamily about the whole situation: "is Jobs just laying the groundword for more Steve magic: A surprise appearance that will leave followers feeling touched by God?"