Apple finds sub for Steve Jobs speech

CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Apple Inc. said chairman and chief executive officer Steve Jobs has passed the baton on giving the opening speech at the MacWorld Expo next month.

The company said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, would take over making the exhibition's opening remarks.

The company said trade shows had diminished in importance at Apple although some quickly speculated Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, may be suffering from health problems, USA Today reported.

Apple, however, has been hinting it would pull out of the trade show for two years. The company is moving toward introducing new products "on their timetable, not force it at a specific show," Creative Strategies President Tim Bajarin said.

"If you're not planning on making a whole lot of news, what's the benefit of putting Steve on stage?" asked Jupitermedia analyst Michael Gartenberg, the newspaper reported.

Apple now reaches 100 million customers online through the Apple Store, the company said.