The Buzz: Apple Satisfies, Disappoints

Reaction to Steve Jobs' much-hyped keynote at Macworld 2006 was mixed, with some disappointed that rumors of an Intel-based iBook or Mac Mini didn't materialize. Others said the announcements should have been anticipated -- after all, Jobs has been promising faster PowerBooks for years. Here's a selection of what's being said around the Web.

"Well, the transition is happening. These are mostly evolutionary products, not revolutionary but they point the way to the future. Look for more coming the rest of the year as Apple drives the line forward...The iMac is a great transitional machine and the performance is excellent, making it a real first class choice as an iLife platform. The MacBook delivers to Apple's audience a mobile machine that's finally worthy of the platform."
-- Michael Garternberg, Jupiter Research

"Maybe it's just me, but the Apple hardware news - the big switch to Intel chips - has left me a tad wanting for something with a bit more oomph. The bit which totally rocked, and was the real news in the keynote was the ongoing sales strength of iPod, iTunes and now the iVideo sales."
-- Om Malik, GigaOm

"The challenge now for Apple is to keep differentiating, and that's going to mean emphasizing benefits and keeping the messaging off speeds and feeds. Apple will have to decide whether it really wants to get in the game of matching competitors adopting the newest Intel processors and thereby more frequently upgrading new computers or, well, thinking different. I see lots of risks: Increased obsolescence and inventory management, for starters."
-- Joe Wilcox, Microsoft Monitor

"The January keynote is usually a doozy, and today's was no exception...not by a long shot. For me, there's always that one moment that causes me to smack my hand against my forehead and just say, "Wow." This year, it wasn't the flash of iLife '06, the shiny new Mactels or even the .Mac enhancements. No, this year I was blow away to see that iDVD now supports third party DVD burners! Holy cow!"
-- The Unofficial Apple Weblog

"Overall, it's kind of a slow release. Nothing that we have to run out and buy this very instant. Intel is really the big news, and it's quite a feat that everything will be cross-compatible. I guess it had to be done, but it's quite nice that they pulled it off."
-- Gizmodo

Steve Jobs' Jan. 10, 2006, Macworld Expo keynote marked an important milestone in the history of the Mac platform, but not as big or, frankly, as exciting a moment as I and many others had expected...Two things made the day a bit of a letdown, at least to judge by crowd reactions, as well as my own. One was the absence of hardware the rumor sites and pundits had led us all to expect: lighter, cheaper, Intel-based iBooks; an Intel-based Mac mini or some other "media Mac" with built-in DVR (digital video recorder) and other living-room-oriented features; and an upgraded version of the iPod Shuffle."
-- Henry Norr, MacInTouch

"It's hard to be surprised at a MacWorld as the rumor sites are usually pretty accurate. This time around they were way off, with Apple surprising most people updating their flagship products to Intel first, the iMac with a heritage that goes right back to the original Mac, and the PowerBook also with a long and distinguished heritage. These are the two Macs you also suspect are Steve’s favorites. And there's no doubt he was impatient to see the PowerBooks go Intel."
-- Chris Howard, Apple Matters

"I didn't bother predicting that Apple would ship a too-expensive laptop to milk the Mac power users before providing an affordable laptop for my buddy Patrick. That was obvious on its face. And photocasting was predicted pretty well by FlickrRivr."
-- Dave Winer, Scripting News