As a faithful member of the Apple cult, I can't help but be saddened by the lack of a Steve Jobs keynote for this year's MacWorld. Usually, I look forward to the Tuesday keynote and frantically jump between the various live blogs of the keynote in progress. Afterward, I vicariously experience the keynote by watching it over the net.

Now, all I have to look forward to is Phil Schiller, who while he's a great guy, is no Steve Jobs. There's only one Steve. It is enough to lead me to a slight depression.

And "one last thing", Apple has already said that it won't be participating in any future MacWorld conferences. So, not only do we not get a Steve-note, but any future keynotes by Steve will be at Apple hosted events rather than on the floor of MacWorld.

It saddens me to think back on the MacWorlds that I've attended. I have fond memories of standing in long lines to get to touch the demo MacBook Air or to stand next to the iPhone in the glass case and drool. If my math is right, this year would be my 10th MacWorld.

As it stands now, unless something revolutionary comes out tomorrow, I'll probably end up skipping it this year. It is sort of like watching your favorite sports hero who continues to play when he is obviously beyond his prime. I think it might be just too depressing to be at the last MacWorld conference. It might be better to just reflect on the fond memories of MacWorld's past and let it pass into the night without watching it go.