For a company that hasn't attended CES since 1992, Apple dominates the show. You can't walk more than a dozen feet here at the Las Vegas Convention Center without seeing an iGadget or iAccessory of some kind. Apple's overwhelming presence by proxy is impressive, and underscores the immense place the company occupies in the consumer electronics sector. Of the 3,000 or so exhibitors here at CES, nearly 500 reside in the iLounge pavilion, a section dedicated specifically to Apple-related products. And then there are the hundreds of audio, automotive, health, gaming, and accessory companies hawking iOS and Mac peripherals. There are more iPhone and iPad adaptors, docks and dongles than you could possibly imagine. Vendors are showing off iPad camera rigs, solar-powered Mac batteries and even an iPhone-connected plant sensor. And then there's the sea of bedazzled and bedecked iPhone and iPad cases.
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Absent from Consumer Electronics Show, Apple still is a major presence
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Five hundred exhibitors are in the "iLounge Pavilion" for Apple accessory makers
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One reason? Apple customers have shown they're willing to spend for extras
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Apple hasn't attended since 1992; Microsoft dropped out last year
Spend five minutes walking the floor and it becomes clear there's no need for @placeholder to be here.
With Microsoft dropping out, @placeholder is losing even more of its sizzle.