Hasta La Gadget!

Apple won’t be showing up for Macworld Expo after 2009, and some are speculating the corporation might instead make appearances at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Why? In a nutshell, BusinessWeek’s rationale is Apple could steal some of Microsoft’s thunder at CES. And iPods and iPhones have "up-ended the consumer electronics industry," so Apple would have a huge impact at CES. Valid points.

But here are our thoughts: No way is that going to happen. Apple made it clear when pulling out of Macworld that it was over trade shows, and the corporation wouldn’t undercut such a statement by participating in one of the largest trade shows in the world.   

"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers," Apple said in a press release.

Besides, why would Apple ditch Macworld, a show where the corporation stood in the spotlight, for a bloated carcass like CES? That’d just be counterproductive and a huge mess for a company that likes to keep stuff simple; Apple would be throwing itself into a "bag of hurt."

Apple doesn’t need to show up at CES to punk around Microsoft, either. Apple’s "Get a Mac" commercials are proving so strong that Microsoft is struggling to fight back with its $300 million campaign.

So as much as we’d like to see Apple at CES, we don’t think it’s happening. Each year, Apple will likely hold a few more press conferences than normal — but don’t count on running into Steve Jobs at the Blackjack table.


Might Apple Be Ditching Macworld For CES? [BusinessWeek]

Photo: mdumlao98/Flickr

The X-Touch Mixer faucet trades analog knobs or levers for buttons so you can regulate exactly what temperature the water is. Better, it has a digital readout to show you exactly what temp it is.

X-Touch is a product of Newform Italy, and looks to be either a sink faucet or a bath faucet. Either way, we’re glad to not be burning our hands/mouths/genitals from water that’s just slightly too scalding. If they can only mesh this with the type of showerhead that you can set it to a certain temperature and shut off automatically, this would be the ultimate faucet. [Trendir via Like Cool via Uber Gizmo]

Slash Gear: If your kids aren’t interested in a Wii but you’d still like them to get some exercise benefit out of their console, the GAMEROX gaming chair might be the solution. Resembling a couple of mudflaps, the GAMEROX chair moves in all three axis and, by making the child support themselves rather than slump, trains core stability, tones muscle and improves posture.

Anti-skid feet prevent the whole thing from shooting away across your polished floors, while a removable tripod leg prevents it from toppling backward. The joints have been designed with varying resistance, so you don’t slam into the extremes of flexibility.

Currently it’s designed for kids aged between seven and twelve, as long as they weigh under 175lbs. No word on price, but it should be available in the “near future”. We’d like to see an adult version, please!

GAMEROX gaming chair [Slash Gear]

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