I was mostly encouraged by Steve Jobs' speech at Macworld Expo 97 in Boston, although I had to read it several times to reach this state of comfort. Looking past the unseemly but politically obligatory handwashing and only vague references to what was wrong and needed redirecting, there are several meaty elements in the speech. First, the make up of new Board of Directors looks far more challenging for the future CEO but in the right way, i.e. expertise. Second, the Mac OS was recognized as one of the core assets of Apple (the other is the Apple brand name recognition)--I've called it something else but the idea is the same. Third, there was the direction to build, not rest, on Apple's strengths, i.e. the core assets and the education and media/creative markets. Fourth, was the need to focus on innovation but sharply so. And fifth, there was the emphasis on good partnerships. All of these are good foundation elements for the future. Notably missing from the speech was any emphasis on Rhapsody or Mac OS licensing which I found a bit unsettling since I think these are also essential foundation elements.