Reversion Revolution

Eleven days earlier and a little more than five months after e-mailing his employees to announce (on an iMac, he noted) that he had undergone surgery, Jobs delivered a robust, two-hour keynote previewing Apple's new line of software for managing digital photos, video, music, and desktop applications before thousands of acolytes at the Macworld show at San Francisco's Moscone Center. That portion was predictable. Apple had always featured straightforward software that was easy to use. What the crowd came to see was what those gathered outside the Apple store wanted to buy - the new 6.5-inch square and 2-inch tall $499 Mac Mini and the matchbox size iPod Shuffle, a $99 version of the market-dominating iPod.

To many, these two products were the most important releases from Apple in nearly a decade. Though less robust than their older cousins - the iMac G5 desktop and iPod - they represented a hoped for Apple revolution, one that Apple romantics, of whom there are legions, might call a Reversion Revolution.

"As I watched Steve deliver his latest keynote, I was reminded of the reasons I came to the Silicon Valley," says longtime friend Roger McNamee, a venture capitalist who helped launch dozens of technology companies. "What's so cool about him is that he is totally consumed by the experience someone has with his products. This is uncharacteristic of his peer group."

Click above to read more...