A tale of two keynotes

TechTalk
By Ken Doyle

The first few weeks of the new year are always a high point for technology watchers, as they contain two of the industry's most significant conferences and expos. While there are other shows throughout the year, these two--MacWorld Expo (www.macworldexpo.com) and the Consumer Electronics Show (www.cesweb.org)--set the trends that will define the rest of the year. Most of the buzz surrounding these shows is generated by the keynote speakers: Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates.

This year, the millions of Mac faithful who expected announcements of new computer models were largely disappointed. Jobs did introduce updates to Apple's server line with new, G5-based Xserve models. However, it's unlikely that most corporate IT managers will abandon their dependence on Intel-based servers, even if the Xserve is, in many ways, a superior product. Next, Jobs chose to focus on what Apple does best: its pioneering "digital hub" technology, the integration of Macintosh computers with digital photography, video, and music.

Jobs presented the next edition of the "iLife" suite (currently iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and iTunes), calling it "Microsoft Office for the rest of your life." (Speaking of Office, Microsoft announced Office 2004 for Mac, with a few interesting new features available only in the Mac version.) iLife '04 promises significant improvements and new features, with tighter, seamless integration among its component applications.
The most excitement, however, was generated by the fifth member of the suite, a groundbreaking new application called GarageBand that turns your Mac into a full-featured digital recording studio. What's more, with its wide array of royalty-free loops, the software enables even people like me--without a shred of musical talent--to develop impressive-sounding compositions for, say, background music to a multimedia presentation. In keeping with tradition, the iLife '04 suite is included free with all new Macs, or can be purchased separately for $49.

Jobs also presented the latest model in Apple's MP3 player lineup, the iPod mini. This is a much smaller, sleeker version of the iPod, and it's available in a choice of colors. It represents Apple's attempt to break into the middle ground of the highly competitive market for these devices.

Where Apple leads, Microsoft usually follows. In his keynote, Gates also highlighted the digital hub theme, with technology that enables users to share content among multimedia devices, television sets, and the Windows Media Center PC. The technology is designed to function over a home network, something that's becoming more common as more households with multiple computers are wired for broadband Internet service.

Gates reported the availability of "smart watches," a product announced at last year's expo. These watches display sports scores, weather, and other information transmitted over FM radio, with a monthly or annual subscription to Microsoft's MSN Direct service.

Both Jobs and Gates hinted that these announcements were just the tip of their respective icebergs, which promises to make 2004 a most interesting year for technology. Stay tuned for more to come.