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Just one more thingB Y K R I S H R A G H A V

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs is amaster showman, andt h e “ s t e v e n o t e ” h i s

greatest spell.The colloquial term for his

annual keynote speeches, usu-ally given at events such as theannual Macworld Expo or theWorldwide Developers Confer-e n c e , s t e v e n o t e s a r e o f t e nwh ere ne w Ap pl e pr od ucts( a m o n g t h e m t h e i P h o n e ,i P o d a n d i M a c ) a r e f i r s trevealed to the world. Jobs’mastery of the presentation,h o w e v e r , t r a n s f o r m s m e r espeeches into pop culture arte-facts, and mystifies an audi-ence of largely reasonable indi-viduals into giddy, excitableconverts at the altar of per-sonal electronics.

With Steve Jobs’ health a concern, whatwill happen to the iconic ‘stevenote’? Welook at 25 years of classic presentations

Consequently, stevenoteshave a strange, almost chaostheory-like effect—stock pricesvary wildly after each presenta-tion, and much cheering andwhooping follow even the mostminor of announcements.

So, geeks and journalistsw e r e a g h a s t w h e n A p p l eannounced on 16 Decemberthat Jobs would miss Macworld2009, held from 5-9 January.There were rumours of healthcomplications and later, Jobsleft on a half-year break fromwork. Experts think this her-alds the end of stevenotes.

From all the dramatic flour-ishes, maddening suspenseand furious speculation to thepulse-quickening thrill of Jobs’trademark “one more thing...”coda, we draw up a timeline ofthe best (and rare worst) ofJobsian showmanship.

THE CLASSICS:1984 MACINTOSH LAUNCHNow a YouTube classic, the image of thebow-tied Jobs unveiling the Macintosh at anApple shareholders’ meet is a textbook exampleof sheer showmanship.

The next 13 years would be the dark ages ofthe stevenote, spent in the murky depths ofNeXT obscurity, before Jobs returned to abeleaguered and broken Apple in 1997.

1997 MACWORLD BOSTONThe return of the stevenote was anear-disaster. Jobs announced, amid muchbooing, an alliance with Microsoft (InternetExplorer became the Mac’s official browser,and in what would go down as perhaps themost disappointing Macworld launchannouncement yet, Office 98 wasannounced for the Mac).

2001 CUPERTINO EVENTIn what is now inexplicable, theoriginal iPod was launched at anondescript, oddly somnolentevent in Cupertino, California.While Jobs, with his solid,reasoned defence of the device,appeared convinced of Apple’sdecision to make a musicplayer, the audience wasstrangely silent and tepid.

2001 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOIt was a more sombre affair, withJobs concentrating on hardwareupgrades to existing laptop linesand unveiling the “Superdrive”,which could read and write DVDs.The then seemingly unimportantiTunes was also launched and Jobscalled it “the hub” of their newdigital entertainment strategy.

2003 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOThe 17-inch and 12-inchPowerbook were unveiled, anda long-standing source ofannoyance within the Maccommunity was resolved whenSafari ousted Internet Exploreras the official browser. Apple’spresentation suite Keynotemade its appearance.

2005 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOA much healthier Jobs launchedthe iPod Shuffle, and unveiledthe Mac Mini, which got loudcheers when its ultra-low price(by Apple standards, that is) of$499 (around Rs24,500 now)was announced.

2006 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOIntel CEO Paul Otellinijoined Jobs on stage toannounce Apple’s historicshift to Intel processors. Thefirst Intel Macs wereunveiled, as was theMacbook Pro, in a “onemore thing...”

2007 MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCO“This is a day I’ve been lookingforward to for two-and-a-half years,”said Jobs at the start of his 2007stevenote—proceeding to pile onthe hype and hyperbole for thelaunch of the iPhone, a device thathad been awaited eagerly for solong that journalists immediatelydubbed it the “Jesus phone”.

2009 MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCOApple announced that this wouldbe their last appearance at the cultconference. Jobs declined to speakand was replaced by PhilipSchiller, Apple’s seniorvice-president of worldwideproduct marketing. On 14 January,Jobs announced that he was goingon a six-month leave of absence.

1983 FALL SALES MEETINGJobs’ Fall 1983 stevenote at an Applesales event introduced Apple as“the force that can ensure freedomfrom an IBM-dominated world”.The now-legendary “1984”advertisement, directed by RidleyScott, was previewed and the originalMacintosh unveiled.

1998 MACWORLD NEW YORKThe 1998 stevenote was aremarkable return to form forshowman Jobs—flashy, expensiveproducts and an almost masterfulcommand of the adoring andconstantly cheering audience. Theoriginal iMac and the Powerbook G3were unveiled, and Apple’s return toprofitability was announced inperhaps the first “one more thing...”

1997­2008:1999 MACWORLDNEW YORKThe original iBook wasunveiled, with a trademarkJobsian flourish for seeminglyminor features—in this case,the laptop’s apparentlyrevolutionary “handle”.

Apple’s Airport Wirelessservice was revealed in a“one more thing...”

2000 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOThe first stevenote of the newcentury consolidated andclarified Apple’s strategy for theyears ahead. The stylish, robustOS X operating system wasshown, and the toaster-likePowermac G4 Cube was launched(it went on to become one ofApple’s rare flops).

2008 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOThe 2008 Macworldsaw logical updates toApple’s existing products;iPhone went 3G andthe Macbook Air waspulled out of a manilaenvelope in a classicJobs moment.

2004 MACWORLDSAN FRANCISCOJobs, with a ragged beard andlooking rather unwell, unveiledthe ace up Apple’s sleeve—thesmall, mid-capacitymulticoloured iPod mini—andmusic software GarageBand wasthe latest addition to the iLifesuite (which included iTunesand iPhoto).

MATTHEW YOHE

APPLE COMPUTER

FHKE

JARED C BENEDICTAPPLE COMPUTERMASASHIGE MOTOE

MARCO MIOLI/ALL ABOUT APPLE

Showstopper: SteveJobs holds up theMacbook Air atMacworld 2008.