Though CES has barely begun, some eyes have already turned toward San Francisco and the Macworld Conference & Expo that opens its doors next week. Sure, it is a little more of niche market than the wide-reaching wings of the Consumer Electronics Show, but with the incredibly heavy interest in all products whose names start with the little lower-case “i”, it comes as no surprise that more than 300 companies will be showcasing their latest Mac-related innovations at the Moscone Center starting January 10 at 11:00 a.m. The Macworld Conference and Expo runs until Friday, January 16.

Look for all the newest products and applications from Adobe, Canon, Harman Multimedia, Xerox, and even Microsoft. Education programs and networking opportunities will be in abundance for all those in the Mac industry.

Among the highlights of the show will be a presentation on George Lucas and his revolutionary filmmaking; a talk on the growing popularity and long-term appeal of Podcasting; a number of custom cars with iPod integrations and other innovations at the Macworld Auto Show, including products from Alpine, 2point5 and Schosche; professional in-depth training in such tools as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, FileMaker Pro, and Flash 8; the “Dr. Is In” digital photography help area; and Taste of the Conference, with over 20 hours of free education and training each day.