Has the Apple gone sour?

Today has been one of the busiest days for techno-geeks the world over. The initials WWDC may not mean much to most, but to Apple aficionados, it one of the most important days in the diary.

If Apple corp were to release an 'on this day in history' The World Wide Developers Conference keynote speech from CEO Steve Jobs would include such delights as the original iMac (WWDC 1998), the PowerMac G5 (WWDC 2003) and of course the various versions of Apple's crowning glory, the iPod.

It based on this kind of hype and cult-brand-status that anyone who is remotely interested in Apple products can be forgiven for holding out high hopes for the day as far as gadgets and gizmo's go. In previous years, Steve's near-evangelical keynote has hit my credit card hard and I was expecting the same this year. Maybe an update to the iLife software and the aging iMac desktop? As the lights dimmed, I pulled up my laptop and prepared to want...

As it turns out, I was left wanting. Steve's keynote didn't lack enthusiasm or even the odd 'boom' here and there (I counted over 40 back in '03), what it did lack though was err... products. In fact I basically counted 2, the iPhone which isn't out here in the UK for ages (and isn't HSDPA compliant) and the upcoming operating system 'Leopard' which looks OK but doesn't flick my switches like laptops and desktop computers.

And that was about it... I was shocked and saddened (now there's two words you don't see together often!) with the lack of any 'real' products or upgrades. No iMac upgrades, no iPod upgrades, instead news that the beta software development is going ahead as planned and that the iPhone will also launch in the US in two weeks, where it will undoubtedly do well.

It also looks like I wasn't the only one to find this keynote 'lacking', as Steve bowed out, Apple's share price also seemed to be exiting-stage-left, with a 3.45% drop in value. It seems that the markets were also hoping that Steve would have more than a mobile phone and a CD up his sleeve. Alas! He didn't!



So as the dust settles, my hopes that the last poor keynote from Jobs was a one off were dashed and to add insult to injury, he even used his "one more thing" section to announce that apple are now coding software for PC'! What is the world coming to?

Did Steve Jobs break the law?

Yes its the iPhone, yes they will sell lots of them and yes, its aaages before they are released outside the USA but did Steve Jobs, just break the law in his keynote speech?

With usual gusto and 'boom', Steve was keen to show off his new toy and entice us away from our iPods to crave after his latest gadget but he may of gone just a little bit too far...

As I watched the Keynote, I noticed that Mr Jobs appeared to place a few calls on the new handset but according to Apple's own website, he might of fallen foul of telecommunication protocols.



According to the Apple website, the phone "has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission' The website then goes on to point out that, as a result of this lack of authorisation, the handset may not be sold or leased. The burning question must be does it carry the appropriate FCC certificate to be operated or are they waiting on that too?

I'm sure that Apple wouldn't drop such a clanger as to break the law, blatantly infront of 4000 spectators and then webcast the event further afield to pent up bloggers such as myself but who knows, maybe in all the fuss, something was overlooked? (conspiracy theorists awake!)

On a slightly more serious note, if Apple are to face court proceedings surrounding their new mobile, its more likely to be in the civil courts between Apple and Cisco who seem to already have an 'iPhone' on the market... hmmm the future may not be quite so bright for the Apple handset in the short term.

***EDIT: A few people who work in the mobile industry have commented that phones can be tested in this way and that FCC compliance seems only to be required once the device is intended to be sold so I suspect that if this is the case... No laws were broken at all. I also have it on good authority that Apple and Cisco are close to brokering a deal on the iPhone name too!***