Lackluster Performance At The Keynote
It had all the makings of good drama. Huge iPod and iTunes music sales. Intel collaboration. Steve. But alas, it amounted to a decent amount of excitement but in a dull roar not a rabid hooping and hollering.
Steve Jobs, the master showman in his signature black turtleneck and label-less water bottle. The man who can make you hold your breath until your face turns blue with 3 simple words: “one more thing…” Today he was nothing more than a presenter. Granted it is and always has been about the products not Steve. But we have always been able to count on our fearless leader to provide the hype in the Keynote room.
In this morning’s keynote there were things that became very clear: photocasting is neat but nothing to write home about. Apple really wants people to buy .mac. All the iPod goodies were shot out of the hype cannon pre-Christmas. And Intel is a good thing.
But for the first time since I started watching these things, Steve seemed subdued. And the crowd followed suit. As he demo’ed iPhoto, he kept on pausing as to wait for applause and the good crowd (tough to please) rewarded him with utter silence. Sort of uncomfortable I must admit.
So by the time the inevitable Intel announcement came 3/4 of the way into the keynote, what normally would have been a slow crescendo to a full hysteria by this time was like blowing hot and cold.
I suspected (like most) that at least one Intel computer would be released but never in a million years did I think it would be the iMac. And then after hearing iMac, I had the anticipation that the new processor would be marked with a change in form factor. Disappointment again. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE the iMac design but despite the huge implications internally to Macs, the external implications have been downplayed.
When comparing last year’s Keynote to this year’s we remembered the mass hysteria at the SF Apple Store trying to get your hands on a shuffle or to touch and pick up the Mac Mini. Not so this year. This year was business as usual.
Finally, Steve mentioned something very interesting at the end of the keynote. He showed a picture of the good ole days when Apple was founded in 1976. he then mentioned that he might not have the opportunity to speak to us before the anniversary on April Fool’s Day. Could this mean he is retiring? After all, Steve conducted this keynote like it was his swan song. If he does retire are you as scared Macless as I am at those implications?
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He said “Some of you we won’t be seeing before then” (referring to 1st April.)
That sounds like there’s going to be another event for certain - but to a smalller crowd.
You got me tho Greg, I had to go watch that bit again. I’m pretty sure he was fine, altho momentarily seemed to go nostaglic when the slide came up, but was smiling otherwise.
Content wise I suppose this keynote wasn’t as good as previous, but when it finished I still went away with a huge smile saying to myself, “those keynotes just get better each time!” Because I believe it’s true. The one major fact that got me was that Apple have a TV ad for a Mac again. But it’s, like, the most impressive ad I’ve ever seen. Enough to bring a grown man to tears.
Then he popped out the MacBook Pro and then ran the ad one more time. Just excellent!
Whoah people! Maybe I should have spent some time on the things I DID like.
Yes, I was psyched for the MacBook Pro. I have been waiting to upgrade my PB for 3 years now. Finally I can and yes, I can’t wait to get that stunning display.
Yes, I am very excited to the improvements to the iLife apps. Especially the Garageband/podcasting features as well as the animated themes in iMovie.
Yes, I am psyched at the sales of iTunes songs, iPods, and the fact that the entire line will be Intel by the end of 2006.
But…I was commenting that Steve (sick or not) did not have the raving lunatics of Mac enthusiasts (myself included) dripping with saliva like we did last year. The mass frenzy to make it to the Exhibit Hall right after was NOT there. Simply because (I’m guessing) there was no new form factor to gawk at or pick up. It was just, the speed factor to experience. There was no new (smaller) or (enhanced featured) iPod to rush out to buy.
This was a very pivotal Keynote in the history of Apple and the march towards a huge relationship with Intel. It just was different.
But G.Ng….you also got excited about the Shuffle. Which in my opnion, and despite the overall aesthetic of it, is one of the least exciting things ever to drop the Hallowed Halls of MAC.
Several points.
Apple did come up with a new design for the Mactel iMac - they gave a preview of it on the last G5 release, but no one realized it.
While everyone was probably just there for the Mactels the simple fact is that iLife is one of the keys to get switchers reaching for their credit cards. Apple has made a major upgrade of the suite and it was worth the time given - I’ve already ordered my copy.
I think one of the problems with the audience reaction is that there were too many reporters in the crowd. Maybe it’s time to put the media folks in a large room with a live feed and return the Keynote audience to the Mac faithful (or plain old users) who can actually ENJOY the Keynote and the new stuff presented. The fact that there was no “mass frenzy to make it to the Exhibit Hall right after . . .” when there was a chance to play with an iMac that was 2 to 3 times faster and a PowerBook replacement that was 4 times faster shows something about the audience. Maybe next year there will the a Quad in the MacBook and everyone will yawn.
Exactly…he was just coughing a LOT and with a flu or something like that…obviously he didn’t have the energy to jump around like Ballmer monkey…please, don’t try to find ghosts where they don’t exist…the keynote had excellent launches and, for some, expectations were ridiculous…nothing more.