VAW: Apple 2006 Year in Review

As the last few days of 2006 pass us by, it is time to take stock of the year and look forward to what to expect in 2007. There is no denying that 2006 has been a great year for Apple. 2007 may turn out even better.

Apple introduced three new product lines in 2006: The Mac Pro, the MacBook, and the MacBook Pro. Apple retired the PowerPC-based processor and with it, the Power Macintosh G5 Tower, the iBook, and the PowerBook. 2006 saw Apple move its entire product line to the Intel processor. Beginning with the iMacs and Mac Book Pros in January, Apple continued to roll out new Intel-powered Macs all year long. The Mac minis went Intel in February, the professional Intel-powered Mac Pros were introduced in August, and Apple finally replaced the G4 iBook with the Intel-based MacBook in May.

Chip makers have run into fundamental speed limitations on today's silicon-based microprocessors. In 2006, the industry began looking for new ways to increase performance. Today's processors work smarter, not necessarily faster. Multicore computing has become the standard and Apple has followed suite by equipping its entire computer line with multicore processors, most recently incorporating the Intel Core 2 Duo in the new iMacs. In years past, multicore processors were the province of serious graphics professionals running seriously expensive high-end Macs. Now, all of us mere mortals have access to multicore Mac systems from the affordabe Mac mini to the iMac. Performance boosts in 2007 will be accomplished by a mixture of faster processors with more cores and by clever programmers able to optimize software to efficiently use multicores.

The iPod phenomenon continued to grow and drive switchers. Microsoft failed to impress anyone with the clunky, buggy, iPod rip-off called Zune. The iPod celebrated its 5th birthday on October 23. iPod dominance of the digital media market continued as Apple released the 5th generation iPod (June 2006) that was thinner than the previous 4th generation iPod with a 60% brighter, more vibrant display. Apple replaced the Shuffle with the second-generation (hinged) Shuffle in September 2006. With the introduction of the second-generation nano, released in September 2006, Apple brought back the pastel colors that made the iPod mini so popular.

Vista, Microsoft's long-awaited replacement for Windows XP slated to be released in early 2007, caused little excitement in 2006. Most considered it as a long-overdue update to the problematic Windows operating system. Mac fans argued amongst themselves about the impact Vista will have on Apple, but most agreed that its "new" features will be mostly badly-implemented OS X elements. 2005 saw the release of Tiger OS X version 10.4, but the user base found its stride in 2006, as consumers swarmed to buy the new Intel Macs. Apple's home computer market share went to 6%, a healthy improvement over past years. Apple previewed Leopard OS X version 10.5 (scheduled for release in early 2007), to an excited Macintosh community.

Hell froze over. Apple released the public beta version of Boot Camp in April. Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac, and once installation is complete, users can restart their computer to run either Mac OS X or Windows XP. The final version of Boot Camp will be available as a feature in the upcoming Leopard OS X v 10.5.

Rumors of the iPhone and iTV permeated the major Mac sites. The iPhone became elevated to near urban legend status in 2006. iPhone patents and rumors of Steve Jobs bragging about the coolness of the new device fueled the hype. Apple previewed a device codenamed "iTV" in September 2006. The company intends to release it to the market in early 2007. The device will act like a kind of home theater system manager. In 2007, the $299 set-top is meant to "complete the package" of Apple's multimedia offerings. Users will be able to download TV programs and movies from the iTunes Store and watch those multimedia files on HD television sets.

Leopard OS X v 10.5 will be released and its improved features will cause us all to wonder how we got along without it. Microsoft Vista will come out and Windows fans will think that Microsoft is ingenious. Mac users will note the stolen OS X features and sneer at how technically inferior Windows is compared to Leopard.

Apple will release the "iTV" and consumers will receive it warmly, but it won't be an immediate runaway success. The iTV will be just one more piece of the larger Apple digital strategy puzzle. It won't have the same dramatic impact as the iPod, but it will start things moving in the right direction. Given enough time, it just may change how many of us purchase and view television entertainment.

AirPort is going to get a speed boost. Currently running at 54-Mbps and based on the 802.11g standard, AirPort may soon soar to 150-Mbps using the new 802.11n standard, which will probably be finalized in Spring 2007. 802.11n combines high speed with long range, making it perfect for streaming HD-quality video around the home. Although the standard probably won't be finalized before the first iteration of iTV in early 2007, it is a sure bet that Apple will incorporate it as soon as possible.

Apple will introduce an iPhone in the next 12 months. I believe the iPhone will be a true PDA that will have all the capabilities of the iPod. It is rumored that Apple is teaming up Cingular, but at this time, it appears that rumor is just pure speculation. Other rumors circulating suggest that Apple is cozy with T-Mobile.

Bill Gates will die in a skiing accident. Steve Ballmer will be so distraught the he will leave Microsoft, thus ending his leadership of the largest software company on the planet. Again, not very likely but we can dream.

Comments:

I agree that Zune is not very good. I saw one for the first time about a week ago. If it wasn´t for the fact that Zune is from "Microsoft", it would just be seen as another bad iPod knock-off.

Toaster on Friday, December 08, 2006 at 10:36