Apple today announced that 2009 will be the last year that the company will exhibit at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco. This year will also mark a major change from past events as Steve Jobs will be replaced by Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller as the opening keynote speaker.

The move is part of an increasing trend for the company, which has already begun scaling back its representation at trade shows, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo, and Apple Expo in Paris.

The company had this to say about the move:

Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.

If Apple's statement is to be taken at face value, it seems unlikely that the company will switch its focus to the Consumer Electronics Show, which traditionally falls the same week in January. While Macworld isn't run by Apple, the fate of the show is uncertain at best, without the company's participation.

This year's Macworld will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 5 to 9. Schiller's keynote will be given at 9:00 AM on Tuesday January 6. Look for full coverage of the event at PCMag.com.