Will Apple Attend CES 2010?

Update, July 30: The Wall Street Journal has changed its story, saying now that "It is not clear whether Apple will attend the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. This post previously stated that Apple would attend."

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple will attend CES 2010 in Las Vegas.

Wall Street Journal Digits blogger Ben Charny recently attended a dinner for journalists in San Francisco with Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.

Charny says "Apple plans to attend the show's 2010 version, marking the first time in memory the Cupertino, Calif., consumer-electronics giant will be there." Charny did not source Apple's move to Shapiro.

The CEA says Apple has "not signed up to exhibit at the 2010 CES." The CEA did confirm that it reached out to Apple CEO Steve Jobs to deliver a keynote. Apple has yet to respond to the invitation, but the CEA still welcomes Jobs to join Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini who are both already scheduled to give keynotes.

CEA's statement:

Apple is a valued member of the Consumer Electronics Association. As for the 2010 International CES, we have invited Steve Jobs to keynote. Should he accept our invitation, he would join an outstanding keynote lineup that includes Steve Ballmer of Microsoft and Paul Otellini of Intel. Apple has not signed up to exhibit at the 2010 CES, but there will be more Apple-related products at the show than ever before in our exciting new iLounge Pavilion. The iLoungePavilion is a unified iPod, iPhone and Mac exhibition area, that will be located in South 2 of the LVCC. The exhibit will display manufacturers and retailers of iPod and iPhone applications, along with accessories and other related services and products. The exhibit space has already grown from 4,000 sf to 25,000 sf due to high demand.

Engadget's Ryan Block says he was sitting directly across the table from Shapiro at the dinner in San Francisco and that Charny is "flat out wrong." Block adds:

"At no point did Gary [Shapiro] even remotely imply that Apple would be present at a future CES. Let alone state flatly that Apple 'will be there' in 2010.

Engadget founder Peter Rojas and CNET Editor in Chief Scott Ard also were reportedly at the dinner. Rojas says Shapiro "was very clear that Apple would not be exhibiting at CES 2010." Ard adds that "Shapiro didn't say anything at the dinner that could be taken as confirmation that Apple would attend."

The CEA announced in May that its dedicated Apple area, which will be called the iLounge Pavilion, would be expanded from 4,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet.

Apple pulled out of the MacWorld Expo in December 2008 because tradeshows were becoming "a very minor part" of how Apple reaches consumers.

Related: 3 Things Apple Could Unveil at CES 2010