大象传媒

bbc.co.uk Navigation

Rory Cellan-Jones

Did Steve Jobs deliver?

  • Rory Cellan-Jones
  • 15 Jan 08, 18:59 GMT

We had a big row - or rather a reasoned debate - in our morning editorial meeting about whether Apple deserves quite as much coverage as it gets. A leading economics journalist pointed out that the Ford Focus is a much bigger seller than the iPhone - but gets much less coverage. I felt the Focus was just a car 鈥 while the iPhone heralded major change in a whole industry

But we all agreed that Steve Jobs would have to come up with something pretty special to justify news of his keynote spreading from our web journalism to mainstream TV and radio bulletins.

So Darren and I trooped into the venue where journalists from across Europe were watching the relay from San Francisco and assessed each Jobs announcement for real news value as it happened.

First new product is Time Capsule 鈥 a wireless storage device 鈥 designed to be a companion to Time Machine, the Leopard feature which allows painless back-up of your data. Nice but not newsworthy.
So news value: 2/10

Then there is iPhone news - 4 million sold in 90 days. Pretty good, and makes the target of 10m sales by end of 2008 look very achievable. A few software updates for the phone, including the ability to locate yourself in Google maps and customise your home screen. And, at last, you鈥檒l be able to send an SMS to more than one person at a time. Ipod Touch will also get new features, including Mail 鈥 but existing users will have to pay for upgrade. Again, cute stuff for existing users, but not a breakthrough for anyone else.
News value: 3/10


Now the first big one 鈥 an iTunes announcement. Jobs admits he鈥檚 disappointed with sales of movies, and announces a deal with all the major studios to rent movies online- to watch on your computer, your iPod or your TV. To make this easier, there鈥檚 a new version of the rather limited set-top box Apple TV, though it still lacks the browser which would make it a more complete IPTV device. This is important because it opens a new front in Apple鈥檚 battle to be as big in digital video as it is in music. The rentals start now in the US, later this year elsewhere.
News value: 7/10.

Now we finally get to hear what is behind the keynote slogan 鈥渢here鈥檚 something in the air鈥. 鈥淭oday we鈥檙e introducing a third kind of notebook 鈥 the MacBook Air.鈥
The slimmest portable computer you can imagine, produced out of an envelope by Steve Jobs to a chorus of oohs and aahs. He shows off the multi-touch. Well, yes, this is a beautiful piece of kit and a masterpiece of miniature engineering 鈥 and doubtless devoted Macheads will be storming the Apple stores. But is it hot news that a computer company has introduced a new and pretty expensive computer 鈥 even if it is thinner than any other? Not really.
News Value: 6/10

But is there going to be 鈥渏ust one more thing? No. And that leaves us just ever so slightly underwhelmed. A solid range of new products - but this was not an iPhone year.

Maybe it鈥檚 time to look at that Ford Focus鈥

Darren Waters

Awaiting Apple

  • Darren Waters
  • 15 Jan 08, 15:59 GMT

The 大象传媒 hasn't got the budget to send anyone to San Francisco - and we don't accept free flights - so we're covering the keynote from London.

Luckily, the entire event is being beamed to journalists at TV Centre, so I only have to walk a few yards to attend.

We'll be rounding-up the key news on the .

But if you really have to know the very second Steve Jobs utters anything newsworthy, you can't go far wrong visiting The Unofficial Apple Weblog's or Engadget's always entertaining

See you on the other side.

Rory Cellan-Jones

Facebook - buy or sell?

  • Rory Cellan-Jones
  • 15 Jan 08, 12:42 GMT

Darren鈥檚 entry about those impressive social networking numbers got me thinking about my own relationship with Facebook 鈥 and what that said about its prospects. It鈥檚 been pretty intense, indeed obsessive according to some friends and relatives, but I have noticed in recent weeks that annoying applications (vampires, virtual fish, hugs 鈥 just leave me alone) and worries about privacy are dulling my enthusiasm and that of some friends. Perhaps it鈥檚 not for the more mature networker after all 鈥 but I鈥檓 reluctant to head for the SagaZone and leave Facebook to its core audience of twenty-somethings.

Mind you, its twenty-something founder Mark Zuckerberg is betting an awful lot on the growth continuing. This week he insisted there would be no IPO in 2008. Mark 鈥 take some advice from someone who watched the last dot com bubble inflate and then burst. Sell up now 鈥 you鈥檙e never going to beat that $15 billion valuation which Microsoft put on the business when it bought a small stake last autumn.

I explored some of these issues in a report for Radio 4鈥檚 Today programme. Unfortunately it was broadcast at 0623 on New Year鈥檚 Day, so you might just have missed Toby Young (author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) revealing just how superficial friendship can be on Facebook. Click here to listen again.

Darren Waters

The value of social networks

  • Darren Waters
  • 15 Jan 08, 11:02 GMT

Think social networks are a waste of time? Think again.

According to a report released today by market research firm Experian, social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace now account for one in every five net page impressions in the UK.

Facebook logoThat's a lot of activity. I had begun to find my enthusiasm for Facebook waning somewhat, but that might just be because I'm too old.

The report also says that younger users are starting to use social networks to communicate rather than using e-mail.

It states: The top 25 social networks accounted for 5.21% of all UK Internet visits in November 2007, compared to 4.92% for e-mail services, which include Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail and Google Mail.

Experian is predicting the rise of the "super advocate", a person who has a huge online following and influences
others through their actions and opinions.

Does that sound like you? You may be interested to know that Experian believes companies will quickly need to identify these super advocates and "use everything at their disposal to keep these key influencers on side".

Hmmm. Does that sound like bribery to you?

You can read more .


The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

大象传媒.co.uk