Apple’s Announcements From A Dealer Perspective

There were quite a few surprises in Steve Job’s Macworld keynote address, mostly by what was not announced. The long anticipated iPhone was announced, but with features far beyond what many expected. iTV got a name – Apple TV. And not mentioned in the keynote, but also released today, was a new AirPort Extreme which supports 802.11a and 802.11n in addition to 802.11b & 802.11g.

The biggest surprise is that all of these announcements, with the partial exception of the new AirPort Extreme, have everything to do with Apple’s (notably Apple, Inc., no longer Apple Computer, Inc.) iPod division and nothing to do with the Mac division. How will these new products impact independent Mac dealers?

iPhone
Mac and iPod dealers, including my employer (First Tech Computer in Minneapolis, MN, USA), will not be carrying the iPhone. It will only be carried in Apple & Cingular’s own retail stores.

Apple TV
Mac dealers won’t be automatically able to carry the Apple TV. Since it’s from Apple’s iPod division, those reseller classifications apply. iPod resellers who wish to carry it will need to meet certain criteria in order to do so. If your local Mac dealer also has an extensive line of iPods and accessories and also carries a few HDTVs then chances are they will also have Apple TV.

AirPort Extreme
The AirPort line is carried by both Mac and iPod dealers, as evidenced by the fact that the AirPort Express has long been available at Best Buy. Unlike the AirPort Express (can an update be far off?) the new AirPort Extreme does not support AirTunes, but it is a perfect companion for Apple TV.

Expected, but not announced today, were iLife ’07, iWork ’07, and a demo of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Not even a sentence was said about any of them during the keynote. These announcements, now expected to come in a separate event sometime after Macworld Expo, more directly affect the Mac.

Most likely they were not announced at the same time as the iPhone so that they wouldn’t possibly be overshadowed by it. Remember, Steve Jobs said Leopard had quite a few unannounced features, many of which likely tie in to iLife ’07, iWork ’07, and the rumored .Mac service overhaul. The new iPhone probably also ties in with Leopard’s “secret” features. Surely these deserve center stage at a soon to come Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Introduction Specail Event.