Yesterday wasn't a very productive day for me. Twice a year (during Macworld and WWDC) I try to concentrate but actually spend the morning reading the second-by-second transcripts from the keynotes, the next couple of hours looking at the updated Apple site and reading various Apple and Microsoft-related blogs, and the afternoon watching the official keynote stream online. Yesterday was no different. I should probably take these days off from now on!
My thoughts on the products introduced in the Keynote:
AppleTV (B-minus)
If the AppleTV had a DVD player I would give it a A-minus. Incorporating a Blue-Ray or HD-DVD player would make it an A-plus. The lack of any sort DVD/Blue-Ray/HD-DVD player in the iTV is a bit of a buzz-kill for me, as I would love to get rid of my DVD player and just use an Apple device to play all my content in the living room (including content stored in iTunes). The AppleTV is also a lot less compelling if you live in Canada, as there isn't much content you can purchase from iTunes up here.
Perhaps the next version of the Mini will ship with an AppleTV-like version of Front Row. This would be the box I would want in my living room. For the time being I'll wait this one out...
iPhone (B-plus)
I would have rated the iPhone an A after the keynote, but after the reality-distortion field has subsided I realize this is a B-plus product at best... There are too many negatives which include:
- No removable battery — This isn't a big deal for an iPod, but is a MAJOR deal for a $500 cellular phone;
- Lack of BlackBerry Connect — There is no way Apple could pry my BlackBerry out of my hands without providing some type of integrated BlackBerry Server support. BlackBerry knows how to do mobile corporate email right, which no other vendor knows how to do; and
- Lack of a development API — The lack of commitment from Apple to providing a development API which would allow companies to create and sell software for the device sucks. Who cares if the device runs a variant of OS X if it is not open for development. The iPhone might as well use a weird proprietary OS if you can't develop software for it.
Other negatives (that aren't as big of a deal for me) include the fact that the device is EDGE and not 3G, that Apple is not selling unlocked versions that can be used with any GSM carrier and that it doesn't include a version of iTunes that will let you purchase tracks over the air (and sync them with your computer later). In addition Apple's lack of respect for Cisco and their iPhone trademark is über-hypocritical. Isn't this the same company that is requiring everyone who uses "Pod" in their company or product names to change it? This post from Mark Chandler (Cisco's General Counsel) sums it up nicely.
The Keynote itself was spectacular though! Nobody introduces a product like Steve Jobs. It will be interesting to see what the iPhone looks like in a year and a half in its second iteration. Now, where is iLife, iWork, Leopard, and all that fun Mac stuff we are still waiting for?
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