If January is such an awkward time for the show, why is Macworld in January? Given what an event it has become, wouldn't it make sense for the marketing company to move it to a time that is more to Apple's liking?

I've seen similar things with other trade shows: they are when they are, and if that makes no sense for the companies involved, that's just tough luck. A show I used to attend was held at a strange time and over a decade it went from a being a must-attend to struggling to survive, yet they STILL hold it at the exact same time every year.