Macworld 2007 is underway! The traditional keynote speech by Steve Jobs just wrapped up. Here are the highlights:
- Recap that only a year ago Apple made switch over to Intel processors. Reminder that Jim Allchin recently said he would buy a Mac!
- Over half of current US Mac buyers are switching over from Windows
- iTunes has now sold over 2 billion songs, making it the fifth largest music reseller. Now selling 5 million songs a day (or about 58 songs every second)
- iTunes has also sold over 50 million TV shows and 1.3 million movies (the latter in 4 months)
- iTunes adding Paramount as new movie partner today. iTunes catalog now has over 250 movies
- iTV (introduced last September) to be formally called Apple TV and will let you enjoy different media on your television. For example, buy an iTunes movie and transmit wirelessly to your TV. Apple TV will come with Wi-Fi (b/g and n), HDMI, 40GB hard drive, 720p HD video support. It will sync content from a single PC but will allow streaming to up to 5 computers.
- Apple TV will ship starting in February for $299 USD ($349 CAD). Apple taking orders as of today!
- Next up are three revolutionary products: Widescreen iPod with touch controls, a mobile phone and an Internet Communicator. Combine in a single device called the iPhone!!!
- Jobs talks about how current smartphones are complex and often difficult to use. To simplify operation, the iPhone will use multifinger gestures on a screen interface (years of development went into this revolutionary UI). The design is fully patented, Jobs is quick to add.
- iPhone will run OS X and will sync all media from iTunes. It will support both IMAP and POP3 for email, and will come with Safari browser, Google search and maps built into browser, photo management and widgets like you find on your Mac today.
- Hardware specs on the iPhone: 3.5-inch screen, single button on front (Home), 2MP camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, SIM slot and switch on top, speaker, microphone and dock connector on the bottom, only 11.6mm thick, sensors to turn off sound and display when held next to the ear, measure ambient light and determine device orientation (landscape or portrait), quad-band GSM/EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, 5 hours of battery life if talking, using video and browsing (16 for just audio)
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- Extensive demo of iPhone – Picture show Cingular logo.
- Overview of iPhone accessories
- Partnerships with Google and Yahoo talked about as both Google CEO Eric Schmidt and then Jerry Yang of Yahoo join Steve Jobs on stage
- Over 200 patents went into the iPhone
- iPhone will ship in June. 2 models available: 8GB model for $599 USD and 4GB model for $499 USD. FCC approval can take up to 2 months. It will be carried by Cingular exclusively in the US. iPhone coming to Europe by fourth quarter of 2007 and to Asia in 2008. Cingular agreed to carry phone without ever seeing it, according to Stan Stigman, Cingular CEO, when he joined Steve on stage
- Apple to try to grab a 1 percent market share of mobile phone market (about 10 million phones) in 2008
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- Company name change from Apple Computer, inc to Apple, inc
- Wrap up with John Mayer playing Gravity
One word: Wow!