Apple thrives despite Jobs being away
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2009 was a year for the record books for Apple.
Besides recording three of the most profitable quarters in company history and ending the year with $36 billion in the bank, Apple had its biggest iPhone opening weekend ever this summer.
his first public appearance since his return
from medical leave.
And most of this happened without Chief Executive Steve Jobs. Last year's questions over his physical appearance were answered when he announced in late January he'd be taking a leave of absence to deal with a medical problem that he found out was "more complex" than a hormone imbalance. Jobs declined to be more specific about his condition, which led to discussion of how much of executives' private lives we should be privy to. By late spring it was revealed he underwent liver transplant surgery. Chief Operations Officer Tim Cook handled the reins for six months. By July, Jobs was seen back on the Cupertino campus. His first public appearance came a short time later at Apple's September iPod event.
Like most years, 2009 was punctuated by a series of signature Apple product launch events, though this time the majority were simple refreshes of hardware. In software, Apple saw the release of the latest iteration of its operating system, Mac OS X 10.6, a refreshed iTunes 9, and an updated iPhone OS--now with copy/paste and multimedia messaging. And as has been true for each of the past two years, the release of the iPhone 3GS was a spectacle in itself.
Meanwhile, developers have flocked to Apple's mobile platform, with more than 100,000 apps currently available in the App Store. But Apple's gatekeeping policies have tempered excitement for some developers. Early in the year those creating applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch began complaining about a lack of transparency in the App Store review policy. Grievances regarding Apple's inconsistent practices, lack of communication, and playing favorites grew more vociferous as the year wore on. The last straw seemed to be when Apple rejected Google Voice, the popular service from its one-time close partner, prompting the FCC to get involved. As a result, Apple was forced to open up a bit and we got a glimpse of how the App Store review process works.
That wasn't the only word the federal government wanted to have with Apple. Along with several other Silicon Valley giants, Apple was accused of agreeing not to hire each other's employees and a Department of Justice investigation is still ongoing.
In other legal news, Apple wrapped up its suit against Psystar. The Florida-based company was found to have violated Apple's copyright in selling Mac OS X preinstalled on non-Mac hardware, and the two came to a preliminary settlement. But a new drama unfolded with smartphone competitor Nokia, which sued Apple for not paying royalties on a copyrighted smartphone technology.
Unfortunately for the most passionate of Apple fans, two of the year's most anticipated products from Apple never came to fruition. Looks like we'll have to wait until 2010 to see if the mythical Apple tablet or the Verizon iPhone finally appear.
--by Erica Ogg
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- Stellar year for Apple that is for sure
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- The real tech story for 2009 was **********, which easily outperformed everyone else in the sector, including Apple. As of today Amazon is up 158.95% YTD, and they did that without breaking a sweat.
Of course you won't read about this on CNET. - Reply to this comment
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- To think Jobs was completely absent and not involved is incredibly foolish. Make no mistake he was involved in Apple in 2009.
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- I'm not a huge fan of Apple, but they did a great job with Steve Jobs sidelined. I am eagerly awaiting this tablet if it is legit.
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- I used to come to this site for tech news, but now I am starting to look at other sites. My chief complain is that this site acts like Apple marketing arm. There is a new article on Apple everyday even if it is a non-news or just rumor.
I have nothing against apple products (especially since I use them) but if I wanted to read everyday how great they are, I would go to apple.com.
Hope they get new people or they change their direction soon. - Reply to this comment
- Very nice page CNET
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- When are the "non-glasses needed" 3d tvs coming? Assuming that Nintendo has the technology to make them in games, aren't the major tv manufacturers trying to catch up?
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- I finally experienced the 3D TV at Best Buy and I'll admit it's pretty cool. But man are they kinda exspensive.....My only question is why do I ahve to buy $150 3D YV glasses when I can just use the ones I got from Avatar? Isn't it the same?
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- Great line-up/review C-Net!
3D television rocks, 3D glasses suck!
I can wait....... - Reply to this comment
- I am not sure if I understand. How are 3D titles "exclusive" to these televisions?
You mentioned Coraline (Samsung) and Avatar (Panasonic). Are you talking about DVDs, some sort of widget or something else? Won't one 3D DVD (through a PS3 or equivalent) work on all 3D televisions? How does exclusivity play into the equation? - Reply to this comment
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- I am not sure if I understand. How are 3D titles "exclusive" to these televisions?
You mentioned Coraline (Samsung) and Avatar (Panasonic). Are you talking about DVDs, some sort of widget or something else? Won't one 3D DVD (through a PS3 or equivalent) work on all 3D televisions? How does exclusivity play into the equation? - Reply to this comment
- Why are you sure this feature is here to stay, if as you say, consumers have shown a reluctance to buy the sets? A consumer does the simple math of adding the number of proprietery glasses necessary for the household to see 3D to the cost of the TV because that's what it really costs to see the effect. And how many times can you watch Coraline or Avatar before you scream?
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- Samsung PC50C8000 seems to be a step up from 7000 series. How would you rank the 8000 series?
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- I enjoy 3D movies in the theater but I'm just not interested in 3D televisions. From what I have seen from looking at the demos in Best Buy the picture looks somewhat dim or the color not as vibrant. Also I don't want to wear glasses. I'm shopping for a new television for my home theater and I'm not even considering 3D sets.
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- 3D is still just a gimmick. If I had to pick a venue to watch in 3D, it would be at the theater where the screen takes up a significant portion of your peripheral vision. I've watched it at stores on the biggest screens they have, 55 inch, and one just doesn't get the 3D kick of a movie theater screen. I want to see a movie in 3D on an Imax screen. That ought to be awesome.
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- Having viewed all the above sets except the LG, I think you do a disservice to the Samsung PNC8000 series by saying its the same as the 7000. Its black levels are very close to those of the Pannasonic and on a different league compared to the 7000. Not to mention the extreem reduction in abient light refection and improved power consumption.
I am not sure about the other manufacturers but the Samsung PNC8000's firmware is also upgradable. - Reply to this comment
- why didnt you compare the samsung un55c9000? it was out in July...
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- The Panasonic VT25 is the best tv i've ever seen. It's 2D picture is amazing, 3D picture is awsome. The Panasonic G25 is the best non 3D tv in the game, It has an identical picture to the vt25 with out the 3D. O yeah and by the way HH Gregg is the best Electronics store in the country, I went to the one in Daytona Beach, FL I worked with a great salesam named David he was very professional, as was the rest of the staff, not to mention the great deal they gave me. I got the VT25 for $500.00 less than Best buy had it for. If you live near an HH Gregg you need to go there.
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- Why are all the specs for the Panasonic TC-PVT25 series "unavailable"? I mean, it's the Editor's choice for best TV, don't you have the information for it?
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- I bought the Samsung LCD 3D LN46C750 not for the 3D feature, but for the great 2D picture image and features. My previous set was a Samsung Plasma, this set is hands down better, black levels as good as the plasma and 25lbs lighter. Avatar Blu-ray is amazing in 2D HD.
My favorite features on this set, extensive picture controls, running downloaded Youtube videos from a flash drive, image and sound are great and finally Netflix in HD, I was suprised how good it was.
Some installed apps not as good as PC version, an external keyboard option would have improved the experience. - Reply to this comment
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