Steve Jobs Taking Another Medical Leave As Apple CEO

Steve Jobs has survived pancreatic cancer and has had a liver transplant, and yesterday, he told the world that he would be taking his second medical leave in two years. Of course, everyone's first reaction is in regards to the safety of Apple's stranglehold on the world, but I think it's safe to say that they'll be just fine. The announcement came on MLK Day, so the markets were closed. But Apple's stock price did take a minuscule 4.4% dive this morning.

In a note to employees, Jobs said he will continue as CEO and will be involved in major decisions. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will be responsible for all day-to-day operations.

The interesting piece about Apple is that Jobs holds an almost iconic, and cult like position. Considering his hand in the Apple revival of the last decade or so, it's not hard to understand why. However, so much of the public investor's confidence seems to rest on his announcements and public persona. Honestly, I have zero concern about the well-being of Apple. But the average American investor is fickle, so we'll see how it plays out.

Apple's Invite Only Product Release Session In San Francisco

Apple held an invite only event today, which was surprisingly hosted by CEO Steve Jobs. This was Jobs' first appearance since October 2008 as he has been recovering from a liver transplant. Some interesting iPod and iTunes updates to look out for in the near future.

Apple introduced an updated version of the iPod Nano that sports a built-in video camera and microphone located on the lower left-hand side. It also features a slightly larger 2.2-inch display, up from 2 inches. There is still no Wi-Fi, or built-in Web browser, so users will first have to sync the videos to their computers to access and edit the files. The upgraded device also has an FM tuner, which lets users listen to radio tracks. This is a feature iPod users have been pining for, for a very long time.

Apple announced the release Wednesday of OS 3.1, which will be a free update to iPhone users and $4.95 to iPod Touch owners.
With 3.1, users on both platforms can now get Genius recommendations for applications they've purchased. These show up in the App Store app, as well as in iTunes, and function in a similar fashion to how Genius for music works. It takes your purchase information and sends it to Apple, which will analyze it for similar purchases, and offer up recommendations. This may end up being a more precise system since there are fewer apps than music tracks.
3.1 also adds a new security feature for iPhone owners--the capability to lock down the device over the air using MobileMe. Previously, if your phone was lost or stolen, this feature would only be enabled if the user had set it that way.
iTunes 9
Apple introduced a new version of iTunes, which offers iPhone and iPod Touch users a way to better organize applications they have added to the device. Users can now drag and drop apps to multiple home screens at once, instead of doing so on the device itself.

Read the rest of the story here, provided by cNET.

Updates From Apple’s Notebook Media Day

The Apple notebook media event starts at 10AM Pacific, 1PM Eastern. The Apple Store has already gone down for updates.

High level updates are new pricing and casing for the MacBook line, as well as the intro of a 13" screen. Macbook Air got some tweaks as well.

Courtesy of MacRumors:

Event Started. Jobs intros Tim Cook to talk about state of the Mac. 2.5 million Macs sold last qtr. growing 2-3x the rate of the market.

- Cook attributes Mac growth to better computers, software, compatibility (bootcamp), poor Vista reception, Mac v PC ads, and retail stores.

- Jobs intros Jon Ive: challenge of building MacBook Pro both strong and thin. MB Air introed new techniques. Start with 1 pc of aluminum.

- Been working on new Uni-body enclosures.

- Back to Jobs: NVIDIA approached Apple re new chipset. GeForce 9400M. 15 parallel cores. 54 gigaflops.

- MultiTouch Glass trackpad. "silky smooth travel" Entire trackpad a button. 39% larger. new 4 finger gestures. multi-buttons via software.

- New MacBook Pro:glass screen, thin display, connectors on one side, glass trackpad, uni-body enclosure, mini display port, next-gen graphics

- Both GeForce 9400M (integrated) and 9600M GT (discrete) in MBP. 5hrs battery w. 9400M. 4hrs w. 9600M. Battery indicator on side of MBP. (that was the mystery port)

- $1999, 15.4" LED display, 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM. 256MB VRAM, 250GB HD, SuperDrive; $2499, 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM, 512MB VRAM, 320GB HD. SuperDrive.

- MacBook Air update: 9400M in Air. 120GB HD. 128 SSD Option. Same processor speeds as before. mini display port. Also, new 24" LED Cinema Display

- Air prices $1799, $2499. LED Display: $899. Both avail in November. MacBook Pros shipping today. Dropping current MacBook to $999.

- New MacBooks: same features as MBP. Metal enclosure, faster graphics, LED display, glass track pad. $1299, 2GHz; $1599, 2.4GHz; both 13.3"

- MacBooks should be in stores tomorrow. New Apple 24" LED has iSight, speakers, Magsafe to charge notebook, 1920x1200 pixel rez.

- Q/A session: no blu-ray yet, complex licensing issues; glossy only option on laptops "You offset the reflection by the brightness".

iTunes App Store Is A Branding Feast

Millions of downloads a day. Exciting and engaging applications. Loyal yet still growing customer base. $30 million.

If those highlights don’t get brands excited about the iTunes App store, then I must be in the wrong business. For me, I see the App store as an easy, creative, and relatively inexpensive way for brands looking to connect with consumers. Alongside other growing mobile opportunities, the mobile advertising platform is turning into a veritable shooting gallery for brands.



A bit of history for those like me who have a need to understand things that challenge us….My understanding is that iPhone apps are built and coded with Object C, a relatively simple language for developers to use based on the iPhone Software Developers Kit. Object C has a long running history with Apple, dating back to the 1980s, which explains some theories that this type of application development has been in the works for much longer than most folks realized. Creators Brad Cox and Tome Love developed the language at their company Stepstone, and then licensed it to NeXT. NeXT is the company Steve Jobs started after his initial resignation from Apple, and developed both workstations and operating systems during personal computer infancy. Apple then went on to acquire NeXT in 1996.

Back to branding in an application… A one to one environment with your consumer, a high level of attentiveness in that environment, and an exploding marketplace where just about anything can pick up traction. If you don’t believe me about the traction, go to the iTunes App store, and search for “Wooo.” Bottom line, this is an exploding platform that should be taken advantage of. Anyone want to know how? Let me know….