Macworld Expo keynote coverage recap (New PowerBooks, New Web Browser!)

MacCentral.com ^ | January 7, 2002 | Peter Cohen

[Timesink]

[Read from the bottom up; each paragraph was posted in reverse order as Jobs spoke.]

Macworld Expo keynote coverage recap
by Peter Cohen, pcohen@maccentral.com
January 7, 2003 12:00 pm ET

MacCentral's coverage of Steve Jobs' keynote address from Macworld Expo has concluded. Please visit our home page for more news from the show. The coverage below is presented in reverse chronological order, with the oldest content at the bottom of the page.

"What's driving us is one simple thing, and that's innovation."

Jobs says that 2003 is "the year of the notebook for Apple." Displayed video and TV ads showing off new PowerBooks.

12 inch PowerBook G4 will sell for $1799. "Most affordable PowerBook ever, and we will be shipping them in about two weeks." Can be built to order with a SuperDrive for $1999. (15 inch PowerBook remains in the matrix, by the way.)

"There is one more small thing:" A new 12 inch PowerBook. 1.2 inches thick. 4.6 pounds -- smaller than Duos. Full sized keyboard. Smaller than the iBook in every dimension. 1024 x 768 display. 867MHz G4 processor. Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go, 40GB. Slot Load Combo drive. Wireless and bluetooth. Airport Extreme ready (module costs $99). 5 hours of battery life -- "same as iBook even though it has a G4." Also bundled with QuickBooks.

New 17 inch PowerBook G4 priced at $3299. Will be shipping them in February.

Claims 4.5 hours of battery life using new battery technology, regardless of screen. Also bundling QuickBooks.

Airport Extreme Base Station: Support for up to 50 users. Support for wireless bridging -- buy another base station and you will automatically be bridged between them. USB printing support (USB port on the base station). Priced at $199.

Introduced "Airport Extreme:" 54Mbps 802.11g wireless networking. Said the other 54Mbps 802.11a standard is "doomed to failure" because of lack of compatibility with 802.11b hotspots. New card is built in to the 17 inch PowerBook. "Antennas where they belong," on the left and right edges of the screen. Said that the range is equal to the iBook.

Bluetooth is built-in. AirPort is built-in. "Most wirelessly capable notebook in the industry."

Specs: 1GHz G4 1MB L3 cache, SuperDrive, GeForce 440 Go Nvidia chipset, 64MB graphics memory, 60GB hard disk. First system to use "FireWire 800." Interface: USB, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 (can also use older FireWire devices on 800 port with adapter), Gigabit Ethernet, S-Video output, DVI output, security, power, modem, second USB port, PC card slot, audio in, headphones.

17 inch PowerBook G4. Uses the same display on the 17 inch iMac with thinner backlight. 1 inch thick. Thinnest PowerBook ever. 1440 x 900 display. Fiber optic backlighting system in keyboard. Ambient light sensors automatically detect low light conditions to light the keyboard. 6.8 lbs. First 17 inch notebook in the world, said Jobs. Made out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy -- hard anodized, not painted.

"Put on your shoulder harness." Two years ago Apple introduced the PowerBook G4. (Showed the Jeff Goldblum-voiced PowerBook ad spot.) Calls it "the number one lust object ... and you know what? No one has caught up with it in two years." Apple believes notebooks will eventually overtake desktop sales all together. Apple expects 35 percent of unit sales to be laptops.

Keynote imports and exports PowerPoint format. It can also export to PDF and QuickTime. Open file format; XML based. Apple wants third parties to be able to support the technology. Runs on Mac OS X 10.2. To be sold for $99. Available today. (Keynote attendees get a free copy.)

Expansion and contraction of slides not dissimilar from iPhoto. Fully anti aliased text. Alignment guide. Supports full alpha-channel graphics. Rotational capabilities. Flash support. Compositing capabilities. Built-in tables and charts. Theme support -- 12 custom themes, create your own too. Built in transitions -- wipes, crosses, peels, pivots, drops, twirls. All effects are going through OpenGL and Quartz -- 3D mosaics, cubes, tile flips and more.

Keynote: "A presentation app for when your presentation really counts ... Keynote was built for me." Ostensibly, a replacement for PowerPoint and other similar applications. Jobs has used Keynote throughout 2002. "I can assure you it's a great app," after adding that he was "a low-paid beta tester."

Safari is based on standards. Based on an HTML rendering engine that is open source. Dramatically improved performance as work begun a work ago. "Some people have a problem with open source, we think it's great." Apple will post all the improvements to the engine today. Code base started with was KHTML -- "very popular in the Linux world." Runs on Jaguar. Beta release, free download. Today.

i-Bench Tests compared IE, Netscape, Chimera, on 800MHz G4. 53.7, 33.6, 21.8, 16.6 seconds to load pages respectively. JavaScript test and load and launch times are faster as well. Integrated Google in tool bar. "Minimal" interface. New way of looking at bookmarks -- bookmarks bar and bookmarks library. Library looks like iTunes and iPhoto catalogs. Bug button reports issues to Apple if you find Web sites that don't work for some reason.

"So, buckle up." Safari: A "turbo browser for OS X." First major new browser in five years, said Jobs. Why make one? Speed -- fastest browser on the Mac. Also "Most innovative." Google right on the toolbar. "Snapback" to top level of Web sites.

"Today we're bringing it all together:" The integrates suite of applications is called iLife. iLife is being made available on Saturday, January 25th. Bundled with all new Macs. Free download of iTunes still. Free download of iPhoto 2. Free download of iPhoto 3. iDVD 3's massive size requires it to be sold rather than downloaded, but all iLife apps will be sold on store shelves for $49.

iDVD: 680,000 copies distributed. iDVD 3 announced. Again, fully integrated with other iApps. 24 new "amazing" professionally built themes that you can add your own iTunes music to and much more. iDVD also builds automatic scene selection menus based on chapter indices in iMovie projects. Apple lowering price of DVD-Rs to $3. Jobs expects them to hit $1 a piece within 24 months. "We are so far ahead of anybody, it's not funny."

iMovie 3: Over 12 million copies of original. Integrated with iPhoto, iDVD and iTunes. Added Chapters features -- number one request. Added "Ken Burns effect" and precise audio editing, you can edit within clips. New user interface. Sound effects by Skywalker Sound. "Ken Burns effect" is pan and zoom on still images. New titles, transitions and effects. iDVD is integrated -- export no longer required.

iPhoto: 6 million copies, iPhoto 2 introduced. iTunes music library visible in iPhoto now. Retouch brush and one click enhance. Retouch brush preserves color and texture, one click enhance improves white balance and more. Archive to CD and DVD. iDVD button now causes iDVD to launch. Slides will automatically transfer over.

iTunes: 18 million copies distributed. iTunes 3 was first of new generation of integrated apps.

Digital hub: "Delivered" on digital hub strategy announced two years ago: iPhoto, iTunes, iDVD, iMovie. "No one else has delivered the solutions, and we have." Talks about integration between iApps, and need to rebuild apps for improved integration.

5,000 native Mac OS X apps today. Gives Apple the confidence to announce today that all new products starting today, including speed bumps, will no longer boot in 9. Classic will still work.

Final Cut Express demo given by Apple's Phil Schiller. The interface looks very similar to Final Cut Pro. It works the same way, too, according to Schiller. Over 200 effects and transitions included. Also includes color correction tools. Retails for $299. Available today.

Final Cut Pro is number one pro video app in the world as measured by units sold. Mentioned price as an issue. Solution: New product called Final Cut Express. "Lets you edit like a pro," similar to FCP but minus some pro features.

Dave Lebolt, Digidesign gave demonstration. "Everything you need to make your recordings." Can work with DSP plugins. Anything you need to finish an audio project. Used in television, broadcasting, film, music. Whole systems start at $495. Mentioned Apple's CoreAudio and CoreMIDI support as important. Demonstrated technology by remixing Smash Mouth music.

Microsoft is extending $199 deal on Office to April 7. Jobs also noted Intuit's release of QuickBooks 5.0 for Mac. Mentioned NASCAR Racing 2002 Season as "first force feedback app." Macromedia Director MX mentioned. Digidesign Pro Tools for OS X mentioned -- will ship this month.

Mac OS X: "Came of age" with Jaguar. Hit goal: 5 million active users of Mac OS X. 3.8 million added in 2002. "Confident" 9 - 10 million by 2003's end. "A few laggard apps ... we all know which one we're talking about."

iPod: "Walkman of the digital age." 14 months shipping. Apple has sold more than 600,000 iPods since launch, or 1 every minute since shipping. Number one MP3 player in US and Japan, 42 percent market share in Japan. Burton will introduce a snowboarding/skiing jacket with pouch and integrated controls on the sleeve. $499, Apple online store exclusive for this season. "Very limited edition." Also on display at Apple retail stores.

.Mac: Talked about features and capabilities of Apple's subscription-based online service. iCal, Homepage, virus protection, etc. Admits to "a bit of noise" about subscription model. 250,000 paying subscribers today, growing every month.

iCal and iSync: 1.1 million downloads of iCal since release. Has spawned third-party calendar download sites. iSync "really important strategic application" because it synchronizes calendar to PDAs, cell phones, etc. "You'll be hearing a lot more ... in the coming year."

X for Teachers: Calls them best advocates. 290,000 copies of Mac OS X have been sent out (for free) to teachers. The program has been extended to the end of March (originally to expire in December.

Apple Store Revenues: First 100 million dollar quarter. Last month quarter ended with $148 million in revenue from retail stores -- right on target. 50 percent of the computers are sold to Windows Switchers. 1.4 million visited Apple stores in December, or the equivalent to 20 Macworld Expos.

Apple Stores: 20 months ago was first opening, more than 50 across the country. 85 million people live within 15 miles of Apple store. Showed images Soho store in New York City. "One of the best buying experiences in the world." Also showed The Grove in LA -- most popular LA store.

Switcher campaign: Started last summer. Ellen Feiss gets a big yell from the crowd. Noted Switch site on Apple's site: 7.8 million unique visitors to the site since launch. 68 percent running Windows browser. Over 5 million Windows users checking out why they ought to switch. "One of the best ad campaigns we've ever run.

Largest MPEG-4 streaming event ever. Over 130 countries streaming live, including the Vatican.

"Boy are we gonna start the year at Macworld. We have two Macworlds worth of stuff for you today."

The show begins with Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Steve Jobs enters with his customary black turtleneck and jeans.

[Last Visible Dog]

The only technology, other than raw computing power, that first appeared on a PC that I can think of is USB. Quite simply, Apple is the most innovative computer company in history. It is the R&D arm of the entire PC industry. It is worth billions of dollars, and the man who started the company in his garage with one other employee and is now still running it is personally a billionaire. And this is how you define failure?

You buy the propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Apple stole (borrowed) most of these items from other companies. Apple OS sucked when it came to real work like memory management and multitasking. The PC left the MAC in the dust in the early 1990’s and now all that is left is a pretty good but grossly overpriced computer they sell and resell to the same 3% of people that are willing to believe a computer case can be elegant.

Whatever turns you on. If you need to get work done – If you want a career in the computer industry – If you want unlimited options – get a PC.

[Last Visible Dog]

What is the vertical resolution of your 52" television, i.e. how many scanlines?

I thought the theme was "size matters" (clearly the Mac jumbo-tron laptop has better resolution)

[Last Visible Dog]

I switched. From IBM to I Mac. It works perfectly on our Wi-Fi home network. It is slick, fast, and I did not need to call a tech in to get the thing to work.

Same is true for a PC but it would have cost you much less and given you far more opitions.

If I switched - former IBM Sales Rep, CEO of a real estate company that is 100% Windows (today, anyway), then it is time to be very worried in Microsoft Land.

Oh yeah. The are so worried about the 3% market share.

And time to buy Apple stock. Have you seen how many people are purchasing new Apples at one of their stores? Something has happened - the tolerance level of the average user who wants a reliable, networkable, non operating system crashing computer has been reached.

Something has happen. Many people have become gullible and believe what the TV commercials tell them.

OK, what is Apple's markets share now? What was it last year? The year before?

I am happy you are happy with your overpriced computer. Some people just can't deal with all the opinions available in the PC world.

[PRND21]

Exactly.

[mass55th]

"Like I said, the Mac sure looks like the Liberal Computer to me – big on slogans, hype, and zealousness..."

Are you sure you're not talking about DELL Dude?

[balls]

Good luck in dealing with these strange people who don't mind living on the trailing edge of innovation. I have to chuckle each time I see that some new product or feature on the net does not yet support the Mac. These folks must have religion, or something.

I do agree with your earlier comment that the Mac is a the Liberal computer, as is evident in the glowing reports givent by liberal press writers. However, I refuse to engage in discussion with these people because there is no hope. Good luck.

[Last Visible Dog]

"Like I said, the Mac sure looks like the Liberal Computer to me – big on slogans, hype, and zealousness..." Are you sure you're not talking about DELL Dude?

What hype, slogans and zealousnes are you claiming Dell uses? dude. (Ok the dude thing would qualify as a slogan.)

[Last Visible Dog]

However, I refuse to engage in discussion with these people because there is no hope. Good luck.

That is what I usually do also. Today I was just is a weird mood.

[mass55th]

Since hype means excessive promotional ploy, and zealousness is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause, an ideal, or a goal, I'd say that Dell is no different than Mac in its promotion of its product. You see alot more Dell commercials on TV than you do Macintosh. Dell ran more commercials on TV during the holidays than any of the other computer companies. I don't even recall seeing any for Mac or even Gateway during the Christmas shopping season.

[Mortimer Snavely]

I first started using computers in Japan, an old Powerbook 145, and it had a Japanese version of 7.5. Even though it talked in Japanese to me, I could still figure it out. I got an English OS later, and purt damned near gasped in bliss at the ease of use.

On the other hand, Windows machines seem to be designed as complicated as is humanly possible.They crash too often, and one always seems to need to buy yet another component or piece of software to do things that one can do on a Mac after taking it out of the box, plugging it in, and turning it on. Everything I need a computer to do, I use a Mac, and wouldn't dream of using anything else.

[HAL9000]

I thought the theme was "size matters"

There are other factors involved in "size" than just the dimension of the screen, including resolution, aspect ratio, field of view, etc.

It's possible that the PowerBook could give a better presentaion of a DVD than a large-screen TV set. The perceived size of the PowerBook's 17" screen could seem larger than your TV's 52' screen depending on how close the viewer is to them.

[Glenn]

You are kid pretending to know far more than you really do.

I suspect you know better. I'm done with you now.

[RWG]

Been running 10.2.3 on my iMac about 2 weeks, no crashes, no freezes, no going back to windows.

[TC Rider]

On the rare occasions I take my Titanium G4 to a meeting, everyone wants to play with it, check it out.

I rest my case. The Mac is a novelty in the business world.

[observer5]

They must hurt you to feel better about themselves.

They need to as they are stuck in never-ending Windose nightmare...

[observer5]

Unfortunately 98% of all PC users are MORONS that have no clue what it is like to use a computer that actually works!!!

[Last Visible Dog]

On the rare occasions I take my Titanium G4 to a meeting, everyone wants to play with it, check it out.

Funny, I get the same reaction if I bring my GameBoy to a meeting.

[Last Visible Dog]

Unfortunately 98% of all PC users are MORONS that have no clue what it is like to use a computer that actually works!!!

Keep repeating that and maybe someday even you will beleive it.

Like I said earlier, the Mac is the Liberal Computer. Liberals justify their actions and lack of public support by claiming 98% of voters are morons. Mac-heads justify Mac’s pathetic market share and complete lack of market acceptance by claiming all computer users that don’t use overpriced, underpowered, and option-deficient Mac’s are morons.

I find this both ironic and pathetic.

[TC Rider]

Funny, I get the same reaction if I bring my GameBoy to a meeting.

Too bad no one posted Nintendo's meeting yesterday. I heard they have a new wallet sized game boy geared to adults. Finally, some serious competition for the Apple gang.

[Timesink]

I rest my case. The Mac is a novelty in the business world.

Only if you believe that because more businessmen would clamor around a new $90K Mercedes, that's proof your 1974 Chevy Nova is the superior automobile.