I apologize for my lousy blogging lately. Macworld has been insane for me. I was on my feet from 7am – 3am, running around the expo doing Macbreak interviews, being a guest on Macbreak Weekly, recording TWiP, and looting booths for schwag (the most important thing at MW), and attending a few shindigs.
I plan on writing a detailed post on my reflections of Macworld and my top picks of the Expo in a few days. Before I give you my thoughts on the keynote, I’d like to hear yours.
Were you disappointed with this year’s Macworld keynote?
Like say the fact that they didn’t even mention Snow Leopard or release a new mini or iMac or, like announce something cool other than the ability to DRM-free your previously bought itunes music for $0.30 a pop? 30 x 14GB of music = I don’t know, you do the math.
There is a super awesome prize for the person who makes the best comment. So breathe in and let it all out. Please don’t make Steve cry too much. Think about his hormone imbalance. Please.
Tags: Apple, keynote, leo laporte, mac, macworld, mostly lisa, Tech/Web, Travel, Videos
I think one of the big reasons Apple pulled out of MacWorld is so that it doesn’t feel pinned to releasing new things every January (indeed being essentially *required* to release something big every January). As such, I think they wanted to make sure they downplayed the significance of this last show, otherwise, people would be left saying “See! MacWorld is still awesome…you should keep on doing it!”. Maybe a kinda “letting us down easy” tactic?
I’m pleased with the iLife/iWork improvements…lots of features I’ll definitely use in there. I’ve ordered a 17″ MacBook Pro (my first Mac laptop that will be over 15″). I’m also pleased that the iTMS is going all high quality (I didn’t really care about DRM, since I rarely bump up against the constraints of DRM). I do agree, however, that since an iTunes Plus track previously didn’t cost any more than the standard quality track that we should be charged to upgrade our current music to iT+… my upgrade my library is in excess of $130, and you can’t do it à la carte.
As for Snow Leopard, the Mac Mini, and the iMac, I think they’re going to reserve those for their new-style press events. I think they’re going to hold quite a few more now that they’re out of MacWorld, and I think they’re going to hold one pretty soon that will cover some or all of those things.
So, I think MW was not bad…not spectacular by any means, but not bad. I’m sad that Apple has left it (I had always wanted to attend a Steve Jobs keynote…but alas that will never happen now), but they have always marched to the beat of their own drummer.
I was just as disappointed as you on the ‘new toys’ side of things, but to be honest, I wasn’t expecting anything amazing.
A lot of people think Apple owes them something. A new Mac, a phone, OS, etc. This is exactly why Apple is pulling out of Macworld. They are forced each year to do something in January and if the geeks don’t think it’s cool, their stock drops.
No one buys anything for 2 months before Macworld. My friend wanted an iPhone 3G and waited until after Macworld to actually get one because Apple ‘might release something new, I’ll just wait.’
Most geeks won’t buy anything new if they think something might be coming, and they tell their family/friends to hold off. This just kills Apple’s 4th quarter – thousands of sales not happening because there is some speculation there may be an update in 2 months.
Sad to see Apple leave Macworld, but the conference wasn’t doing anything for the company.
The whole keynote was meh!
All the products that were mentioned were worthwhile and fun but I REALLY wanted a new mac mini to be introduced and a new imac with better onboard graphics and ……. etc etc.
Been putting off buying a new mac for almost 4 months now and now I’m kind of underwhelmed by the thought of it just in case they sneak out some updates when we aren’t looking again.
Snow Leopard had better make my MacBook Pro super fast or I’ll cry. :(
It’s still so frustrating with Leopard when the Genie effect drops to about 3fps! It’s all the silly reflection and shadow effects on the Dock that are slowing it down, I reckon. They only made the shiny Dock to compete with Vista’s über shininess (über as in over the top).
Apple is a business, and like nearly all businesses at the moment, anything that doesn’t earn them extra money will go. Like MacWorld. CES, however, is more worthwhile because they can show up all the PCs and all the PC geeks will suddenly realise how awful their Windows world is! :)
And anyone that reads MacRumors.com will know that Apple’s product release timeframe doesn’t coincide with January’s MacWorld events at all, as with the above comments, therefore denting their Christmas holiday sales.
It’s also a bit weird that iWork and iLife are now ’09 and came out in January. The previous ones came out mid-year every two years (I think) and were named after the following year to keep them current (e.g. iLife ’08 in 2007). I guess iLife ’10 would look a little weird. The nicety of the ‘noughties’ for product names is coming to an end. :P
The new 17″ MB Pro is awesome, if predictable. The new battery technology was a surprise, though. 8 hours from a 17″ notebook is amazing, but it makes the other MacBooks’ battery life look awkwardly low in comparison. They claim that the new 17″ LCD has a 60% wider colour gamut, which should be better for photo editing and mobile design. It is, afterall, a ‘Pro’ notebook. Shame the colour range of the 15″ is still 6-bit.
http://www.apple.com/uk/macbookpro/features-17inch.html
I also wonder how long the ModBooks are going to survive. Apple is definitely designing a secret awesome tablet-style full multi-touch Mac somewhere in a lab in Cupertino. I predict 2010, after Windows 7 is out.
When I was a child, father would hitch the horses to our old wagon and we would start our week long journey from Salinas to MacWorld. My sisters would clutch their homemade Steve dolls in comfort and excitement, and when mother wasn’t looking – try to pull the turtleneck down to see with natural curiosity, what was there. I dreamed ahead of the ruts and mud of the old dirt track towards warm polished metal wonder that I knew must be found at our journeys end.
In later years I recall these journeys with a dying man’s passion for his distant dusty youth. I saw there in those times, what I saw. The images are held in me alone. Only in me do I hear the voice of the throng “My name is legion, for we are many!”.
This Keynote was a sour apple! I was looking forward to a yummy helping of Apple Pie but instead old stevie left us with rotten old products which they tried to make into new products.
THe SHines off the apple now! (end of fruit-computer pun)
Nobody knows Apple’s strategy outside of Apple, but I think they will continue to scale back those events. For a while now, with every new product introduction people were disappointed (and sold AAPL stock), because the expectations are so high. Even a company like Apple can produce breakthrough products only once every couple of years and for everything else they get enough attention even without a big Steve Jobs show.
This particular keynote had nothing interesting for me personally (besides the DRM-free iTunes), but if the new iPhoto features make it into Aperture soon, I’d be very happy.
I am totally at a loss for why everyone is so disappointed with this year’s Macworld expo. I don’t know about anyone else, but everyday for the last year I have pushed aside my computer chair, got down on my knees and prayed for apple to allow me to spend more money on the music I have already purchased to free it from the shackles of oppressive DRM.
DRM is horrible! Apple had to free music files around the world from such a prison and I’m glad they made that the focus at the keynote. I mean, it’s not like Apple was the one who DRM’d the music from iTunes in the first place. Oh wait…
Yea, I’m disappointed. :(
Here’s to hoping next world’s macworld keynote is better.
Oh wait…
I’m super disappointed :( :(
Was it too much to ask for a new Mac mini? It would have been my first Mac. No kidding. But now …
*deep breath in*
Software-wise, I was impressed, but not overly-so. Snow Leopard would’ve sealed the deal for me, ’cause then I would actually have a reason to learn how to leverage the power of Open CL and Grand Central, but alas, no dice.
Hardware? Can anyone say gorgeous and behemoth at the same time? 17″ MBP: Gorgeous. Beautiful. Wonderous. Awe-inspiring. Heavier. Matte-screen option! (Yay!) Extra $50? (Um… Less-than yay, but still glad it’s an option!)
Yeah, yeah, I know – I’ve left out new iMacs and the mini, but consider it this way: if Tony Bennett singing “the best is yet to come” wasn’t enough to force you to start drooling over *future* prospects (not to mention a fantastic subliminal point) then you seriously need to get your Apple-geek-o-tron sensors recalibrated/checked/polished. Seriously.
Let’s ask Steve Jobs. sjobs@apple.com or steve@apple.com I’m sure it routes to both.
Well, it seems that global warming has made the climate too clement for the legendary snow leopard to venture out of its cave. Would be naturist (oops) naturalist Phil S had been expected to announce that he had tempted the frosty feline into daylight with unexpectedly witty repartee and newly discovered style, but fur features wouldn’t have it.
Perhaps your camouflage wasn’t up to it, Phil? You’re supposed to be dark and merge into shadows, but then pounce after a purrfectly timed dramatic pause. Perhaps it’s a (Steve) Jobs for later in the year. :-)
I have no idea how I managed to get here…but I’m glad I did. Highfive!
I understand the Apple’s-pulling-out-and-thus-killing-Macworld sentiment. Total worm in the Apple.
I understand the lack of Snow Leopard, lack of Mac Mini update, lack of any hardware at all, sentiment. Total soft spot on the Apple.
However, the new iPhoto is actually ridiculously awesome. It’s like getting a second sticker on your Apple, free! I know that for Aperture and/or Lightroom users, it’s not a big deal at all (though I would suspect that Aperture will get face recognition soon). I’m right on the brink of out-growing iPhoto but I’m definitely going to wait and see how iPhoto ’09 pans out before I dive into $200 or $300 photo management software.
I was pretty disappointed that they didn’t release any info on Snow Leopard.
Overall I thought the keynote was pretty disappointing, most of the news were leaked out.
I thought it was an interesting keynote even without Jobs, people have to realize that Apple has allot of people behind it that makes it tick, its a team of very talented people who all have the same standards as the Steve. Although i was disappointed that there was no mention of NVIDIA based iMac/Mac Minis, or Snow Leopard I was still pleased with the Philnote. With that said My heart goes out to Steve Jobs and his family, hopefully he will make a full recovery.
I wasn’t expecting much from this keynote, but I *was* expecting a Snow Leopard presentation, to flesh out the details and make some of the expectations and promises a bit more concrete.
I have this big thought bubble in my head as to what I’m hoping Snow Leopard will deliver, and i really hope the final shipping product resembles this.
I was very surprised they didn’t do this, and a little dissapointed.
I think the biggest dissapointment for me, is that once Apple and Macs were all about their Pro Users. Now that Apple is heavily consumer-focused, for understandable reasons, it feels like us hardcore pros are not only being neglected, but aren’t even appreciated, despite supporting Apple for all those years before the iPod.
For all those Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, Shake and all the creative professionals who have a major investment in Apple – please Apple, give us a little bit of love, and open up your communication channels a bit. Deathly silence is fine for the consumer part of the business, but it really hurts the “rest” of us.
Yes, iLife is a great product, and the new stuff has some interesting updates. But I’d really like to see some Logic or FCP love up there on stage, rather than, oh, a beta paid web service to enable people to share iWork documents.
Lisa, you’re so cool!!
@Michael:
That is precisely what I did – waited until Macworld to upgrade to the iPhone 3G. I really did not expect much (nor felt much was needed), but I thought they might bump up up the storage at each price point. I got burned last fall when I bought an iPod Classic just before they bumped the capacity. Though it was close enough to return it, I had taken them up on the free engraving (something I never see because it is in a case!!) and I could not return it. Thus, Saturday, I went to Best Buy and upgraded to the 3G. My original iPhone is one eBay and it looks like I will just about break even on the two transactions!
@Mike:
Sorry but I think the DRM-free announcement is much ado about nothing. iTunes has a very reasonable DRM and it has never bothered me. I can access my music on two iPods, my original iPhone, now my iPhone 3G, and two computers (one being my work Windows machine). In the past I have been able to play my music on two other Windows PCs. What are people doing that make them need no DRM?
If they complain they cannot take their iTunes purchases and play them on just any device, they knew of the restriction going in. Kinda hard to complain when you were warned. As for DRM only stopping honest people, perhaps so but I think it is likely effective. Folks like us that read tech blogs and listen to tech podcasts might have the knowledge and skills to crack DRM (not condoning it, just saying they would be able to figure it out). But your average user probably does not have a clue how to go about that. While they might not be a hard core pirate, that DRM might well stop the casual sharing of a song with a friend or two. Over millions of users that adds up. And before you say it, you do not have a right reproduce copyrighted material no more than you have a right to take two copies of the newspaper from the paper box when you only paid for one. Too often with digital media, people seem to think that anything goes because they want it. Well you are not entitled to unlimited music at a fixed price. If a vendor chooses to make that offer to the marketplace fine, but if they do not, that does not license you to go out and create it yourself using P to P file sharing.
Bottomline, I think that was a fairly meaningless announcement exciting to a subset of hard core techies. Sure, for a given price, I will take DRM free, but I was not losing sleep over it and I am certainly not planning to spend over $100 to just unlock what I have for the sake of unlocking it.
Sadly I didn’t make it to this MacWorld as I was mugged for my pass and camera by some kid.
Steve has not left the building… yet!
@Daniel: Actually, he has. On leave until June, at least.
@Paul. Seems true. But unlike Elvis he might come back.
This has nothing to do with anything, but You’ve been tagged!
any more fantastic comments? cuz I’m gonna read them tomorrow and announce a winner!
In conclusion to all the MacWorld disappointments…
No matter what happens, we still love Apple! :D
Does Tim have a website, ANYTHING?
And that Mac Pass he had on the name on it was that his or was that the person he was going to see cause I looked the name up and besides that the name didn’t say Tim I dunno but it would be cool to see his blog or something.
“Your keynote has died of dysentery.”
I was a bit disappointed with the keynote. The obvious reason was the job-lessness. Also no new hardware that I care about. 17″ pro is nice, but not useful for most people. The new iWork is great though, and I can wait to get iLife ’09.
Definatly disapointed. Apple have lost a pottential customer by basicly releasing nothing but software updates and pointless hardware. I would have liked to have seen the new Mini announced with the nvidia graphics so that it could be thought of as a worthwhile purchase rather than one which you buy and find it cant run half the stuff the new OS upgrade you pay for because it isnt openAL compatible.
The real disappointment with Macworld was the fact that Apple really failed to pay tribute to the trade show that has helped to grow the hype behind the brand. The least Apple could have done was to make some significant announcement or have Steve Jobs deliver the final keynote. I can understand that companies have their own release cycles and would prefer not to dictated to by anyone else but at the end of the day it is the consumers who are really the reason for the Mac success.
I’m a little let down with this years Mac World. Apple announcements of new software was a good show, but I was expecting a new toy like a the Mac Mini (with HDMI) to buy.
I think Apple will wait until WWDC to announce anything new. Maybe the rumors of Apple at CES are true.
I thought Macworld keynote was good. Phil did an excellent job considering…
But mostly, I just want to win something from you after that professional photographer beat me in your photo competition… but not by much, I might add. :-)
The sad this is that, at this point, if Apple doesn’t knock our socks off every single time they announce anything, people are bummed. The iLife and iWork updates added interesting new features to workhorse software packages that still represent the greatest value on the market. The 17″ MBP is a whopper of a machine, though obviously too high-end for most. The DRM announcement was a quiet but glacial change for the entire retail music business. It wasn’t exciting to most users because we either don’t mind Apple’s DRM, or we work around it. But it represents the single largest music retail outlet in the world finally getting the deals with the major labels to move past the stupidity of DRM, which is gigantic – and welcome. In the end, while it wasn’t an exciting Keynote, it was important.
The keynote was good and I like the new features in iPhoto. I think there is still “one more thing” coming from apple this spring… looking forward to seeing what it is.
It is simple…MacWorld was suffering from Global Warming..the fact that Apple has become so popular that they feel now they don’t have to bless people with their attendance at Fan shows. See Apple is now a necessity. We cannot live without them. We need Itunes, Ipods, Iphones, MBPs to continue our existence. Without these items, people will feel inadequate, their music won’t play, their art will lack life and color, and their OS will cease to exist (Windows that is). Apple is just letting the fans down as gently as possible and reminding us that on every corner there will be a Apple-bucks where you can come to recharge your MacLife. Let’s hope the way they are treating their fans is not how they are treating their technology or we will all really be in trouble.
I’m not a Mac person, yet, but I do like to follow what’s going on in the Mac/Apple world. I dunno if I was disappointed by the keynote tho. If I had the cash, I’d get the 17″ Macbook. The DRM-free announcement was a welcome change as someone who supports members of the family who buy from iTunes but the shell shock of upgrading all that they have bought was a huge disappointment. I’d rather be able to get non-DRM versions at the same bit rate than pay $400+ to upgrade 900+ songs. Do hope they come up with a new Apple TV or Mini.
Great seeing you on TWiT, Lisa. You made a splendid guest and now I have a new blog to keep track of for great info and excellent images/pictures.
It was a poorly keynote this year. Everything he mentioned I allready knew like DRM free iTunes purchases. I was a bit disappointed they didn’t mentioned a new iMac because I’m waiting to buy one when the newest one comes out, so no date is set to look forward to :( But after all it was still fun to look at the newest functions of iLife 09
Didn’t listen to it but was impressed with your reporting on MBW and your appearance on TWIT. To bad that there were some really idiot twits (the other kind) in the forums.
Joe
I have been let down by almost all recent announcements because everything is leaked before hand, plus there are cool products that are speculated but never released. But, for me all the hype before Mac World was that Apple wasn’t going to be there next year. So, what was going to be released was kind of left behind for me, so some of the mystery was still there for me. Some of the features in the software are kind of interesting, but nothing that will blow you away. Basically it was an update to the current product line… I was hoping for an Apple netbook.
I watched the keynote. I found it pretty non-eventful. The main issue is that Apple didn’t really announce anything all that unexpected or revolutionary.
New MBP 17″ with the all aluminum frame:
That was inevitable and, frankly, late. It should have been done with the 15″ ones even if they would have held the release until Macworld.
Update to iWork:
Nothing all that fabulous, and quite expected.
Update to iLife:
Yeah, the face recognition is kinda cool, but where’s an iWeb update?
The no-DRM thing:
Blah…
It almost looked like they were hard up to find something interesting to talk about. I’m not sure what’s up next for Apple (nothing to do with Steve’s condition), but it kinda looks like they’re sitting on their laurels for a while to see where the market goes. If I were CEO for a day I’d be pushing for…
A NetBook device – About the size of a steno pad, with iPhone/touch interface and clamshell KBD. I’d buy one tomorrow!
Snow Leopard needs to get out – Windoze 7 is just around the corner.
Do SOMETHING w/Apple TV and Mac Mini – Combine them? Junk both?
Here’s another idea for FAST Ca$h – SELL APPLE LOGO STUFF IN THE APPLE STORES! ALL OF THEM!
I just hope they do better next year…
It wasn’t the keynote that disappointed, it was the media fixation on Steve’s health. I’ll miss him, i think he’s a fine presenter.
Instead of being evasive, Apple needs to disclose the state of Steve’s health and move on. The more interesting post-keynote tidbit: Apple attending CES 2010. Maybe they’re holding off any major annoucements for the C”onsumer”ES show.
And good to see you on TWiT 177. cheers
Apple is all out
Of expos and ideas
Fine tune all products
Like many things Apple related, I find myself being more interested in the promise of the keynote, and less than encouraged by the details. Many of Apple’s products and services sound great, but the only way to get the most out of them (playing to the letter of their rules) is by staying within the Apple ecosystem. The financial and inconvenience factor are usually too high for what you get in the end.
@Herb:
Like many things Apple related, I find myself being more interested in the promise of the super awesome prize, and less than encouraged by the details. Many of Apple’s products and services sound great, but the only way to get the most out of them (playing to the letter of their rules) is by winning them. The financial and inconvenience factor are usually too high for what you get in the end.
You had to be living on another planet if you were expecting a “major” announcement. The keynote announced incremental changes the two bedrock consumer applications for mac users. The iLife updates improve a suite of programs that are head and shoulders above any similar set of programs. iPhoto’s improvements make it comparable to Google’s Picasa. Apple also showed with regard to iMovie that they are (reluctantly) willing to listen to their users.
iWork is now a true challenger to Office for Mac. They have made improvements to Keynote, Numbers & Pages that enhance the user experience.
Phil is NOT Steve and he didn’t try to be Steve.. He made a solid presentation of a solid set of upgrades and improvements to the Apple line. Apple is more than Steve Jobs. The team that Jobs has put together over the past 10 yrs reflects his sensibilities BUT they also have their own ideas. You can see their influence in the changes in iMovie and the unibody Macbook line.
Will Macworld live beyond 2010? I hope so. This was my first Macworld and I met designers, developers, coders, podcasters, bloggers and other Mac fans that make up the Mac community. Macworld is NOT Apple (or Jobs), it is the community of people who get together from across the globe, cross economic and social status to meet, laugh, argue about the mundane (the best iPod case or iPhone battery) and the serious issues (net neutrality h/t to the EFF). If Macworld ends than it’s not Apple or Jobs who is to blame it is the Mac community who should take the blame.
Finally, Macworld must continue if for no other reason than for the parties. Where else can 1000′s of tech geeks get together, drink themselves silly and talk about the size of their laptops and the gigs of memory in their Drobo’s?
Inever winthrse things but Hi I hope I win
Keepin’ it simple and sweet…
- It’s a sign of the times and the times, they are a changing! Have you been Obamma’ed today??
I thought it was fine. The world kept talking about Apple. That is the key. Announcements come and go. But Apple buzz, that’s what it’s all about.
Who needs more announcements when we can put osx on a dell mini netbook?
Apple’s stretch of Macworld keynotes went out with a Schiller whimper (A Schimper? Or a Whiller?); and that’s as it should be.
The company makes great products, but much of that is overshadowed by fanboy cultdom. Their marketshare would grow dramatically if everyday people didn’t think of Apple computers as expensive toys that geeks drool over at some yearly cult gathering in San Francisco.
Apple may have been Steve Jobs for many years, but how soon we forget that it was also Steve Wozniak in the beginning, too. If the company is to last, and if its marketshare is ever to grow, it cannot be forever associated with Señor Jobs and his black mock turtlenecks.
Going forth, it should be all about the products for Apple; not the hype, and definitely not the cult of personality.
In that light, this last keynote was the best way to remind us that Apple is really all about great stuff designed by many different talented people. Hopefully we will look back on this keynote (and the recent sick leave for Steve) as the beginning of a great new era for the company, its customers, its fanboys (myself included), and its products.
I thought Phil did a good job with the keynote, though of course he’s no Steve! (but who is?) then again, even Phil is a MUCH better presenter than many others I’ve seen – have you ever seen Bill Gates give a presentation? zzzZZZZZ… seriously!! and I won’t even mention the hideous PowerPoint slides that usually accompany him… Hooray for Keynote!
there weren’t any earth-shattering announcements by Apple, but I think that’s a sign of one of the reasons why they’d rather skip this event in future – they can announce new products on their own schedule rather than IDG’s. Plus of course the huge expense to attend these large tradeshows has probably pretty low return for the money.
As for what was actually announced, I think too many people had (and always have) their expectations too high, based solely on what the rumour mill churns out each year in advance of these tradeshows. Personally, I’d rather be surprised by whatever product Apple announces, when they are ready to announce it. With Apple controlling the schedule of the announcements again, the surprise and excitement should return, IMO.
For just only $199 I can upgrade my tunes to iTunes Plus! Sweet what a deal. I hope the chief if the country will throw us that check he has been talking about.
Awesomesupercontestcommentprizewhatchyamucallit?
I suppose they released the MacBooks somewhat *ahead* of schedule, but hey, no one’s complaining. Steve did it himself, and now half of my school has me drooling all class long at their sexy machinery.
I’m only dissapointed that Phil barely even hinted a mention at Snow Leopard… I mean, Steve would’ve given us a sneak preview. Surely, our steveness? He’d do anything for us, merciful, merciful bearer of shiny things.
Also, I’d like a new mini… and AppleTV hardware upgrade… but I’m not all too worried about my DRM-Free music if you know what I mean.
Now that Apple’s freed themselves from MacWorld, maybe The One and Only Benevolent Awesome Ruler of the Appleverse His Steveness will feel free to make more than two Stevenotes a year. We must have faith.
Sincerely,
Jordan
PS: BEST TWIT EVAAAR.
@Paul:
Sorry If I hit a fanboy nerve there Paul.
I purchase and use Apple stuff. That doesn’t mean I have to like the way they have recently been choosing a more business to business way of operating, as opposed to an ealier era of paying more attention to what their customer wants out of their product.
This is because most of what they are now selling allows access to *services* rather than just the equipment. Not all of these services use content they control. This can lead to limitations and annoyances beyond what Apple consumers may be used to.
If you want to get defensive, fine, but use your own words instead of reshaping mine.
My ipod touch 1G is our main iPod, Personal digital assistant and a lot more, and even has has been ever since I purchased it. It still function the current iPod system software program, and also any application I might want it to run. I’m working with it to post this remark right now. Iwould point out it is a much more in comparison with solely an “excellent hobbyist system” — it can be an remarkable iPod