I think even though Jobs is really charismatic, Apple won't die without him. Of course he is not the one who comes up with all the ideas but he definitely is a great "keynoter".
But contrarily to many people I didn't dislike the Macworld keynote, even though Jobs was absent and there were no hardware revolutions. It shows Apple has many resources. iLife 09 seems great, and iWork 09 is (have it :-) ).

I know I'm not being very clear but what I mean is that beyond the whole trendiness and marketing Apple represents, this is not just a matter of image: the products keep being awesome...

i hope not. What I do want to celebrate the 25t annivesary is a 28in super iMac. 8gb ram, quad core dual nVida graphic cards, 1tb HD or 512 SSD.

PLEASE!!!

How about the obvious choice, "Yes"?

I really liked the keynote. It was not so "cool" and "professional" as Jobs'. It was clearly visible that Phil was a bit nervous. But the keynote was natural/human and Phil proved he has charisma.

The demos were good presentation of great usability of Apple software and personally I was looking forward to see some Leopard/iWork/iLife stuff than some new HW. Unfortunately Pages is still missing some features I hoped for (TOT, TOI, cross-references, ...). But it is a nice upgrade anyway.

I think the important role of Jobs today is to decide what should be developed and what should not. I think there are many brilliant people in Apple that can come with great ideas and even present Apple's product to public. But someone understanding users' needs is necessary. I hope there are some people in Apple that are learning this from Jobs right now.

Apple has the potential to kick major ass with the mac if they decide to just make cheaper products. The macs are still too expensive (in my opinion). Obviously they are extremely well made machines and the user experience is aweome, so much so that i switced from windows recently, but the only draw back are the prices. And as for Steve Jobs, no one denies that he is a very important part of Apple, i mean he practicaly saved it once. But i believe apple can survive without him. This keynote was good, almost forgot steve jobs altgether, its the products that matter, and apple has them!

I also had no problems with the keynote. The demonstrations of the new iLife and iWork features were spot on in creating desire.

Given a continual commitment to providing the ultimate user experience in personal computing the Mac lineage will still be there in 25 years.

 In another 25 years will see an increase in user mobile devices getting smaller, more feature rich and easing user functionality. At first it will be the MacBooks with more powerful processors such as up to 8 core (Intel has already announced their mobile Core 2 Quad), better graphics and larger/faster SSD (recently announced 1 TB SSD from PureSilicon). The iPhone 3G in future releases will offer video calling, longer range WIFI (possibly WIMAX or 802.11n), HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps, extended battery life (up to several days or even weeks talk time). In 25 years I see us having embedded mini super computers in our brain and using nanotechnology to both enhance our daily functions as well extend out lifespan. As Apple says "Think different" meaning think outside the box on what is possible by making your dreams a reality.

Agree, why not include the answer: YES.
Macs are superb notebooks, which you easily fall in love with.I think they will last for another 25years, moreover I think they will dominate more and more in the coming 25years. Apple RStores should spread more and more all over the world, give the world a taste of the apple, and they won't need any computers except the apples.

I also had no problems with the keynote. I love Jobs' style, but by the end I had concluded i'd come back again to hear Schiller present the company's newest and best.

Think of the "sizzle vs steak" comparison. There's no question Steve can express the sizzle like no one else. But it's the steak we're really there to find out about, and if it's good--IF it's good--then the presentation will sell itself, whether it's by Phil or an Apple Genius or one of the very skilled presenters Apple hires to run its demos at macworld.

I do have to comment on the "think different remark" above, though. I'm not so sure apple thinks differently from other companies these days. Other companies ARE making ultraportables and the specs often exceed the MBA's; companies have products with denser screens, and the list goes on and on.

Sure, Apple (and i'm a big fan) innovated with the touch screen tech in the iPhone, but it's Microsoft that's pushing the boundaries with touch screen computers. There are numerous examples including Blu Ray. You--or I--may not want every one of them, but there are companies putting those products out there for their diverse customer base, and that, i think, is thinking different. I for one hope apple steps up the pace and the imagination of both its existing product evolution and new products. THAT will keep it alive for another 25 years.

10 years from now Apple will follow the path of many formerly great American companies. It will be mismanaged and run into the ground be greedy executives, then the name will be sold to an Asian company that will make cheap and cheesy consumer products. Example: Westinghouse, RCA, Magnavox, etc.

I think Apple should start developing another manager with charisma who can pick up where Steve Jobs will end. It is not ALL Jobs' ideas being materialized, there are a ton of geniuses around there with brilliant ideas, but Apple fans seem to like the idea of a revolutionary leader(with revolutionary concepts), so the company better let one emerge...then another 25 years will be sure.

We need not copy-paste Steve here. There should come someone who would be just as accepted as SJ.

God bless

I think the market will switch around. PCs will be the small group and Apple will be Mainstream.

I believe that "Yes" Apple can survive without Steve Jobs and that by the time he leaves they will have so much money in the bank that the interest alone will keep them making money! I also see that M$ will decline and that Steve Balmer will ruin the company and then sell it of in tiny peaces. After all the have no imagination!!!

I would definitely like Apple to last another 25 years. They have already come a long way exponentially since the inception of the Apple I, and their product lines should do so in the next quarter-century. Will the Mac last? I do not know. I would like it to, but they might invent something entirely new and different to replace it.

Why do people keep saying Steve Jobs is a great presenter?

Don't get me wrong; he is not bad.

But I think it has become habitual to say he is a great salesman.

Listen carefully to his recent keynotes - his tone is increasingly less animated. He talks in a steady pace without emphasizing any particular feature.

The slide material is good. But do we believe he is the one preparing the material?

Again, he is a good presenter. But not the great salesman he is made out to be.

Absolutely. Apple is starting to pick up steam unlike any other time in its history. It'll probably reach critical mass soon and finally be real threat to PCs.

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Mike K
San Francisco personal injury lawyer