Macs and iPhones are driving the the latest chapter of the Apple growth story but that's not the pictured painted by the company's exhibit at this year's Macworld Expo, where the usual suspects have taken a back seat to the latest innovations in consumer media and productivity software.
The Mac maker's final booth at Macworld mirrors those of years past, though the highlights are undoubtedly new versions of iWork and iLife. Mac Pros, Mac minis and Apple TV are amongst the no-shows at San Francisco's Moscone Center, while an army of iMacs serve only as portals for show goes interested in taking the latest iApps for a spin.
A sprawling banner suspended from the ceiling of Apple's booth states the arrival of iLife '09 and iWork '09, as do two larger and more vertical adverts that flank the front-most perimeter. Buried towards the back left-hand side of the centralized Apple theater are a couple of circular tables holding iPhones and iPod touches.
Meanwhile, an array of colored nanos can be seen affixed to the left wall of the theater, almost as a decorative afterthought. MacBooks aren't getting much play either, where the entire family of top-selling notebooks -- including the MacBook Air and four 17-inch MacBook Pros -- are confined to a single table on the far right end of the booth.
The sentiment at this year's show is noticeably subdued. There are fewer attendees and the resounding sentiment is that the Cupertino-based firm has left much to be desired from a more personal event that will arrive at a place and time of its own choosing.