The Apple press has been all about iPads since January 27—and how can you blame them? There's a lot to talk about before the device gets into our grubby little hands. But there are other things going on in the Apple space in the meantime. One such thing is the new, improved, and Apple-free 2010 Macworld Expo which is taking place next week.

Did you forget about Macworld? Some did, while others (largely on Twitter) have been ramping up the chatter about what to expect without Apple there. You may remember that, in late 2008, Apple announced that it would no longer be attending the Expo after 2009, throwing the conference world into an uproar and eventually leading to the 2010 Expo's dates being moved from January to February of this year. And now, it's only a few days away: the conference begins next Tuesday, February 9 and runs through Saturday, the 13th.