Apple now lives is a Sisyphean world where no matter how far up the hill it pushes the hype boulder, it's always rolling back down by the end of the day. At this point, there's no way any Apple launch event can live up to expectations. That said, Apple CEO Steve Jobs certainly gave it the old college try yesterday. There were a lot of product updates. The whole iPod line got a refresh. He introduced not one but two iOS updates, and we got a new version of iTunes. The two biggest announcements were, easily, the revitalized Apple TV and the surprising social network for music, Ping.
Since Ping is part of iTunes 10, it didn't get the "one more thing" treatment (Apple TV was the chosen one). That's kind of a shame since it was, easily, the most unexpected launch of the day. iTunes has 160 million users and now—Bingo!—they're, potentially, all part of a brand new social network. This raised eyebrows and questions. In fact, I heard a lot of questions both during and after the presentation. Let's walk through them and, in lieu of getting a one-on-one with Steve Jobs, here are all of my best answers.
Question: Why did Apple drop video from the iPod nano?
Answer: The funny thing is, I held the tiny, new nano in my hand, turned it over a few times, and didn't even notice. It wasn't until I was sitting outside under the day's ultra-brilliant sun that it dawned on me: The one thing that seemed sort of slapped on last year's nano was gone. The answer to why Apple did this is obvious. Now that the iPod touch has not one but two cameras, is FaceTime friendly, and can shoot and upload HD video, why would you need a video-ready nano? I commented that the nano was positioned as a Flip killer when it launched last year, but the new one is clearly a much more efficient destroyer of all Flip Mino and Flip-style competitors. Think of all of those Apple fans—all of those people who have been begging for an iPod with a camera. I expect the new iPod touch to sell like hotcakes and Cisco, which owns the Flip brand, to make some quick competitive moves.
Question: The iPhone 4 has such sharp lines, why did the iPod touch maintain is curvy shape?
Answer: I, along with most people I talked to, fully expected the new iPod touch to follow the iPhone 4's lead and eschew curves for the sharp lines and heavy use of gorilla glass. That didn't happen. Instead, the touch got a lot thinner. Part of that is new technology (thanks A4 chip!), but I also think it's because the touch doesn't have to support a 3G antenna. Apple put the antenna on the outside of the iPhone 4 to "solve" AT&T's connectivity issues. We all know how that turned out. The iPod touch has no such issue. I'm actually happy that the touch has retained its distinctive look.
Question: Why does Apple still bother with the iPod Shuffle?
Answer: One person on Twitter told me he thought the screenless Shuffle is the perfect iPod for the blind. Okay, that makes some sense, but that's not the real reason it's sticking around as far as I'm concerned. The Shuffle exists because it can be the entry-level gateway drug to Apple's hardcore, immersive world of digital media, gadgets, and entertainment. Just $49 and you're hooked. I don't know if that plan is working out all that well, though, since Apple keeps redesigning the product and lowering the price.
Question: Why not just put Apple TV inside a 27-inch iMac and call it an interactive TV?
Answer: When I got a good look at the new Apple TV, I was honestly surprised by how small it is. It's even smaller, I think, than the Roku box (and it's definitely smaller than the last Boxee prototype I saw). I also wondered why that tiny bit of technology couldn't just fit inside a TV. It can, of course, but you can't attack the interactive and Internet TV market by asking everyone to buy new TVs. For now, these extra boxes are where it's at. I do hope that Apple's next move is the actual Apple TV—a 42-inch Cinema display with built-in Internet, streaming, and AirPlay-readiness. Apple is already building all-in-ones that look like TVs. This is the next logical step.
Question: Why didn't Apple introduce a 7-inch iPad?
Answer: Because Apple really does know what it's doing. And, by the way, Mr. Jobs, thank you for not introducing an iPad with a built-in video camera. I just got my iPad last month and I cannot tell you how much that would have pissed me off.
Question: Why did Apple build Ping?
Answer: The better question is why not. Facebook shouldn't be the only company leveraging its massive user base to add new and competitive social features. Ping is truly fascinating. It has Like and commenting features like Facebook and a Follow system like Twitter. The latter social network, by the way, is nowhere to be found in Ping. Facebook Connect is there, but it doesn't look particularly well integrated. I think Apple did this because Steve Jobs now understands the value of social and how well Apple can leverage it to, for example, drive music sales. Note the buy buttons right inside conversations. So smart.
Question: Is Ping a Facebook killer?
Answer: No, but it's something Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg will want to keep a very close eye on. I do wonder if there'll be any lawsuits. Ping in iTunes 10 looks so much like the Facebook interface.
Question: Is Ping a Twitter killer?
Answer: No, the conversation in Ping will be too music centric. That said, Apple could eventually extend Ping into MobileMe and broaden the service to go well beyond music. I don't see anything stopping them. Then Twitter and Facebook should be worried.
Question: Is Ping really as private as it needs to be?
Answer: Steve Jobs made special mention of the privacy tools in Ping, "[You can] get as private or public as you want. Privacy is super simple to set-up, anyone can do it." That's reassuring, but this is somewhat unchartered territory for Apple. I already noticed some folks on Twitter complaining that they now have to disable Ping to protect their privacy. I don't know if that's true, but Apple has already learned that perception is reality (hello iPhone 4 Death Grip craziness). It should prepare to upgrade the Ping privacy settings on the fly.
Question: What's the point of streaming movies you can watch on your iPad through Apple TV to the TV in your house?
Answer: I have no idea. The AirPlay functionality was poorly explained and seems, at least to me, pointless. As I understand it, if I'm watching a Netflix movie on my newly updated iPad (with iOS 4.2) and I can put the iPad down and start streaming the remainder of the movie through my Apple TV to my HDTV. Umm, why didn't I start watching the movie through Apple TV first? I'm sure there's something to this feature, but I have no idea what it is.
There are other questions, like what's happening with the iPod Classic and why isn't the iPad a remote for the Apple TV. I don't have the answers. Let's collect some more questions below in Comments and see if anyone can chime in with some decent answers.