Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Rumors, WWDC
Scobleizer wasn't wrong about products at WWDC; this just wasn't the right time
Some are upset at The Scobleizer, as his predictions of a 'dizzying' amount of post-WWDC Apple products and wish for an Apple Store sleepover didn't exactly come true. Scoble even went so far as to apologize on his blog Tuesday, offering a theory as to why our credit cards aren't getting maxed on a fleet of new Apple gadgets: he proposes that Apple didn't bring the goods because they didn't want to screw up their back-to-school sales. If Apple dropped something huge now, they might not have been able to supply enough product in time for all those young whipper-snappers to go back to school. It sounds plausible enough, but I propose a different theory.This is the World Wide Developer Conference, not the World Wide Consumer Gadgets Conference. This is an event first and foremost for the developers, so Apple can get them (and also the press) excited about what's coming down the pipeline in terms of developer-related OS improvements, innovations and new tools, as well as pro hardware like the Mac Pro. Events like January's Macworld and out-of-the-blue, invite-only media blitzes are where Apple drops their crazy new products for the masses.
So I don't think the Scobleizer was wrong, I just think his predictions were shooting a little early. Don't worry, y'all will get your shot at an Apple Store sleepover yet.
Thanks Jonas!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jim of Davao said 8:30AM on 8-10-2006
Right on! How do people get "developers" confused with "consumers"?
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James Donevan said 8:32AM on 8-10-2006
"So I don't think the Scobleizer was wrong, I just think his predictions were shooting a little early."
Someone predicts a plethora of new products for a specific event. Products don't appear at said event. He's not wrong, he's just early.
Great logic there. You have real potential for a career in politics but, sadly, for not a career in journalism. Take a page out of Scoble's book and learn from it.
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Bpl500 said 8:40AM on 8-10-2006
I agree completely. It drives me crazy when people predict stuff - it doesn't come out and they turn around and say it's still coming, its just delayed, or there was a manufacturing glitch it will be out later, etc.... The iphone is a prime example of this.
People need to realize that with Apple you get what you get. If they come out with something cool and you like it ,g reat. If not - well that's just the way it goes.
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Matthew said 8:43AM on 8-10-2006
Uh, that makes him wrong.
I blogged about his foray into Apple predictions when he first posted his "dizzying" entry. He was vague enough in his wording to come out of the keynote being able to say that Apple has a lot in the PIPELINE, not necessarily all of it was to be announced this week.
I call BS on that, but ultimately it doesn't matter. He's really not that interesting to read when it comes to Apple, and he pulled the easiest of moves to get people to talk about him. Apple predictions are like fly paper. He knows that.
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jh said 8:58AM on 8-10-2006
Apple users are funny.
We all. ALL predicted a ton of apps coming from the WWDC. We all did. (Well, some people always go against it.) We did this last year too, where we saw a ton of products come out. Further, we saw all the banners predicting doom and gloom from apple. We built on that "hype."
The fact is, we seem very, very stupid when after the fact we all sit and go "Oh, well, it WAS JUST a developers conference. It ISN'T like it was the TRADE show for Apple."
Gimme a break. So the cult didn't put out earth shatteringly coolness this time. They certainly act like they did if you read their website. If you look at apple.com, they talk about the new Leopard stuff (which, for the most part, is old Unix stuff or old mac stuff or old Windows 2003 stuff gussied up and called a Time Machine.. bet you'll have to buy an Apple exclusive HDD for that. Sorry LaCIE.) Apple really believes that they showed you very COOL stuff. Earth shattering stuff. You don't. Sorry that it disappoints you, but it wasn't JUST a developer's conference.
Look at how they treat the products they "unveiled" at WWDC. You'll see very clearly they were expecting a lot more fawning and hype over this.
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matthew said 9:21AM on 8-10-2006
"We all. ALL predicted a ton of apps coming from the WWDC. We all did."
No. Sorry, those of us who really follow Apple know the difference between a WWDC and a MW conferences. Some of us knew what to expect. But I'm a customer/fan since 1982, so this stuff comes easy.
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SubGenius said 9:28AM on 8-10-2006
When is the World Wide Consumer Gadgets Conference?
I want to go!
Will Steve be doing the keynote?
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Henry Casey said 9:30AM on 8-10-2006
"School's out for summer," is a lyric that means a hell of a lot to Apple in terms of new iPoddery. Their (now)-yearly back to school sale of Free iPod Nano (used to be a Mini) with sale of Mac is the big push to get students to try and convince their parents to get them mac, just so they cam get the iPod along with. Once the kids get back to school, sometime around the end of October once they think they're happy with their new toys, Apple's gonna drop the new one. How do I know this? It happened to me last year. But, hey, I'm still satisfied with my 60GB 4G iPod and G4 iBook... right?
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Brian said 9:34AM on 8-10-2006
I've learned to ignore these predictions from people who know someone "in the know".
Remember what Leander from cult of mac said after the 2006 Macworld. He was talking to someone in a bar in San Francisco and he recommended to "not buy the MacBook Pro because something else was just pushed out of the keynote and would be released soon after. IT would make you regret buying the MacBook Pro."
Here we are, 8 months later with nothing like that.
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Billy K said 9:56AM on 8-10-2006
1. I agree that it is a DEVELOPER conference
2. I understand things like true video iPods and iPhones don't just magically appear (they require work)
3. I know Apple has been very busy transitioning to Intel chips
STILL...
It's been a very disappointing year (or two) as an Apple fan. I mean, what have they really given us since the 5G iPod? The Intel-based Macs & MacBooks are well-done, but not earth-shaking. Nor is the preview of Leopard.
The fact that Steve is making a big deal out of things like PhotoBooth and all these "new" features in Leopard that are ripped directly from third-party developers just makes me wonder how far along all these "dizzying products" are.
They're stalling for time, and I'm both sick of waiting and nervous that Apple may be about to commit a big blunder.
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John said 9:59AM on 8-10-2006
Not only would ANYBODY who has an unclouded memory of at least a year know that there wouldn't be a bunch of new gadgets at a WWDC, but I would go even further and say that it would be a mistake for Apple to release something like an iPhone or an iPod at WWDC. (And, no, not EVERYBODY in the Mac fan community was predicting that they would.)
Why? Mac developers are people who are dedicated to developing for the Mac as a serious alternative to Windows. With incredible iPod sales as evidence, a lot of people are saying Apple is going to eventually get out of the computer business and become a consumer electronics company. (I'm not saying that, and you won't find people saying that on Mac fan sites, but you hear it in other places.) To overshadow other announcemenst at WWDC with a true video iPod or an iPhone would send the wrong message to the developers who attend the conference and Apple knows this better than it seems many posters here do.
As far as "no real announcments" goes, it seems to me that the MacPro is a pretty sweet machine and the new Xserve is nothing to sneeze at either, but what do I know?
OTOH, I'm not making any predictions that there will be an iPhone or a new iPod or an Apple PDA (my personal wish) in the near future. I do remember that people were awfully sure that one of these things was going to happen back when we saw the Intel mini and the HiFi, despite the fact that there was no real evidence. The funniest part is when you all get angry with Apple because they didn't release the thing you heard about in some unsubstantiated rumor from somebody who knows somebody who knows the guy who tiled Steve Jobs' bathroom in 1982.
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Silver said 10:33AM on 8-10-2006
Forget about the sleepover, what about my stock price? It was finally on an upward tear again after the disastrous "boombox & leather cases" media event threw it into a downward plunge. No surprise new products at WWDC = stock falls again.
Come on Apple, unleash some new goodies. I'd be happy to cash out some shares and buy all your latest gadgets - but I'd like to see $85+ again first...
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Devron said 10:45AM on 8-10-2006
Why is everybody hopping down David's throat? Scoble made the claims of reports. Just because they didn't release this week the world's coming to an end? David's just rationalizing the possible scenarios surrounding why products might have been held back.
True Mac supporters wouldn't just be looking for the next widget with an Apple logo. I'm as excited about Apple branded products as the next guy, but if you're a MAC user, aren't you happy to see that this week was dedicated towards the folks who develop all of the software that we use? After all, they've been loyal! First they need to completely move away from OS 9 to OS X. Then they need to migrate again from OS X on G4/G5 to Intel.
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Billy K said 11:17AM on 8-10-2006
If you're a Mac user, you know it's not an acronym.
(Just sayin' is all...)
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CatBus said 11:45AM on 8-10-2006
Wow, BillyK thinks its been a disappointing year or two for an Apple fan? No wonder he was "disappointed.
Someone needs a Time Machine.
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John said 1:11PM on 8-10-2006
Why is everyone so concerned? Considering the amount of hype and expectation, I wouldn't be supprised to see a "One More Thing" announcement coming within the next couple weeks.
This makes perfect sense considering this is the WWDC and not the best place to introduce the new consumer products.
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Nathan said 3:12PM on 8-10-2006
Can anybody here wildly speculate on when the next generation of MacBookPros will come out? Late October maybe? I REALLY want one, but I don't want to buy a 1st gen model when the next generation gets closer every day.
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Devron said 6:03PM on 8-10-2006
Billy K - I understand the fact that "Mac" is not an acronym. I was putting the emphasis on "MAC" by putting it in CAPS (when I probably should have used italics) because the fact is this: most of the people who wanted to see some hot new gadget couldn't give a damn about Apple as a company or the increase in market share of OS X. They don't even use OS X. They're people who watch from affar and own an iPod and now all of a sudden think they have some stake in what happens to the company.
Bottom line -- they did the right thing this week by the developers. And Scoble can keep the rumors coming. They make things interesting. And maybe he wasn't wrong. How many times have we read later that a product was in the slide deck at MacWorld and then a few weeks before the show, they decide to pull it?
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