CES to expand Apple section

The Consumer Electronics Association, which hosts CES in Las Vegas every year, said Thursday that the trade show will expand its Apple section from 4,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet.

CES is devoting more floorspace to Apple this year. But will Apple attend?

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET)

It's called the iLounge Pavilion and will be an exhibition area for products related to the Mac, iPod, and iPhone. This year, for the first time, there will also be a section for applications for use on Apple products.

The original 4,000-square-foot space sold out within days of the announced availability to retailers, developers, and accessory makers looking to exhibit their wares and services, according to the CEA. That led to the decision to expand the floor space.

After Apple announced that the 2009 MacWorld Expo in January would be its last participation in the event, speculation arose that the company might choose to appear at CES--which is held around the same time--instead.

But despite the CEA's decision to create the Apple section, first announced in January, Apple has not yet commented on whether it would participate or not. The reason that the company bowed out of MacWorld--that it doesn't really need to participate anymore--would seem to preclude a similar type of presence at CES, where it would be one of thousands of companies on display.

[Vegaman_Dan]

So... CES is expanding the reservation space for Apple-themed/related vendors/products, but Apple itself has not approached CES to actually take up any more space than they have in the past.

Perhaps they will, perhaps they won't. It's a gamble- if Apple expands, great! If not, then the absence will be even more noticable.

[Hep Cat]

Apple doesn't even participate in CES. What are you talking about?

Look at the market - Apple doesn't need to spend money at CES or MacWorld.

[ikramerica--2008]

This has been obvious for a long time. Apple doesn't want to be "the other guy" with it's own show anymore. They are a CEC and want to be at CES, making news there. No more keynote, but be sure there will be a big presentation.

CES will be about the consumer space, WWDC will be about the software space as things go forward.

[websterphreaky]

Better watch out ..., Obummer just made Bill Gates the Secretary of Defense!! NOW your gonna get it for those BS Apple vs Microsoft ...-

DID YOU HEAR I D I O T President "wonderful" Obummer THINKS WILLIAM GATES IS HIS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE!! (That's the way IDIOT OBUMMER introduced him today at his Photo Op/Campaign Speech).

WILLIAM (BIll) GATES is CHAIRMAN OF MICROSOFT !! IT'S Robert Gates that's the Sec of Defense ... Obummer you MORON!

Guess what you'd be hearing ALL FREAKIN DAY FROM THE MEDIA if Bush has Blown That!! NOooooooo, the Media is kissing Obummers ... and buried it!
[CNET editor's note: Offensive comments deleted.]

[monkeyfun14]

Only person looking like a damn fool is you.

[dude7895]

@monkeyfun14

+1

[Hep Cat]

You probably shouldn't post drunk, dude.

[ckh1272]

So you're the reason crack is illegal! Just look at what it did!!

[docster87]

Why would Apple need to be there? Obviously even not being there their presence/brand will be felt.

[brewster_13]

I don't believe that Apple exhibits at CES, mainly because the Macworld Expo was held around the same time as CES. Better to be Top Dog at your own party, then to be one of hundreds of exhibiters at someone else's. So Apple, the company, wouldn't expand it's presence per se, more like create a presence at CES. But if they're going to have 25,000 sq ft of other companies that are in essence telling the CES crowds that Apple products are great, that's why we make products that work with them, they may not want to waste their money renting space. The 25,000 sq ft of free advertising will surely increase traffic at the Apple Stores during and after CES. Especially with 3 Apple retail stores already in Vegas.

[Hep Cat]

Seriously - do you guys have article quotas or something? A lot of the articles this week just seem like mindless filler. That's no commentary on your writing, but really - who cares? Don't you think the "let's second guess Apple" game gets old after a while?

[Rolker]

I'm not surprise at all. Cnet is well known for their speculating upon rumors, leaked screenshots, etc.
But in the case of Apple coverage, it seems that whatever is related with Apple is big news. I always got the feeling that Apple receives a more favorable treatment at Cnet, this compared to other companies.

[lang0502]

i read an article on Cnet awhile back and they basically said anything about Apple gets big readership, so they shovel out as much Apple content as they can come up with.