Well here I am on my final day (of 2) at what looks like will be the final
MacWorld confrence. I say the final, sure the organizers would not agree with me on that one, but if you ask the exhibitors, as I have been doing, publicly all for MacWorld 2010, in private they're not coming back. No Apple at MacWorld doesn't mean too much to these guys! And youve got to agree. It's a bit like a Windows confrence without Microsoft turning up.
So was there anything exciting at the
final event?
Not really... iLife & iWork get a 2009 makeover with some really nice touches - but only if you are a hardened Mac user that uses these applications already- I don't see Office users dropping their PCs on order to switch to a Mac just to use these applications!
New 17" MacBook Pro. Great looking Mac ( apart from the awful black keys - I just don't like them makes it look somewhat cheap and nasty) but the price tag is quite heafty for the entry level unit - and in this current credit crunch not sure apart from hardcore Apple Mac users who will fork out almost $2800 compared to HP or Dell 17" which will come in almost $2000 less!!!
No Mac mini update, or Air update either. No mention of any iMac upgrades and of course no Steve Jobs, has made the MacWorld swansong a bit of a damp squib!!
iTunes AAC DRM free in April has strings attached and with Apples share price still struggling and Jobs discussing his illness (which for a very private man does smell like a story to help raise their Market value again) 2009 is shapping up to be a real tough year for Apple and will need all their cash reserves to weather this economic storm.