Aftermath of Macworld 2008

It's over. Finally, it's over. The fanboys and rumor sites shut up about:

• "Oh the iNinny will be released at Macworld!"
• "Should I wait before buying an iPhone cause I know Steve Jobs will release a 3G one at Macworld."
• "I will pee in my pants if Steve Jobs releases an ultrathin notebook!"

• The Jobs' Mojo: Is it me, or is Steve Jobs losing his mojo? He seemed to be going through a routine now. There was no punch to his presentation. Sometimes, he even seemed a little bored with himself.  Maybe it is time for him to pass the baton?
• Time Capsule: Neat little product. I can definitely see how this could fit in with a household that is only Mac-based. It almost seems like the Time Capsule is made only to be used as backup storage and not live storage -- ie. you get 1TB of storage, but it can only be used via Time Machine. Someone correct me if I am wrong. One thing I would like to find out from Apple is: What is the definition of "server-grade hard drive"? Jobs used that term over and over, but what does it mean?
• It's All About Software: This year's Macworld was all about software upgrades. Apple TV. iPhone. iPod touch. iTunes. Yes, there was hardware too. The previously mentioned Time Capsule and the Macbook Air.  But, the majority of time spent by Jobs was on software updates and upgrades -- though, there was a surprisingly lack of news on the 10.5.2 update.
• MacBook Air: Impressive design. Not sure about the cost of it though. $1800 for a subnote is OK. But, for $1000, the MacBook is less sexy, 2lbs heavier and about 0.25" thicker -- not to mention is faster, has an optical drive built-in, has more storage, and has a full array of ports. I know, buying Apple stuff is not about the thinking straight about things, but this one is kind of hard to swallow.
• Apple TV Update: About time they put some work into this, so far failed product. I like the changes -- especially the one untethering of it from a computer. The price drop is also good.
• iTunes Movie Rentals: The iTunes HD content is only 720p (since that is the technical top-end for the Apple TV hardware). Apple has also said that not all of the HD rentals will have Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. So, lets get this straight. Apple TV, entry level costs $229. The Samsung BD-P1400 (1080p) Bluray player costs $329. For $100 more you get 1080p. iTunes HD rentals (720p) are either $4 a pop for older movies or $5 a pop for new movies. You have 30 days to start watching the movie, after you push play, you have 24 hours to finish. Netflix is $14 a month to keep two HD discs at home, plus rent unlimited movies throughout the month -- keep a movie however long you want. Oh, and 1080p movies -- oh, and you get free online streaming if you have a Windows box. So, currently, the better technical option is to get Bluray and rent Bluray movies. The better rental deal is to get Netflix and wait a day for movies to get dropped off in your mailbox. I can see where Apple is headed with the iTunes HD rentals and I applaud them for making that step forward. What would make it successful relies on too many outside elements though.  Two big ones being movie studios licensing more HD content to Apple and home users getting thicker broadband lines. Apple also has to up the ante with their hardware so that it can do 1080p movies and uncompressed surround sound in order to compete with optical media.
• iPod touch Update: iPod touch users can now have iPhone apps -- for the cost of $20, which is reasonable. Though, it is a slap in the face of early adopters (something that Steve Jobs and Apple seem to be doing a lot lately) because all new iPod touch units come with these iPhone apps installed for free.
• iPhone Update: Just what was expected because of a leak. It is good. It has some nice additions. The Google Maps "My Location" works as expected -- kind of like a hobbled version of GPS on the iPhone. Be careful with the upgrade if you want to keep your iPhone jailbroken, it looks like if you upgrade from 1.1.1/1.1.2 to 1.1.3, you will not be able to revert back to the older firmware. A nice feature that is not mentioned is that the new firmware enables video output to previously disabled devices (the ones without Apples video authentication chip).