Highlights from Steve Jobs’ Macworld Keynote – Breaks 3-N-1 iPod/Phone/Internet Device

It’s that time again, this time it’s the other side of the force. Steve Jobs has literally changed the face of Apple in a few short years (and for the second time) and rumor has it, if he left, Apple would immediately lose nearly $20 billion in value.Every year we look forward to this keynote to see the new goodies Apple is offering, I am usually madly refreshing the Apple store site to be the first to order some new goodie. My commentary will be based on the Live Updates from http://www.macrumorslive.com

So here we are, the start of a new Macworld and Steve Jobs has this to say…

Around 2,000 people in attendance. Steve Jobs’ family is in the audience. Steve is on stage, mentions history being made today, the switch to Intel. Smooth transition to Intel for OS X, cranking out a new Mac with Intel every month during the transition. Thank you to developers for rapidly moving apps to run natively on Intel CPUs.

Over half Mac sales in US retail stores to new Mac owners. Shows a vista Ad. I am a PC, guy in hospital robe getting upgrade, major surgery for RAM, hard drive and graphics. “If I die, I want you to have my peripherals.” Haha.

Only talking about the Mac today, first ecosystem, iPod, Nano, Shuffle become the world’s most popular video player, incredible lineup of iPods, iTunes crossed over 2 billion songs sold. iTunes sales are up, 58 songs per second, 5th largest music reseller. Now sells more than Amazon, next is Target. TV shows via iTunes, 350 shows on iTunes now, 50 million TV shows sold, 1.3 million movies sold in 1st 4 months, new partner Paramount. Over 250 movies offered now, hope to add more as other studios join in.

Ipod 62% marketshare to Zune’s 2%, rest had 36%, no Zune data for December, Zune logo up in fire. New ads for iPods, showing new ads.

iTV/Apple TV mentioned.  Enjoy media on your TV. Way to enjoy your media on your bigscreen TV. Buy content on iTunes, wirelessly transmit to TV, looks the same. USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wireless, HDMI, RCA, Component video, 720p, 40GB HD, 802.11b/g/n, Intel processor. Video, music and photos. Auto Sync content from 1 PC, stream up to 5 PCs. 1 system from iTunes set up apple TV just like iPod, playlist and syncing. Synch 10 most unwatched, sync them up (Not sure I understand that) Store on HD, stream up to 5, use iTunes to sync movies from Mac to iTV – place movies you want on iTV’s local store, 5 systems can stream but no storing on HD. Demo, using apple remote, screensaver shown, cover art, images and menu. Movies scrolling on side like album art in iTunes, new flip mode, watch trailers from Apple.com, stream from Internet. Showing the Good Shepard video, streaming video from Apple.com onto the Expo screen, glass smooth at 720p.

iLounge has summaries, quality looks good, better than watching on MBP?? Playing music, looking at photos on Apple TV. Move photos to iTV or stream them. Demo of connecting to another computer. Browsing content, demo of streaming content from a laptop. Steve, “We think this is pretty cool.” $299, available in February. (Too bad I am committed to Xbox 360, I think that this price point is going to be too high for a media extender type box when you can get the same functionality plus HD gaming and higher def video for $399.)

“Every once and awhile a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. Apple has been very fortunate.” First, widescreen iPod, then Mobile Phone, then Internet Communicator…1 device, not 3. Easy to use, years of development, revolutionary interface, interplay of hardware and software, problem is bottom 40 keyboards there, makes mess, control buttons fixed in plastic, Apple wants different UIs. Can’t add a button to phones, doesn’t work. Bitmap screen can show UI, pointing device. Get rid of buttons and make giant screen, stylus control, build software on top of that.

Use fingers instead of stylus, far more accurate, patented. Has made possible a revolutionary product. Shows software interface, baby software on mobile phones now, breakthrough 5 years ahead of anything. iPhone runs OS X. It has everything you need. Core  animation, desktop class applications, oh phone and networking. Learning from iPod, shipping 100 million units this year. Syncs with iTunes, syncs your media on your phone, has cradle to sync just like a dock. Movies, music, podcast, TV, photos, contacts, emails, notes. Designed for your hand. 3.5″ screen, highest res screen ever shipped, one button on front. 160 pixels per inch. 11/16″ thick, 2mp camera built in, top headset jack, simcard, one switch for slim and wake, bottom speaker, mic, iPod connector. 3 advanced sensors, proximity so it turns display off when at your ear. Ambient light saves power, accelerometer for turning off display and turning it on.

Can tell if held portrait or landscape, start with iPod, can touch your music, wide screen video, find music faster, cover flow. Cingular logo on top, clock and battery plus signal. Very fast, just like being on a laptop. Video looks great, switches format automatically with orientation.

Also has built in speaker for phone and iPod. Clearly the best iPod ever. The killer app, making a call. Hard to make calls, most people dial or use recents (I do!) Use contacts like never before. Visual voicemail, get 6th instead of first. Excellent audio quality. GSM+Edge, WiFi and Bluetooth. Quad band.

Push phone button on bottom of screen and the screen changes like coming out of dashboard. Scroll through contacts and push number to call it. Big icons for mute, keypad and speaker. Push 2 buttons for conference call. Button for multiple session SMS messaging. Error correcting on-screen keyboard. Multitouch for complex use. Pinch to make photo bigger.Apple has reinvented the phone.

Uses Safari, best browser on phone. Widgets, Google maps, Edge and WiFi, push IMAP, free IMAP email through Yahoo. Looks like Apple mail, can view photo attachments, can view mail splitscreen. Touch username to call sender via phone. Change webpages by using almost a coverflow to get to different page. Google maps supports satellite images.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt on stage now. Wimax is coming.  Steve back, mentions Yahoo…Yahoo search, yahoo IMAP, Yahoo Go. Yahoo trying to reinvent mail, spam and protection on yahoo mail.

Demo:

10:38 am
listening to music – call comes in, music fades out

10:38 am
Phil Schiller calling

10:38 am
adds him to address book

10:39 am
phil needs a photo – steve goes back to photos

10:39 am
looking for hawaii photo – emails it to Phil while still on the phone with him

10:39 am
works like iphoto

10:40 am
looking up in safari for movie now

10:40 am
talking through speakerphone the whole time

10:40 am
ends call – music comes back on

10:40 am
fades in

Comparing features, after today, people won’t thing those phones are very smart. Ipod headphones with mic switch. Bluetooth headset size of pen cap. 5 hours battery life, 16 hours just for audio. $199 for 4GB Nano, $299 for smartphone with contact, what should this cost? 4GB $499, 8GB $599. Shipping in June.

NOTE! CINGULAR ONLY! That blows.

Apple is changing it’s name from Apple Computer Inc., to Apple Inc.

John Mayer playing “Gravity” live.

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