Post Macworld ’08 Thoughts
Introducing the iPhone (Macworld ’07) was a hard act to follow, but i was satisfied. Not that everything announced was perfect, just that i think it was a good Macworld keynote. (There are always people disappointed, but generally those people have unrealistic expectations.)
I have a few comments, and thoughts on the announcements.
Time Capsule
I love that Apple is making backing up easy (and even fun) – and this hardware is a great way to simplify the process. What i’m wondering is if any other NAS, or more specifically, a drive connected to an Airport Extreme, will get this functionality. If not, that ends up being pretty lame; as many have pointed out, network Time Machine backups was advertised before Leopard was released, and people may have purchased an Airport Extreme and drive specifically for this purpose (myself included.)
$299 for a 500GB wireless NAS, which is also a full featured 802.11n draft Router / Extender, that is also a print server… it’s hard to find what would actually be competing with the Time Capsule. Even without an obvious competitor, this is priced well. It’s only a $120 premium over the Airport Extreme, basically the same thing without a 500GB drive… and how much does a good 500GB drive go for on average these days? Best Buy sells them for around $140. Even the 1TB, $499 model is relatively well priced, but a little bit expensive for an average user, and 500GB might fill up quick with a handful of family users all backing up to it.
iPhone Sales
4 million iPhones sold since it was released, which was just over 6 months ago. That’s 20,000 iPhones sold per day – as Apple likes to put it. People are saying that these numbers disappoint, that the stocks fell because of this number. I don’t buy it. It sounds to me like they’re well on their way to 10M buy the end of this year. Considering that more compelling software is on the horizon (both from Apple and from 3rd parties this year) and that certainly by Christmas, I’m predicting we’ll see another price reduction. (I actually think we’ll see a 16BG model, maybe for $399, knocking the 8GB down to $349, but i plan to cover that in a future post, my predictions for 2008.)
iPhone and Touch Update
The new software is great. $20 for a handful of new applications for the iPod Touch stings a little, but really, how could you expect anything else? A lot of really vocal whiners are screaming it’s unfair, but where’s the precedence? How often do you buy a device that ever gets upgrades, much less free upgrades? How about your cellphone (ignoring the iPhone, obviously) have you ever gotten significantly increased functionality, for free, from the manufacturer? Even if you have, i think we can agree that it’s extremely uncommon. Most devices like this come with bad trial software, if anything at all.
Many people (look at Engadget comments for an example) are screaming about how unfair it is that the software is free on new iPod Touches, but costs money for the “early adopters”. These people need a little perspective: this isn’t new. It’s exactly the same deal as the iLife suite, or the OS. Free on new machines, optional, relatively inexpensive charge for older machines.
If you look at the rest of the consumer electronics industry, you should be happy that Apple is making these upgrades available for current owners instead of trying to convince you to purchase a new one. WHen it really comes down to it, it’s basically just a software package: if you feel like you need it then buy it. If not then don’t. It’s really that simple.
iTunes Movie Rentals
I think these will do well, but it’ll take some time to catch on. I have a lot of thoughts on the matter, and i’ll be covering them in a future article.
Apple TV Update
I’m very excited to see it in action.
The price drop + not needing a computer = good. I’ve had an AppleTV since it was released, and i love it… but i’ve not been recommending it to anyone other than my nerdier friends who i think could make good use of it. I think this change will make a big difference (though i think it’ll be a while before things like this really catch on in the mainstream.)
There are many things that can, and should, be tweaked or changed for the AppleTV (and rentals) to be more of A Good Thing™ – but i’ll go into more depth in a future post.
MacBook Air
I want one. I’ll admit the price point is not exactly what i was hoping for, but it actually makes sense. It isn’t a budget ultra-portable. It’s also not a tiny powerhouse (which many people were hoping for; a resurrection of the 12″ powerbook, and i understand their disappointment.) It’s not a well-rounded, laptop for the people.
What it is, though, is incredibly sexy. I see it selling really well as a bit of a social status thing, but also to people who have very serious machines at home (Mac Pros, etc.) for the real hard work, and want a sexy little laptop for doing all the lightweight stuff like web surfing and email, and the occasional movie on a plane.
I think many people see the MacBook Air as serving niche market, and i partially agree. What they are overlooking is that it doesn’t just serve a niche market, it serves several very coveted niche markets, and because of this it will do well for Apple.