Steve Jobs (Jobsians profit) is about to turn on the reality distortion field.

[originalpckelly]

Let's all gather round for an hour of storytelling and listen to the great one's speech.

[LeftCoast]

1. I just wanna see the new toys

:)

[originalpckelly]

2. It's coming. There's something in the air as I understand it.

:P

[originalpckelly]

3. Steve's on stage now!

[OceanChick]

6. Oh, please keep us posted

I can't wait to buy the iPhone and I'm waiting to see if there's a new one.

Thanks, from a MacGeek!

[LeftCoast]

27. The last rumor I read said it would be the MacBook Air

A superlightweight mini laptop with a touchscreen and no cd drive. Sounds interesting, but rumors rarely pan out.

[TommyO]

4. Those of us who are office-bound can keep updated

via http://www.macrumorslive.com

[AlCzervik]

5. lets just get to the shiny thing please.

i have an idea of what it is but....i could be wrong.

[supernova]

7. Link? Is there a webcast link?

Can't find it quickly enough. :-(

[OceanChick]

8. go to http://www.macrumorslive.com/

[originalpckelly]

9. Nope just text from MacRumors:

http://www.macrumorslive.com/

[suffragette]

29. No live video feed, but lots of blogging

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/10/mwsf-2008-spoiler-free-keynote-stream/
Apple will kick off the 2008 Macworld San Francisco on January 15th 2008 with a keynote speech from Steve Jobs. News sites across the web will cover every announcement in detail, while Apple's site will be updated with any new products announced.

The keynote takes places on January 15th, 2008 at 9AM Pacific time and will be covered live at MacRumorsLive.com

Some readers prefer watching the keynote themselves without knowing the outcome. Unfortunately, there is no live video feed for the keynote. Instead, Apple posts a recorded Quicktime stream (usually) a few hours after the keynote completes.

For those individuals, we've posted this news story which will be updated with the link to the MWSF 2008 Keynote speech once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.


blogging links:

http://www.maclife.com/article/live_keynote_coverage Has pictures!

http://www.macworld.com/article/131486/2008/01/liveupdate.html

http://www.macrumorslive.com/

[onehandle]

10. Let us pray.

Go Mac!

[originalpckelly]

11. No, more like "Let us pay."

:P

[originalpckelly]

12. Looks like the iPhone has cell tower based location software now, like GPS.

Pretty cool looking.

[originalpckelly]

13. Obviously iPod touch won't have the new ability.

[originalpckelly]

15. iPod touch users will have to pay $20 bucks for upgrade, unlike iPhone users...

they get it free!

[AlCzervik]

14. they've sold 20,000 units a day since the iphone was unveiled.

holy shite.

[originalpckelly]

16. I know, that's pretty amazing.

[originalpckelly]

17. They didn't sell as many movies as they thought they were going to, but sold more than competitors.

[AlCzervik]

22. i need to hook up the apple tv thing now.

[AlCzervik]

18. blows my mind.

in the 8 years my husband has worked for them i think that product had the most buzz among the people that work for Apple, at least on the engineering side.

[onehandle]

20. ...and already have 20% of the smartphone market. nt

[mod mom]

19. itunes movie rentals-cool...I knew there was a reason to buy a 24" screen.

9:37 am iTunes Movie Rentals
Every major studio is on board
9:38 am Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOx, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony all on board

[originalpckelly]

21. Library titles: $2.99, New Releases: $3.99

Is that the going rate for rentals these days? I don't do rentals usually, so I wouldn't know. Back when I still did, that was a lot of money. :P

[originalpckelly]

23. Holy crap, they just launched a set-top box-set-top box!

Apple TV will no longer require a computer!

[northzax]

26. unclear from reading

did they say anything about whether it would have slingblade-esque capabilities? in other words, can it be remotely accessed for viewing?

[mod mom]

24. I use the library but for Christmas it was between a flat screen tv (we only watch KO)

or a new computer and me and the kids all opted for the new mac (we had a "daisy" as our main computer). My brother works for Apple so I thought I rather dish out the $ to a progressive company offering an excellent product.
9:40 am Rules: 30 days to start watching. 24 hours to finish
9:40 am Watch instantly (30 seconds with modern broadband)
9:40 am Watch anywhere (Macs, PCs, all current iPods and iPhone
9:39 am Over 1000 movies (available 30 days after DVD release)

[northzax]

25. a bit expensive, yes

but it's more the convenience idea, I think. I can sit at a coffee shop with WiFi, download a rented movie onto my iPhone and watch it on the bus. it's pretty remarkable.

[Xithras]

30. The big problem with that is Netflix. They already offer a similar service free.

If you have a standard $9 monthly Netflix account, you can already download and view movies online in real time for no extra charge. There were over 8000 movies in the library the last time I looked, and that was a while back.

It doesn't work on the iPhone at the moment, but Netflix has already announced an upcoming Mac version that will permit users to watch movies on any OSX based platform in real-time.

Apple, IMO, has been beaten to the punch in this particular market. I have an iPod, and use ITMS, but as a Netflix customer I simply don't see the appeal or advantage to this service.

[northzax]

38. the netlfix ones are streaming, right?

you can't watch them offline?

[Xithras]

61. Yes, but that's not a consideration for iPhone users.

The iPhone plans are all unlimited data.

As for the iPod users, it only takes minutes to rip a DVD to the iPod. Again, why pay extra to download a movie when I can already get it at no extra charge on DVD?

This service, in my opinion, only appeals to a small minority of people who refuse to wait a couple days for their movie, and who are willing to sacrifice resolution and picture clarity for instant gratification...while paying a higher price for doing so. There may be a market for the service, but I don't think it's a particularly large one. You should look up the numbers for the ITMS movie sales per title, they're abysmal when compared to other retailers. If you're in a hurry and don't have days to wait, $5 and your corner rental store can fix that. If you're not in a hurry, Netflix offers a far better deal financially.

I just don't see how an overpriced, low-resolution video rental service can be a major financial success.

[northzax]

63. you mean like all the people

who paid over $1b last year in the US alone for Pay Per View movies on cable or satellite (or in hotels) that would be easily available on DVD in just a few weeks or even down the street? and that's before on demand is taken into account.

or the 150,000,000 TV shows bought from iTunes last year, despite the fact that almost all are available for free online?

never underestimate the price of convenience.

[Xithras]

67. Price differences are important.

A TVs show episode is $1.99...just cheap enough for people to not notice. The problem was that those episodes were generally not available LEGALLY elsewhere, so Apple had a solid market. Cost was low, availability was limited, so they captured lots of sales. In this case, not only is the initial market questionable (asking people to pay above-market rates for a lower quality version), but there are established competitors who have them beat on both quality and price right out of the gate. Availability isn't an issue anymore. Not only is the appeal of this limited to iPod classic users, but to only that subset of users willing to trade a substantially higher cost for instant gratification.

I love my iPod, but I just can't see how this is going to fly.

By the way, I'd be curious to know where you got your numbers. Mine show COMBINED video sales substantially below the 100m mark...for the entire history of video services on iTunes. I suspect that your 150m number includes video podcasts and other free non-commercial content.

[FreeState]

78. iPhone does not support WMF so netfilx will not work on it n/t

[Xithras]

87. The iPhone, at some point, should support Silverlight.

As thousands of sites convert over to it, I don't see how Apple can avoid the issue without pissing off their users. Of course, they're demonstrating impressive resilience in how they're ignoring the drumbeat of criticism about their lack of flash support. It's possible that they may not cave until some lawyer files a class-action on behalf of iPhone owners and Apple's fraudulent claims about it being able to browse the "real web" (going as far as to directly claim that it's not a scaled down web). When the browser doesn't support two of the most widely used plugins on the Internet, it's not the "real web".

Sooner or later that lawsuit is going to happen.

[Poiuyt]

72. Are you sure about Netflix and Macs?

I've heard that Netflix is still only for Windows and nothing in the near or intermediate future for Macs. Do you have a link?

[FreeState]

79. Here is why DMR - windows media

there is no Windows Media player that supports the DMR for Macs.

[Xithras]

86. Yes, they're waiting on Silverlight. Apple wouldn't let them do it otherwise.

Apple refused to license their Fairplay DRM to Netflix, which is why Netflix isn't available to Apple users right now. Netflix has already demoed an OSX system running their real-time service on a beta Silverlight plugin under OSX. It worked perfectly.

The problem is that the studios will not permit Netflix (or anyone else) to stream their movies without a decent DRM system in place. At the moment, the only DRM system for OSX is Fairplay, and Apple refuses to license the Fairplay technology to ANY third party developers. Silverlight will add a second DRM system to the Mac and permit Netflix to launch streaming services for that platform.

Netflix is currently retooling their backend to use Silverlight for everyone, and once that update launches the service will be open for everyone.

[LeftCoast]

28. Thanks for the updates!

:hi:

[originalpckelly]

31. New type of MacBook, MacBook Air

[originalpckelly]

32. "The World's Thinnest Notebook"?

ooooohhhh

[originalpckelly]

33. Here's the Sony they're trying to best:

That's cool enough, I can't wait to see the new MacBook!

[originalpckelly]

34. Holy shit, new MacBook is so thin it fits inside of an envelope!

0.16" of an inch thick!

[originalpckelly]

35. 13 inch display!

Oh this is getting exciting, it has a magnetic latch too!

LED backlit display.

[originalpckelly]

37. touch pad has multitouch like iPhone/iPod Touch!

[Tesha]

64. 0.76", not 0.16". Still sweet, though.

While Apple quotes a thickness range of 0.16" to 0.76",
I think we can agree that it's only the thick part of
the laptop that actually matters. ;)

Tesha

[northzax]

36. i want one.,

now.

[originalpckelly]

39. This is the envelope it fits in:

Here is the notebook:

[mod mom]

49. Wow!

[AlCzervik]

40. Do want!! i have the little white mac book which is fine but.....

[originalpckelly]

42. Here's the specs:

1.6 GHz Standard, 1.8 GHz Option -- Intel Core 2 Duo

80 GB hard disk standard, 64 GB "SSD" as an option.

1.8" Hard Drive

[originalpckelly]

43. Special version of Core 2, is whopping 60% smaller than original.

[suffragette]

41. I want one

[originalpckelly]

44. Oh yes, I do too! Here it is head on:

Which arm do I have to sell?

[onehandle]

45. Sweet! nt

[suffragette]

46. Just an arm ?

Might need a leg, too ;-)

Btw, what is SSD?

[originalpckelly]

51. Here, I had to look it up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive

It's all flash instead of being a moving harddrive!

[AlCzervik]

47. omg a black keyboard!

i know what i want for my birthday.

[Poiuyt]

70. The keyboard is also backlit

How cool is that?

[Tesha]

82. As cool as the keyboard on my 15" Aluminum PowerBook. ;-) (NT)

[DS1]

95. it's about time Apple dropped those hideous white keyboards

[originalpckelly]

48. Special software allows people to use their home computers DVD/CD drives.

There will also be an add-on for $99, which sounds pretty reasonable.

[originalpckelly]

50. Laptop will come as $1799 without options.

2 GB memory standard.

That's not totally unaffordable like many of the other small laptops. Way to go Apple.

[originalpckelly]

53. Laptop is super-environmentally friendly!

Environmental highlights: fully aluminum case (good for recycling), first fully mercury and lead free display, circuit boards are BFR free, retail packaging are 56% less volume than MacBook.

[suffragette]

52. Environmental highlights

10:28 am Environmental highlights: fully aluminum case (good for recycling), first fully mercury and lead free display, circuit boards are BFR free, retail packaging are 56% less volume than MacBook.

[originalpckelly]

54. Saw that too!

I know what I'm going to be saving for now!

Please donate to the OneLaptopPerYuppie project. :P

[suffragette]

55. Looks like we posted at the same moment

I need to start saving, too.
Heck, I'm still using my Mystic 450DP and it still chugs along.

But this looks great!

[originalpckelly]

56. Well, I'm 'topless so I need one.

:P

I love Macs, but usually end buying PCs, but now that Vista's here I'm never going to do that again. Vista is permanent suckage, and I'm not buying into it.

[suffragette]

66. I'm 'topless, too.

Here's a link with my Mystic's specs.

Note the dates:
G4/450 MP introduced 2000.07.19 at US$2,499; discontinued 2001.01.18

http://lowendmac.com/ppc/g4mp.html

Always been happy I switched then.

But way past due for an upgrade.

[Divine Discontent]

57. you all want to go in and buy me an Air laptop???

that is so sweet of you all! But I can't accept it. Wonder if we could get enough of us together to get nancegreggs or kpete one of these? they probably wouldn't take it either. who wants it? lol

[alfredo]

58. Love the ad where they take the puter out of an envelope.

[ReverendDeuce]

59. MacBook Air? BFD... Here's why...

This new laptop is a joke...

Besides the deceptive photos (the beveled edges make it look thinner than it is, it's still a little more than 3/4-inch thick), this is really nothing new. Dell has had a similar offering for quite some time, and it's more powerful (XPS M1330). The Dell is slightly thicker, but it's an overall better notebook. Plus you won't be tethered to OS X.

Sorry Apple, but color me UNimpressed with your latest gaffe.

[TommyO]

65. Being "tethered" to Mac OS X is the reason that this machine will succeed

It's far better than being anchored down with Vista (IMHO, of course).

As for the size, at it's thickest, it is still thinner then the Dell at it's thinnest.

Most importantly, it doesn't put a penny in Michael Dell's pocket!

[Tesha]

69. Tethered? Why? This machine can run Windows just like an other Intel-based Macintosh.

And in several modes ranging from WINE through to full
dual-booting into Windows.

Tesha

[TommyO]

71. Oh, I know, I just used "tethered" because the poster I replied to did.

[Tesha]

75. (You're right; I meant to reply to them.) (NT)

[Tesha]

77. Tethered? Why? This machine can run Windows just like an other Intel-based Macintosh.

And in several modes ranging from WINE through to full
dual-booting into Windows.

Tesha

[Richard Steele]

88. Pfft.

[mod mom]

60. Macbook Air photo on homepage of Huff Po:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

[mod mom]

62. Apple updates their homepage:

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

[NastyRiffraff]

68. Drool!

Must. Resist. Reaching. For. Credit Card.

But OMG I want this!

[Dukkha]

73. oh why did I have to get engaged

;) really dear, nothing says commitment like a new Mac Pro!

[mudesi]

74. I'm amused at how marketing works on so many people

The Apple Corporation would do well as a cult, if it isn't already one...

[Tesha]

76. It *IS* a cult. It's a cult of people who actually expect computers to do something *USEFUL*.

The fact that the machines are sensuously beautiful is
just gravy, BTW.

Tesha

[LanternWaste]

83. It's just a new variant of Coke vs. Pepsi

I've always looked at the PC vs. Apple thing as simply a new variant on the Coke vs. Pepsi arguments of the past. Except that in this case, one simply markets better than the other.

I've used both OS's in the past and have enjoyed both. I've drunk both Coke and Pepsi in the past and enjoy the way they both fizz in my nose.

But in this case I think you're correct-- we've got some Pepsi drinkers who got to Pepsi church in their Pepsi clothes and swear by Pepsi... and the rest of us who like Coke? We're apostates, heathens and sinners (at best).

[Tesha]

89. No, you're just far more willing to put up with shit from your computers (than are Mac users).

As I said, Mac users expect their computers to work with
minimum dinking about.

Windows people are used to their computers f**king up.

Tesha

[LanternWaste]

92. I just haven't had too many problems from either Mac or PC.

I just haven't had too many problems from either Mac or PC.

But yes... to placate the deacons, I'll drink some Pepsi today. :)

[alfredo]

84. Not really a cult, they are very entertaining to watch. They

play the game well. I like them not just for the software and hardware company, I like how they push the technology. They are what the Motley Fool calls a "Rule Maker."

Just where would the computer industry be if there wasn't someone pushing the envelope? Where would the music industry be without someone showing them a new revenue steam? What about the smart phone industry, and now the delivery of movies? They make the other companies innovate just to keep up.

Who pushed the adoption of USB? What about moving from floppies to CD? Who showed that design does matter. When I say design, I'm not just talking about pretty boxes. I'm talking about everything from the way the machine is packaged, how the components inside connect together, and how air flows in a computer. They showed how laptop technology can be used in Desktops. The iMac and Mini are prime examples.

Other companies are innovating, but they lack the industrial design team of Apple. They also lack a visionary/taskmaster of Steve Jobs' caliber. The other computer companies are too conservative, too unwilling to take risks. Apple so far has succeeded, but they live and die by what is in the pipeline. They can't stop innovating or they will die. That's a hell of a lot more fun to watch than Dell or Toshiba.

I've been watching Apple moving in this direction since the late 90's. An insider told me what to watch for. Apple had a vision and Jobs knew how to make it work. Hollywood was one big goal. They wanted to be the one delivering content from Hollywood. Along the way they turned the music industry inside out. The music story was a proof of concept.

What Apple is doing is what American industry should be doing. They should be innovating and taking risks. Jobs didn't start profiting from Apple until they started making money hand over fist. I remember uber Republican Michael Dell saying Apple should shut down and give the money back to their investors. Remember $10 per share in the 90's, now it is nearing $200 per share. I expect a sell off today due to the bad market and the "buy on rumor, sell on news" philosophy.

If I didn't have to sell all my stock, my Apple stock would be worth a quarter million right now.

[ReverendDeuce]

80. The list of design faults CONTINUE...

* the battery is NON-REPLACEABLE!

* NO optical drive! (I am sorry, using optical drives over your wireless is going to be completely SHIT)

[Tesha]

81. We've had a perfectly okay time with a Sony Vaio that has no built-in optical drive.

> the battery is NON-REPLACEABLE!

I think you mis-spoke here. What you meant to say was
that you believe (and may be correct) that the battery
can't be replaced without "cracking open the case".

The battery is certainly replaceable.


> NO optical drive! (I am sorry, using optical drives over your wireless is going to be completely SHIT)

We've had a perfectly okay time with a now-old Sony
Vaio that has no built-in optical drive. We either
use a firewire optical drive (usually) or use a
Sony-branded ATAPI/cardbus drive when we're way
down in the bowels of Windows and the firewire
drive won't work.

Similarly, Apple offers a USB-attached optical drive.

Tesha

[Rob H.]

85. The MacBook Air is cool, but I'd probably just get a MacBook instead

I'm as big a Mac fan as anyone, but I also base my purchases at least partially on bang for the buck. The MacBook is .25" thicker and a bit heavier (1 lb.) but it also has a built-in optical drive, the option of a larger and faster hard drive, two USB 2.0 ports (not one), one Firewire 400 port, and it has a faster processor. It's also less expensive.

I wonder how long it'll take the MacBook to get LED backlighting and the multitouch trackpad....

[Tesha]

90. For most people, that's probably a sensible decision.

> The MacBook Air is cool, but I'd probably just get a MacBook instead

For most people, that's probably a sensible decision. Right
now, I'm probably in your camp.


> I wonder how long it'll take the MacBook to get LED backlighting
> and the multitouch trackpad....

LED backlighting? Probably soon, assuming that it
works glitch-free in the AirMac; that system is
probably acting as the proving ground. LEDs are
certainly more ecologically-sound, have much better
long-term reliability, and are probably cost-
competitive with (or better than) CCFL backlighting.

Multi-touch? I'll bet it'll be a little while
longer for two reasons: Support for the larger
trackpad absolutely needs a re-design of the
case metalwork (whereas an LED backlight may not)
*AND* I suspect Apple will want to hold multi-touch
as a "distinguisher" between the AirMac and the
MacBooks, at least for a little while.

Me, the thing I think is the real sleeper in
the announcement is the availability of the
Solid State Drive. In the future, that will
be a great, important technology for notebook
and smaller computers and this is Apple's first
dipping of their toes into that water in the
notebook market (although they've been very
successful with it in iPods and the iPhone).
Right now, I'd feel a bit cramped in 64GB, but
Moore's Law says there'll be bigger, faster,
cheaper SSDs tomorrow so by the time we get to,
say, 120 or 160 GB, I'll be in. The extra
expense is worth it to me for the improved
life, shock resistance, and the blazingly-fast
read access speed that Flash provides. I just
hope they have a good "wear levelling"
algorithm in place on the NAND Flash.

Tesha

[OneMoreDemocrat]

94. I completely agree.....

The only problem I have with the MacAir is that it doesn't have a firewire port. I sometimes like to edit (fcp) away from the desktop and without a FW connection I can't attach the external harddrive with the footage.

[Zech Marquis]

91. what a tough call...

This spring I'm going to buy a new Mac, something to replace my current iMac G5 that'll let me go totally wireless :bounce: The current iMac will work perfectly, I'd add more RAM, the Time Capsule either the iPod Touch or iPhone (leaning to the iPhone, as I might ditch my regular phone and just leave the dsl going). That will give me WiFi at home, tons of storage space, and multiple ways to keep in touch with people for my job and personal affairs.

OR...get the MacBook Air with my Best Buy card, Time Capsule, add on Superdrive and iPhone or iPod Touch with my tax refund. But how will I get my apps and preferences transferred from my iMac to the MacBook Air? It doesn't have ethernet built in...

[Xenotime]

93. The Randy Newman song was great.