I came across an interesting collection of Steve Jobs presentations at Macworld Expo during the last 10 years (1998 – 2008) recently. As some of the movies are not of good quality (video and/or sound), I put the links here, replacing the ones that had better alternative, with better quality:
- Macworld 1997: The Microsoft Deal – this video is not included in the original collection, but it is one of my favourites. Not because it is probably the most humiliating moment in Steve Jobs’s career (see here), but rather because of the exceptional composure which he demonstrates while handling the situation.
- Macworld 1998: iMac
- Macworld 1999: iBook
- Macworld 2000: G4 Cube
- Macworld 2001: PowerBook G4
- Macworld 2002: iMac G4
- Macworld 2003: PowerBook, Safari
- Macworld 2004: iPod Mini
- Macworld 2005: Mac Mini
- Macworld 2006: Intel based MacBook Pro
- Macworld 2007: iPhone
- Macworld 2008: MacBook Air
Such publications were provoked by the news, that mister Jobs will not present the keynote at this year’s Macworld 2009. The news was accompanied by unprecedented address to the community by Steve Jobs, by an open letter on the Apple’s site, where he shares the problems with his health – a hormone imbalance, which led to massive lost of weight. The revelation of the IT guru caused the rumors of the next phenomenal innovation at Apple – the thinnest CEO in the industry ;).
Macworld 2009 passed by with a decent presentation by Phil Schiller, which however was far from the spirit and enthusiasm the big Steve used to spread across all audiances. And while there were all kinds of speculations on the net if Apple is capable to go forward without its master (and I was postponing this post week after week ;)), another announcement hit the Apple community. Second address from Steve Jobs followed, another letter, in which he admits he underestimated his health problems and is taking a leave of absence until June 2009 (!). Not only that, but he announced his replacement (replacements). Things must be serious.
The analogy with 2004 and Jobs’s struggle with cancer is inevitable. The fact that back then Apple’s management managed to hide the news long enough, to see a light at the end of the tunnel, raises thoughts. Is the situation really that bad, that Apple are enforced to announce the facts (being a public company and being responsible to inform the shareholders with news, that may affect the company’s future)? Or maybe this is a good test for how much is Apple worth in case Steve is not around? Will Apple survive without its founder?
Whatever the truth may be in this particular case, one thing is certain – the world of the IT industry will not be the same without one of its pioneers and his bright presence.