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Commentators will be watching his performance closely, not least because it is possible a crowd of Mac devotees have called for a "Silent Keynote" to protest against Apple's desertion of Macworld.

Mac fan Lesa Snider King even set up a website which asked others to greet Mr Schiller with "utter and complete silence" instead of the usual whoops and hollers.

"Apple is sending a message to the entire community - professionals, hobbyists, media, Mac User Groups, and even IDG themselves - that they care nothing for the community who supported them through thick and thin," she declared.

Much of the pre-expo chatter has focused on the future of Mr Jobs at Apple and Mr Schiller's performance will also be analysed with the succession in mind.

Questions about Mr Jobs's health have cropped up regularly since last June when he appeared gaunt at a conference. Previously the Apple CEO has battled pancreatic cancer.

A website last week published fresh rumours that Mr Jobs had pulled out of Macworld because he was seriously ill and that Apple's announcement that this was its last Macworld was a cover.

Apple has denied this and steadfastly refused to discuss the CEO's health, saying it is a private matter.

Few leaders are more closely associated with the health of a major company than Mr Jobs, who co-founded Apple in 1976 and then rescued it 20 years later when he rejoined the company.

Under his grip, the company has become a leader in technology innovation, far beyond its computer roots, with market-leading software and hardware.

Apple has about $25 billion in cash and annual sales of $32 billion. Its market capitalisation is about $80 million with a share price on Nasdaq of $90.75 at last Friday's close.

Here is what most Apple watchers are expecting to see at Macworld 2009:

* More details and possibly a release date for the next-generation Macintosh OS X operating system, Snow Leopard. Apple has already said that the release will focus more on performance improvements and bug fixes, rather than new features.

* A new Mac Mini desktop computer which sells without a keyboard or monitor. The new version of the "most affordable Mac" is said to have a raft of new specs, including better processors.

* A rejigged iMac desktop computer. The all-in-one desktop was due, allegedly, to have a facelift last November but that was delayed... until this week.

* An upgrade of Apple TV, which allows users to play their iTunes content - movies, TV shows or music - on TV screens.

* An update of Time Capsule, the companion to Time Machine, Apple's backup software, to allow users to access personal content from anywhere on the internet.

* An aluminium 17-inch MacBook Pro. This bigger version of Apple's top-end laptop was missed out of the range's relaunch in October - so it should be ready now.

* A revamped iWork for the cloud. There has been lots of talk of Apple's suite of desktop applications - its answer to Microsoft's Office - is going to be turned into a series of web-based apps.

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