| by Joe Leo, Columnist | January 12, 2007 |
continued... from: previous page
And the Winds of the Macworld Rumor Mills Fan On
So, if you read our two reports about the rumors--one about what everyone expects, and the other on what I expected--people were way off. Well, kind of. Like I said, most of the things on that rumor list we already knew were coming so they weren't really rumors. Such as Leopard which we know is coming, but just don't know the top secret features (which then, still makes my prediction alive!). The "iTV" now the Apple TV. What else?
Everyone knew some type of touch screen device would be coming out. Everyone knew that some new iPod would be coming out. They just didn't know that the surprise would be a three-in-one device. You should have heard the uproar (a good uproar) when Jobs announced that Apple was rolling out three new products, and the iPod topped the list, with everyone cheering. Then, with famous form and fashion, an unofficial "and one more thing?" these three things...
All just one product! (And the other rumored products? Like I said, 353 days left in 2007).
What Happened to the 'And One More Thing?'
There was no official surprise announcement, that big announcement where Jobs puts up a graphic saying "and one more thing?" and everyone knows what's coming next. The unofficial one was surprising everyone with the iPhone being three products in one. Another one could be the fact that they chose to call it an "iPhone." Though we'll all have to wait what the courts say about that one. (I think they're going to lose).
I don't like the name "iPhone" anyway. (See p. 3 of my article on 11/17 for my alternate names).
But there was another surprise announcement made when Jobs announced a name change to the company. While significant and also controversial and disappointing to some, it's not like they changed their name to some other kind of fruit, or something totally off base. I myself like it and agree, since I mentioned in my live Keynote coverage that it reflects more what type of company Apple is now-- not just a computer hardware/software Inc.
Breaking News: There was a New Mac Hardware Announcement! (Kind of)
As we reported to you on Tuesday afternoon, which some of you may have caught if you came across our live coverage later in the day, we updated the story at 2:00p telling everyone that there was some big announcement / product unveiling happening at 2:30p. The product was actually announced last month, but no one knew what it would look like, but it was advertised as a "tablet solution for the Mac."
I read about it earlier, since I've shopped for things myself online from the company that was unveiling the product-- Other World Computing. And recently looking for a G4 processor upgrade for a donated "Digital Audio" PowerMac G4 I setup over the holidays in my classroom, I came across their announcement and made it a point to make sure to find out what the product would look like come Macworld.
Case in point (there's another one which you'll get in a second), after the Keynote was over and I went over to the Exhibit Hall, the first thing I went to see was Apple's booth, and second, went looking for where OWC's booth was. I found it, and draped in a large tan canvas cloth, was a display near OWC's booth that announced a product unveiling at 2:30p.
The product, as we mentioned on Tuesday, was the new piece of Apple hardware that a lot of people were hoping for. Funny thing is, it's not made by Apple in the sense that it's a modification done to an existing piece of hardware-- the MacBook. OWC sells you the MacBook at retail, and on top of that, they charge you for the modification where they remove the monitor and keyboard, and replace it with the tablet top casing.
What's cool about it though is that it's pretty seamless. And from what the staffers at the debut presentation said, it's an easily reversible procedure. Why would someone spend $2500 to get a modifed MacBook, and then decide later they don't want it? I don't know. But it's not a crude hack or mod that a kid would do in their basement with old Apple parts. No sirree! (I'm trying to find out from Apple PR their take on a MacBook being resold as something else... stay tuned!).
Anyway, we were there for the official unveiling to the public, and our photos can be found on a separate page by clicking here. [For a press release on the product, click here. For a review on our own site by Reviews Editor, Noah Kravitz--who got a chance to play around with it and get some inside info--click HERE. (Para hablar con un empleado en Espanol, oprima numero dos) ].