Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Welcome to 2007...

The annual Steve Jobs keynote speech at Macworld 2007 begins in just over two hours, at 5pm GMT (9am PST) today. I'll try and keep this post updated in real time as the keynote runs...

CREDIT: Jeremy Horwitz, iLounge.com
Waiting in line at the Moscone Center

Update (08:30PST): The U.K. Apple Store has gone down ahead of the keynote, here we go...

Update (08:55PST): The VIP's have been let into the hall, but everyone else is still in line outside the hall waiting for the keynote. The conjecture is that something may have gone wrong during rehersals, its looking unlikely that things are going to start on time.

CREDIT: Jeremy Horwitz, iLounge.com
The VIPs taking their seats

Update (09:10PST): Although some people are still taking their seats, it looks like they're starting, people are now being told to turn off their cellphones and other devices.

Update (09:14PST): Steve is on stage...

Update (09:15PST): It looks like I'm not the only one using Blogger as the new beta isn't performing that well right now, I'm getting a really poor response out of the interface and am having publishing troubles.

Update (09:19PST): "We're only talking about the Mac today..." and "We're going to make some history together today...", which is an interesting lead in to the keynote. This must mean that we're not going to see an iPhone after all?

Update (09:24PST): Talking about the iPod and how successful its been, and how unsuccessful the Microsoft Zune has turned out to be, with only 2 percent of the market share.

CREDIT: iLounge.com
The new "Apple TV", looking the same as before.

Update (09:37PST): Moving on to the iTV it looks the same but is now called the "Apple TV". It offers 720p HD resolution, a 40GB hard drive, 802.11 wireless supporting all three (b,g and n) standards and an Intel processor. Video, photo and audio content can auto-synched with one PC, but streamed from up to five computers. Will have RCA component, USB2, Ethernet, and HDMI ports.

CREDIT: Engadget.com
New name, new logo...

Update (09:43PST): Here we go! Steve has just announced a widescreen iPod with touch controls, an Apple mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device... all in one device.I'm totally knocked to the floor, we've been waiting for this for two years, but nobody really predicted it all be in one device.

CREDIT: Engadget.com
An iPhone at last?

Update (09:43PST): Despite being touchscreen, it looks like they've gone with a finger driven interface, so no stylus. What's the screen going to be made of, I've never seen one yet that'd survive that? It's going to have a 3.5-inch screen, with the highest screen (1660ppi) resolution yet shipped

Update (09:54PST): Interestingly the news is that the device isn't running a custom operating system, its going to be running Mac OS X? It's slim, 11.6 mm with a built in 2 megapixel camera.

CREDIT: Engadget.com
Solving all of the problems, all of the time?

Update (09:58PST): Steve is making a lot of the user interface, claiming its five years ahead of the crowd. The device has an accelerometer, and can tell whether its being held in portrait or landscape mode.

CREDIT: TUAW
You have to admit the UI looks good...

Update (10:10PST): So they've released it on Cingular in the U.S., does this mean it isn't going to be available at all outside the continental United States? On the up side it's a GSM quad band phone supporting both Bluetooth and WiFi. So that's a WiFi iPod at last, so much for Microsoft's advantage...

CREDIT: Engadget
Cover Flow on an iPod, you have to love it...

Update (10:12PST): The iPhone is also an iPod of course and it offers widescreen video, with the new Cover Flow interface and full 3D effects and full-screen album art. The "best iPod we've ever made..." says Jobs. It's got 8GB of storage though, which seems somewhat low?

CREDIT: Engadget
The phone's UI looks good...

Update (10:12PST): Now demonstrating the phone interface, it does look good from what I've seen, They're basically introducing the gadget we've all been talking about for the last two years...

CREDIT: Engadget
The phone's email interface

Update (10:21PST): The phone has a full Safari web browser, which supports rich HTML such as Google Maps. Yahoo to provide free Push IMAP email service for iPhone users, so much for the Blackberry, and the phone will support both IMAP and POP email. The device should switch between WiFi and GSM connections seamlessly for data.

Update (10:29PST): The device also supports widgets. Does this mean we can just take our Dashboard widgets and drop them directly onto the new phone? If so then they've just become infinitely more important, writing software for mobile phones is traditionally a very hard thing to do, but writing Dashboard widgets is relatively easy.

CREDIT: Engadget
Google Maps is integrated into the phone

Update (10:35PST): Google Maps is apparently heavily integrated into the phone (not via the normal browser?) and Apple has been working closely with Google on this one. Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, appears briefly on stage followed closely by Jerry Yang, Yahoo's CEO, who both say nice things about Apple.

Update (10:45PST): Accessories will include stereo headphone, the same set that currently ships with the iPod, but with a tiny microphone built-in and an incredibly small bluetooth headset which automatically pairs with the iPhone. The predicted battery life is 5 hours while talk/video browsing, or 16 hours for playback of audio. Critically he hasn't mentioned the standby time, something which is really important when it comes to phones!

Update (10:47PST): He's stalling, he really doesn't want to tell us the price...

CREDIT: Engadget
Ouch! That's a lot of money...

Update (10:48PST): Expensive! The 8GB model is US$599 while the 4GB model is US$499 and will be available in June from both Cingular and Apple stores, but only in the States and only with a two year lock in contract with Cingular. But the good news is that the phone will also be available this year in Europe by Q4 and in Asia by 2008. No mention of partners, although hopefully Apple realise that a two year lock in contract isn't going to fly over here no matter who they partner with? Stan Sigman, Cingular's CEO, appears briefly on stage.

Update (11:01PST): Steve is changing the company name from "Apple Computer Inc." to "Apple Inc." to reflect the fact that they now make a lot of devices that aren't really computers. That really shows how seriously Apple is taking the move towards consumer devices. Wrapping up now, but is there going to be "one more thing"?

Update (11:07PST): Doesn't look like it, does it? I think it's interesting what we didn't see; a ship date for Leopard, or a new iWork or iLife release. There also wasn't any computer hardware outside the new iPhone, or a .Mac updates or revisions.

CREDIT: Engadget
No "one more thing"..?

Update (11:12PST): Steve is back on stage after a break for some live music, is this one more thing? Nope, the keynote is over...

With thanks to Apple Matters, iLounge, TUAW, Engadget, Mac Rumours and UNEASYsilence.

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