Steve Jobs' Product Teasers... MWSF?
With MacWorld just a day away, readers are reminded of some teasers for 2004 from Steve Jobs in a November 2003 Analyst Meeting Conference Call:
Q: "Are you going to allow the iTunes to work with other devices and conversely are you going to allow the iPod to work with other online Music Services?"
Jobs: "We don't know. Right now, there is really little reason to. The iPod is the #1 MP3 player in the world .... The iTunes music store works with the most popular music player around and that's working really well for us. Conversely the iPod is working with the #1 music store. Soundscan just released data today and last week the iTMS had over an 80% market share for all legally downloaded music. Why should we work with another music store when we're working with the "Microsoft" of music stores. So, right now we've got an 80%+ share in our music store and we're #1 in units and of course revenue in the iPod. We're investing a lot in that. Got some great stuff coming out over the next... uh... timeframes. And so, right now there's really no reason to spend that engineering on working with #2 or #3 or #4. I'd rather spend our engineering dollars on enhancing the iPod and enhancing the iTunes Music Store. .... Maybe there'll be a reason someday and we're flexible, but right now I think we're spending our money on the path of least resistance to do the right thing."
Q: Re: Digital Lifestyle applications. The competition is starting to make some inroads. So, how do you stay ahead? And what is the next big wave?
Jobs: "The way we stay ahead is we stay really close to the customer and keep doing what we do well. For example, digital photo apps. iPhoto is the king of that but even iPhotos have limitations that people are running up against - some major ones - those need to be solved." .... "And there are new categories of applications that people don't even think of yet, that we're working on. So, believe me, we have a lot of innovation up our sleeve when it comes the digital lifestyle/digital hub class of applications - a LOT. And, um, you'll be seeing some of it next year. Very strong stuff."
Q: Question regarding PowerPC/Intel and Mac OS X
Jobs: "Right now we don't see a compelling need to switch processor families and the stuff that's in the PowerPC roadmap -- which you might have heard about already -- is really good, I can't talk about it, but it's really good what's coming."
Whether or not we see the fruits of this research at MacWorld SF remains to be seen, but does provide some exciting prospects for the future.
Popular Stories
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...
Apple seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.2 today, which means it's going to see a public launch imminently. Release candidates represent the final version of new software that will be provided to the public should no last minute bugs be found, and Apple includes release notes with the RC launch.
The iOS 18.2 release notes provide a look at all of the new features that are coming...
In 2025, Apple is planning to debut a thinner version of the iPhone that will be sold alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This iPhone 17 "Air" will be about two millimeters thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm thick, so an iPhone 17 that is 2mm thinner would come in at around 6.25mm. At 6.25mm,...
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
Apple's forthcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a single 48-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front, according to details revealed in a new Korean supply chain report.
ET News reports that Korea-based LG Innotek is the main supplier of the front and rear camera modules for the more budget-friendly ~$400 device, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of...
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for.
Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
Apple plans to remove the notch from the MacBook Pro in a few years from now, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia.
The roadmap shows that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2026 will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, instead of a notch. It is unclear if there would simply be a pinhole in the display, or if Apple would expand the iPhone's...
Norwegian payment service Vipps has become the world's first company to launch a competing tap-to-pay solution to Apple Pay on iPhone, following Apple's agreement with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties.
Starting December 9, Vipps users in Norway can make contactless payments in stores using their iPhones. The service initially supports customers of SpareBank...
