The World Waits

I've just finished my President's column for our local Macintosh Users' Group here in Victoria. It won't come out in print for a week or so, but because it's about tomorrow's big Apple announcement, I thought I'd post it here as well. Are we excited yet?

The world waits...

By the time you read this, we’ll all know what new magic Apple has brought to the world. As I write this, Apple fans – and a fair chunk of the tech community - are waiting with bated breath for the words from the oracle of Cupertino. By tomorrow, we’ll all know what the fuss has been about.

Will it be Apple’s version of a tablet computer? Or is it something more – destined to restructure the information landscape, just as the iMac, iPod and iPhone have done before. With each success, the legend of Apple and the remarkable ability of Steve Jobs to dominate the agenda grows more pronounced.

I don’t mind admitting I’m excited. I don’t know what Jobs will unveil, but I’m sure I’ll want one. I might not get it for a while, but I’ll certainly want it. And I suspect most of you will as well. That’s the thing about Apple and the products they create. Everyone wants them.

I haven’t always appreciated just how real the lure of the new tech product can be until I moved into the Apple realm. Not so many years ago, I was just another working guy in Toronto, stuck with using whatever computer system I had at work. I carried around a laptop, but it was always the one that the IT guys chose. I had a Blackberry on my waist because that’s what you used. It let me keep in touch with the office, keep up to date on all those reports I needed to read (or was expected to) and gave me a convenient way to catch up on emails any time I had a few minutes to spare.

But while the thrill of the new communications was intoxicating, I can’t say that I was that excited by the hardware. But then I started freelancing. I bought a PowerBook and things have never been the same. It was love at first type. The keyboard, the screen, the way it just worked. I was hooked. Later, I felt the same excitement for my first iPod and most recently my iPhone.

So I’m ready for what’s coming. It feels like we’re about to enter a new era with this tablet, or slate or whatever. Bring it on.