It seems that Apple’s withdrawal from the MacWorld Conference&Expo had immediate effects on smaller companies, which develop third party software for Steve Job’s Mac platform. For many of them, Apple’s participation in the trade shows this is the main reason for which the very show exists.

While some software and accessory manufacturers are a bit frightened that MacWorld won’t get so much attention from the public, other ones state that things will go even better. Agent 18, a case manufacturer for the iPhone and the iPod Touch stated that while the show will be less exciting without Apple’s participation, their relationship with Steve’s Jobs’ company will not be affected by any mean in this “day-and-age of video-Chat and email."

On December 16, Apple announced it is possible that this January’s Macworld Conference & Expo might be the last time when the company participates. Furthermore, Steve Jobs will not hold the usual keynote at the conference anymore, as Phil Schiller will take his place.

On Tuesday, Apple did not make any comments on Jobs’ health, but they denied the rumor that the company’s CEO has lost a lot of weight in the last period.

Phil Schiller is the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple.

Working for Apple for 17 years, he is the number-two man at the company. According to vice president at JupiterMedia, Michael Gartenberg, it is expected that Apple’s move to putting other people on the stage would be a way to remind people that the company has 20.000 to 30.000 staffs, “not just Steve.”