Macworld 2010: First Impressions

We battled snow from the east coast and inexplicable west coast flight delays, but now we are on the ground at Macworld 2010.

In the first trip around the show floor, it seems everyone is in high spirits, and while the number of booths might be lower than when a certain computer manufacturer was here, it really does feel like a great chance for the smaller developers and accessory manufacturers to get their product out there. We've always had a soft spot for scrappy startups anyhow.

It's also interesting to see the Apple world at a crossroads: There are clearly two different kinds of "Mac people" here. On one hand you have the "classics" folks with OS 7 t-shirts, and a Newton here and there. These are the people who have been with Apple through thick and thin. Of course, if you're still using a Newton, and don't have an iPhone, maybe you aren't really supporting the Apple that exists in the here and now.

On the other hand, you have the blogging/tweeting/four-squaring crowd that on any other day, probably wouldn't be caught anywhere near the first group. Still, like a family reunion, for the next few days, everyone will get together, and they'll talk about that one relative who couldn't make it to this year's event: Apple.

(Look for more coverage and videos throughout the day. Here's our quick summary of the plan. Just click on the "MacWorld 2010" tag at the bottom of the post to see all the Macworld posts as they go live.)

Ten Apple Hopes for 2010

We just received notice from the International Board of Blogging that we were in violation by not having some sort of 2010 prediction post, so in an effort to get back into compliance, we offer these ten hopes for Apple in 2010:

Return of Firewire on the MacBook. Apple, do you support this interface, or not? Firewire disappeared and re-appeared on the low end MacBook once before. Here's hoping it will be back once more, and not just because we missed an opportunity to buy a MacBook with it. No, that's not what this is all about, at all.

iPhone Tethering on AT&T. It's quickly going from long-running joke, to sad commentary on AT&T that they still cannot or will not offer tethering on the iPhone. Other carriers in other countries are doing it, and everything is just fine. Depending on the source, AT&T has blown anywhere from one to three deadlines to implement tethering, and they've been mum on the subject for some time now.

End of the Tablet Rumors. If rumors are any indication, an Apple tablet should be a go sometime in 2010, hopefully sooner rather than later. It's not that we necessarily know what we'll do with one yet, but rather a shipping device of any kind would silence the rumors, at least temporarily (hey, the next model is just around the corner!)

A Shipping Tablet. While we are excited to see what Apple would do with the tablet form factor, see above for the real reason we hope this comes true.

Apple TV Revamp. For longer than AT&T has been promising tethering, Apple has been peddling their "hobby" of Apple TV. It's incredible to think about the potential for Apple to change how we get TV programming, and maybe stick it to the cable companies at the same time. Still, with every passing moment, it seems like the Apple TV (hardware) is getting neglected. Here's hoping that changes in 2010.

App Store Tweaks. We don't have the answers, but it would be nice to see Apple at least experiment with ways to make the app store approval process more friendly to developers, and the store easier to search for consumers.

End of AT&T Exclusivity. Apple doesn't like having their customers' experience with their products shaded by the miscues of other companies. Get out of the exclusivity deal with AT&T, get the iPhone on T-mobile (simply because this is the only other major U.S. carrier the current phone would work with) then release a phone for the Verizon masses as well.

Focus on the Mac. Snow Leopard was a solid, under-the-hood release. With all the talk of the iPhone and even non-existent products, it feels like the Mac itself has been neglected. Here's hoping Apple takes the next year to give us a bushel-full of reasons that a Mac is the best computer choice.

Green Commitment Grows. The environmental impact of Apple's products was a rallying cry for environmental groups for years. Over the past two years, Apple has responded with some of the greenest computers, and is the only major manufacturer to factor the entire life of the product into its carbon footprint calculation. Still, a funny thing happens: as you get more "green" fewer people complain, but there isn't suddenly a chorus of people touting your green accomplishments. Apple probably sees little to no increased sales from these improvements, but we hope they'll continue to make their products as environmentally friendly as possible.

Keynote/Event Streaming. If you've been visiting the site a long time, you know this is a pet peeve of ours. As the only all-day video channel dedicated to Apple news/lifestyle, we know just how excited Apple fans are to hear/watch the latest Apple info. Hopefully, this will be the year Apple decides to finally (or more precisely returns to) stream keynotes and events throughout the year. While they have more than ample facilities to do it, we know a small streaming site that would be happy to take on the challenge, if Apple doesn't want to pursue it themselves. 

What are your hopes for Apple in 2010?

Why WWDC 2010 Won't be Like WWDC 2009

No, we don't have any secret source divulging the big announcements at the next WWDC, a mere 11 months or so away. What we do have though, are technology changes from Apple that will change the way you get your news from WWDC in 2010.

First, it's always been a pet peeve for us that once upon a time, when Apple was smaller, and more people had dialup, they would stream the Macworld/WWDC keynotes for all Apple fans to enjoy. Then, as bandwidth costs dropped, and the company became more prosperous, the live streaming disappeared.

In its absence, a host of sites, ours included, have tried all sorts of ways to creatively bring the announcements to the masses. We've used live video leading right up to, and immediately following the Keynote, relying on the scores of livebloggers to fill in that big gap in between. But next year will be different. The auditorium will be filled with iPhone 3GS owners, phones quite capable of video streaming. While it's very likely a live streaming app will be available by then (perhaps even next month) even if that didn't happen, people now have a device capable of quickly uploading clips to youtube. People will be able to shoot the Keynote in short segments, and upload them seconds later. 

Audio streaming will also be possible. When anyone can stream audio from the event, what will Apple do? Will they line the walls with lead to cut out signals to the outside world? Will they give everyone a locker and force them to put their Apple product in it for the duration of the keynote? Of course not. (Well, let's not rule the lead out entirely.)

The rational thing for a company that is so concerned with image, and how its message is received would be to return live streaming of the event. Apple would then offer a professional live stream, and control the message at the same time.

Either way, WWDC 2010 won't be like WWDC 2009. At least not in how you read/hear/view it.