EXCLUSIVES

They’re Here! – Observations from MacWorld

Words by Ric Getter
January 10, 2006

Commentators like to call it his “reality distortion field.” When Steve Jobs takes the stage, everything he says comes out as if it was a spectacular revelation. Tuesday morning, the “spectacular” factor was illusion. In a burst of white fog, a white Intel bunny suit housing Intel CEO Paul Otellini bounded onto the stage bearing a golden wafer that he presented to Jobs. This came in the midst of a keynote address containing a variety of software announcements and some very rosy economic reports. (Before the iPod/iTunes days, even the most optimistic reporting could not infer Apple’s market domination in any product category.) Roz Ho from the Microsoft Business Unit even made an appearance to promise at least five more years of product development and support for Mac Office (after, of course, raising some doubts by pulling the plug on Explorer for the Mac).

Today, six months before the earliest expectations, Apple started selling the first Intel Macs. This, as it turned out, was not only a surprise to Apple customers, but from what we heard on the show floor, more than a few vendors, as well. Some pre-show rumors mentioned the possibility of an iBook being the first device to house the new chip. However, it turns out that an Intel iMac is the first out of the gate.

The new iMacs, shipping now, closely resemble their PowerPC ancestor, but provide double the performance for the same price, so Apple apparently has adopted Gordon Moore’s Law along with his company’s processor. The similarity between the two machines is strong enough, so you had to be sitting fairly close to the stage to notice that the backs of the iMacs Steve had been using all along were slightly thinner and more angular in shape. It took a while for it to sink in that the whiz-bang performance of the updated iApps he had been showing off had been running on an iMac, rather than one of Apple’s dual-processor towers. The recently-announced Intel Core Duo processor made a very respectable showing for itself.

Following the now famous, One more thing…” coda after Jobs sounds like he is wrapping up his presentation, he unveiled Apple’s spectacular new laptops, dubbed the MacBook Pro. These were seen in abundance on the show floor and will start shipping in February. They boast four times the speed (based on standard benchmarks) and lower power consumption than the current G4s, thanks to the new CPU. What to do with that extra battery power, you ask? How about adding a built-in iSight camera and a screen with brightness comparable to the Cinema Display. As may be expected, the MacBook includes Front Row functionality and a remote control. Even though the system out-performs the current PowerBooks, the two MacBook Pros, are priced virtually the same at $1,999 and $2,499. We imagine that there will be a lot of bargain basement Ti-Books flooding the market soon.

Our personal innovation-of-the-year award goes to Apple’s new MagSafe magnetic power connector. The power cable of the new MacBooks attach to the computer magnetically. Anyone who has tripped over a power cable (and paid the resulting repair bills) will immediately realize the significance of this new feature.

The iLife applications received another significant upgrade. They now include a new web design tool, iWeb, and enhancements meant to make the Mac the blogging, Pod-casting and video-casting platform of choice. They also make it simple enough for just about anyone to be a producer. You need to be a .Mac member to make use of iWeb. However anyone with a browser can visit your site. All your “iCasting” is based on the RSS standard, so anyone can use iTunes (or a variety of other applications) to subscribe to your feeds.

From the Floor
MacWorld is now housed in a single building of San Francisco ‘s “dual core” convention center, but on opening day it was as crowded and hectic as we’ve ever seen it. Adobe’s huge “booth” (difficult as it is to use the term with anything that occupies that much floor space) brought home a somewhat stinging reality to the customers and fans of the former software giant Macromedia. Its products had been rolled into Adobe’s offerings and the company name was nowhere to be found. Even though the two company’s strengths diverged into different areas, it had always been a grand and proud rivalry.

iPod accessories were everywhere. The market has attracted industry giants like Shure, previewing a premium set of iPod ear-buds for $499. The company is one of the oldest names in pro audio, yet this is only their second Expo. There were also upstart products like the BlinkIt, by Intuitive Design. This is a bright, LED bar that attaches to the bottom of the iPod and flashes in time to the music, pulsates regularly. Worn on one of the many elastic armbands that are available, it can be a great safety device for anyone jogging or walking at night. We can also picture middle school hallways looking like disco ballrooms, but that’s another story.

In virtually every booth, from the corporate giants to the linen-draped folding tables in the far corners of the exhibit hall, there is a story of imagination and innovation. Apple is still holding on to a share of the corporate enterprise and media markets, but the company has regained the vision that it originally held. And, with the level of excitement, energy and excellence on the show floor, MacWorld is once again the Expo for the Rest of Us.