Apple Incorporated has recently announced that Chief Executing Officer (CEO) Steve Jobs had delivered his last keynote address at Macworld in San Francisco, adding that the Macworld in January would be the final one Jobs would take part in.

Moreover, the company stated that senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller would be the one giving the keynote address the following year.

The announcement has given yet again rise to questions regarding Steve Jobs’ health, which has been much debated this year, with many rumors revealing that he was ill having circulated during past months.

Furthermore, Jobs’ decision to step out of the spotlight has completely taken aback International Data Group (IDG), whose IDG World Expo division handles the organization of the Macworld event. The technology media, research and event management organization was informed only a few weeks before the Macworld was scheduled to take place that Jobs would not be giving his customary keynote speech in January.

Since the Macworld Expo has been long regarded as a manifestation for the Mac fans, people in the Apple community deeming as a Super Bowl for them, dropping the event after the 2009 edition will leave the press, analysts, VIPs and developers the only ones allowed access to the company’s other events such as the Worldwide Developers Conference.

After 25 years of serving as a carnival for the Mac community throughout the world, the last Macworld Expo is set to take place on January 6, 2009 at the Moscone West hall, marking what has been called the end of an era.