Macworld Expo Keynote--Analysis

Yesterday, right after the keynote, we posted the salient facts on the new hardware and software announced during Apple iCEO Steve Jobs' Macworld Expo keynote address. The facts are well known by now. However, Steve Jobs also spent considerable time explaining his AppleVision. How does this and the new hardware/software rack up versus what we posted Monday as "What Apple Needs"?

In laying out his vision for Apple's future Steve Jobs noted that many seem to be abandoning the PC and cited supporting statements from Compaq and Gateway. To the contrary, he laid out his vision as Macs as the "digital hub" in the current era, i.e. post 2000, of PCs as the Age of Digital Life Style. Pre-1980 was the Dark Ages, 1980-1994 was the Age of Productivity (spreadsheets, word processing and desktop publishing) and 1995-2000 was the Age of the Internet to complete his calendar. Why are Macs the digital hub? Because there are lots of limited digital appliances being developed and Macs can run complex applications, have a big screen, burn CDs, provide large inexpensive storage and get on the internet at every speed according to Steve Jobs. He sees the PC in evolution and not in decline.

The new Power Mac G4 733 SP is still the fastest personal computer at scripted Photoshop operations despite being 733 MHz versus Intel's 1.5 GHz Pentium 4. It is still the best machine for Apple's core market that really needs speed (graphics, video and publishing) despite having only a single processor. While offering a dual 533 MHz model, I am sure that finances drove the choice of a single processor over duals and not that they weren't needed to provide the fastest machine. To think otherwise flies in the face of statements made in support of dual processors by Steve Jobs last July and Mac OS X's multiprocessor capability. When Mac OS X comes out in final, hopefully Apple will offer a dual 733 MHz machine even if it costs a significant premium.

The Power Mac G4 low end will be held down by the discontinued models for the time being since the price of the low end of the new Power Macs rises to $1699 with a marginal increase in speed, a 4x AGP slot, a CD-RW drive, an amplifier and an extra PCI slot.

The new iMovie-like software, iTunes and iDVD, seem like real hits as we expected. Curiously, no mention was made of the new iDisk software distribution system which contains the new iTunes software.

Finally, Apple really nailed the high end specs in the new PowerBook. It moves upscale with a titanium case, higher aspect ratio 15.2" screen, G4 CPUs and a reduction in weight to 5.3 lbs. Open, it is an inch shorter than the older black PowerBooks but, unfortunately, still about an inch taller than the sub-PowerBook 2400c. The Titanium is nearly an inch wider than the black 'Books. It will travel much better than the black 'Books but not as well as a subnotebook. It is, however, beautiful and we who use portables, especially the video/graphics folks, have the best ever portable--PowerBook G4 Titanium!