macworld 2009 minus steve jobs - the world did not end!

applenatics and stevenatics gave a collective sigh - the world did not end when macworld started and ended without steve jobs giving the keynote address and the world did not end.

the world also did not shake with the announcements made during the event. with the kind of announcements made at the macworld, it made sense that steve jobs stayed home to rest and recuperate from his hormone defficiency.

of the new things, two favorites of mine is the new 17" MacBook Pro and lower itunes prices. the longer battery life, 8 hours of oomph is exciting.

Apple unveils software updates, new laptop


Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer


The presentation included updates to the iLife and iWork software suites, a new 17-inch MacBook Pro with an 8-hour battery and a new digital rights management-free iTunes library with tiered pricing.


Starting at $2,799 and available in late January, the new MacBook Pro features Apple's unibody aluminum enclosure, which other models received this past summer. But the big news was the battery life for the machine, which has a 40-percent larger battery capable of up to eight hours of continuous use.

--

ITunes is finally getting a full slate of digital rights protection-free music that will come in a higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding format. About 8 million songs will be available immediately, and by the end of the quarter the remaining 2 million songs also will be available without digital rights management protections.


Also, Apple is now offering music at three price points: 69 cents, the traditional 99 cents and $1.29. Most albums will still sell for $9.99. The move satisfies one of the longer-running complaints of the music labels, which have wanted more flexibility in pricing in the iTunes Music Store. Users can upgrade their existing library of songs to DRM-free iTunes Plus for 30 cents a track or 30 percent of an album price.

read in full here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/BUL6154I2V.DTL

macworld 2009 - the first, the last and forever

first things first, let's get this out of the way on the first paragraph ---- steve jobs is alive and will still be alive. it's just a simple thing as "hormone imbalance" that has zapped steve's body mass on its way to flesh and bones. the good news is its a very much straightforward fix - he will regain what was lost in a few week's time with a simple remedy. (200 lbs oprah, are you getting this?)

Apple CEO Blames 'Hormone Imbalance' for Weight Loss
What Steve Jobs' Weight Loss May Tell Us About His Health

By DAN CHILDS

ABC News Medical Unit

Jan. 5, 2009

Apple Inc. founder and chief executive Steve Jobs confronted widespread speculation about his apparent weight loss in a statement issued today that attributed his gaunt appearance to an easily treated hormone imbalance.

The announcement follows a flurry of speculation in 2008 about the 53-year-old CEO's weight loss, including rumors of a worsening pancreatic condition -- rumors Jobs said are unfounded.



read in full: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=6580484&page=1

the macworld 2009 will probably be the most special ever in the history of macworld.

it will be the first time that steve jobs will not make the keynote address. it's usually his thing to do. and when he does his thing, the apple faithful swoons to heaven, after passing through the bank to get cash to buy the newest apple product that jobs will announce in his keynote address.

it is also the last time that apple will participate in macword. many may not know it, but macworld is an IDG event, a separate company that does events for mmany industries. apple is just invited to participate, err star in it.

will there be a macworld 2010? it would be foolish for IDG not to have it. even if apple does not participate in it, they will still come. we think that is the kind of following apple has among the throngs of techno fanatics.

after macworld 2009, even without steve jobs in it, and even if jobs has more than just a hormone imbalance and he joins the great white in heaven (heaven forbid), apple is set for forever. this is question is often asked these days - is there life for apple after steve jobs.

we think there is. apple's success model has very much been defined over the years with very clear cut principles and directions, etched in ways more pronounced than the tablet that had the ten commandments in them. the strength of a company is in its strategic thinking, its brand equities. and apple's strategic thinking and brand equities are probably the clearest for any brand in the world today.

pause for a minute, and think about it - there are very distinct and powerful similarities in the mac, ipod, iphone and the itunes. there is no mistaking on what were the key strategies that made for these products being the icons and leaders in their respective fields.

macworld may not be one of those exactly, but even the one that will start in less than 24 hours tell a very clear story on the kind of equities and passions people have towards apple. blogs and newswires continue to be pregnant with rumors and speculation what will be announced and not announced during macworld. in a perverse way, the world seem to have moved on from the fact that jobs will not give the keynote address.

speculation and excitement are ripe and palpable. but here's one of the hottest speculation and rumor --- that contrary to what apple announced, steve jobs will make a surprise appearance in macworld.

life without meaning or steve jobs not on stage at the macworld conference

i both understand and do not understand what the fuzz is about apple's announcement that steve jobs not delivering the keynote address in the coming macworld event.

here's why i understand it. steve jobs in my mind is his generation's most brilliant marketer in the world, bar none. no one man has done what steve jobs has done - he was kicked out the company he has built after he introduced apple computers. he came back to it, but did other things - macbook, ipod, itunes, iphone and back to the mac. all those things have changed not only our digital life but also our real lifestyle. they are not just brilliantly marketed products, they were superior products that not only led the industry the products competed in, it changed it, if it did not create a whole new industry by itself.

that is a very eloquent statement on why many are disappointed that steve jobs will not be at the macworld event. apple is steve jobs and steve jobs is apple. its just not the same if it does not come from the horse's mouth itself. well steve job's mouth.

all those marvelous and life changing products are largely credited to steve jobs.

and that's the part that i don't understand. are we sure that's all of steve job's doing? how sure are we on that? steve jobs must be a superman or some alien working out of cupertino.

when apple announced jobs will not be the keynote speaker, apple stock prices dropped by at least 7%. i don't get that - investors who bought apple stocks are buying into steve jobs and not apple products? that is what they seem to be saying.

it's as if without steve jobs around, all the macs, iphone and ipod will stop working or consumers will stop buying them. it's like telling us what most people bought were not ipods and iphones but a piece of steve jobs. that sounds really sexy and poetic, but come on now!

don't get me wrong. i have long been a fan of steve jobs. on my very first trip to the US many years ago, i had asked my hosts to drive me to their cupertino headquarters and had a picture of myself taken in front of their office. and i have read everything written about steve jobs since then.

but i'm not one who thinks owning an ipod means owning a piece of steve jobs and his absence will remove all meaning on life and apple products. i would love to have steve jobs to live forever and to be at every apple event but the world will not crumble without him.

apple's product, r&d and marketing strategies are so crystal clear that i'll be surprised if they are not written in stone in some sacred mountain. having these strategies and thinking clear and solid ensures apple will thrive as a company for more years to come with or without steve jobs. unless, of course those who will replace jobs don't know how to read and can't think.

macworld will continue to be an event to watch. but it will be for a different reason. this time, it will not be for what jobs will say but it will be for what he will not say and who will say it.

after that event, i'll come back here and talk about what i understand and what i don't understand.