Macworld 2009: Pre-show countdown

January 04, 2009 at 10:01:39 PM, by Travis Simon

Here comes the 2009 Macworld Convention and Expo in sunny San Francisco...but it has a swift bitter taste to it this time around...with a much larger question running through my head...

Ah, its that time of year again. Supplementing the new year for all us techno-gadget aficionados comes the 2009 Macworld Convention and Expo in sunny San Francisco...but it has a swift bitter taste to it this time around.

Everyone knows that with the announcement that Jobs will not be in attendance and handing off any sort of new innovation announcements to Vice-Presidential duties makes it a glum sounding convention. It's that blow to a spark and interest that has carried Macworld and Apple through lofty gains of cult following and marketing. It's almost unthinkable to most that the Steve P. Jobs of Apple is NOT to hand out trophy products or software for all in attendance to “ooo” and “ahh” over. It's the comeback-kid story of 1997 that brought Jobs back at the helm and into the reigns of an up-coming marketing and product phenomenon which feels like a losing memory now.

Also right up there with a blow to the user community is the announcement that that this is to be Apples last fully 'involved' venture with the independent show, moving forward in the ranks of progress to independently launch it's own product and chiefly pursue a new way it will be marketing it's products and software. It's actually not a big surprise to me, with such a cult following, they could put on their own trade show and the outcome and following would still be tremendous. They have taken the “believe in us” concept and perfected it's outward appearances and marketing with pin-point accuracy – making innovation and profit synonyms like ipod and iphone related to everyday life.

With that all said and out of the way, Macworld this year will still prove to be a hopping place, with over 450 exhibitors lining the trails through Moscone Center in San Francisco, and I'm here to report on it. Good or bad, I'm excited to see the rumor mills and soft buzz around possible announcements from the Macworld. Talks heading straight into the bay sound hopeful that the new OS titled “Snow-Leopard” will be announced and demonstrated, and that there will be a iphone “nano” like device as well. Looking at the current rehash into the iphone development with it's upgrade in speed, what sort of time line are we expecting for a roll out of a competitor to an already featured phone? What would be so stripped down on it? I'm curious to see if they plan on making the phone itself smaller, or just the feature set – or if this is all just a hogwash rumor. And what about those fancy ventures into the netbook arena?

Although highly unlikely unless the segment can prove itself, my personal and only educated guess is that we won't be hearing much about any specific product for that category, but perhaps we'll see a few innovations regarding that topic later in the year. Why? Studying the grasp behind Apple's refusal to “follow” - they've carried innovation and product launches that separate themselves from the segment. Entering an already flooded market and little to no innovation behind a product based on the netbook standards wouldn't leave the company much hope for survival. With the Macbook Air – there isn't much left to be thinned down and how much smaller would the company put the available ports and battery life on a object – especially with current PC based netbooks carrying better battery life, more ports and features at a considerably lower cost – at nearly the same performance aspect? Now, I'm not saying we won't see a fully-featured netbook EVER from Apple, but perhaps a new line-up to the macbook Air...although, I'm not sure what they have up their sleeve that would be comparable in nomenclature for less than “air”.

So, with that all said and done, I'm looking at the line up on the list to report on, and it still looks good. Am I sad that the rumors that Jobs won't be there are looking to be true? Of course. Am I a little wary on Apple's backlash to it's 'standard procedure' for attending and showcasing at the current Macworld setup? You bet. But above this all, 2009 marks a new venture into how a vital and competent company in technology and innovation is seeking ways to hit us with just that – technology and innovation. Am I worried that they won't succeed? Not really. Am I a little surprised? Not at all. I'm just keeping the focus on what this really means for the company – if Job does decides to leave (on good or unnatural terms) this year – he will be leaving behind a legacy. A legacy that I'm proud to know and follow. And what the real story will be if it's announced this year in San Francisco... is who's going to be filling the shoes for the current President of our beloved Apple?

Peter Oppenheimer - Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President

Peter Oppenheimer is Apple’s senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer. In his capacity as CFO, Oppenheimer oversees the controller, treasury, investor relations, tax, information systems, internal audit and facilities functions. He reports to the CEO and serves on the company’s executive committee.

Oppenheimer started with Apple in 1996 as controller for the Americas, and in 1997 was promoted to vice president and Worldwide Sales controller and then to corporate controller. Oppenheimer joined Apple from Automatic Data Processing (ADP), where he was CFO of one of the four strategic business units. In that capacity, he had responsibility for finance, MIS, administration and the equipment leasing portfolio. Prior to joining ADP, Oppenheimer spent six years in the Information Technology Consulting Practice with Coopers and Lybrand where he managed financial and systems engagements for clients in the insurance, telecommunications, transportation and banking industries. Oppenheimer received a bachelors degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo and an M.B.A. from the University of Santa Clara, both with honors.

Timothy D. Cook - Chief Operating Officer

Timothy D. Cook is Apple’s chief operating officer and reports to Apple's CEO. Cook is responsible for all of the company's worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also heads Apple's Macintosh division and plays a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace. Before joining Apple, Cook was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory. Previous to his work at Compaq, Cook was the chief operating officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics.

Cook also spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as director of North American Fulfillment where he led manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM’s Personal Computer Company in North and Latin America. Cook earned an M.B.A. from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.

Daniel Cooperman - Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary

Daniel Cooperman is Apple's chief legal officer, reporting to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Cooperman is responsible for Apple’s legal department, including worldwide legal policies, corporate governance, securities compliance, mergers and acquisitions, commercial licensing, intellectual property, employment law, litigation, patent law and legal support for Apple’s various business units. Cooperman also manages Apple’s Government Affairs and Global Security groups. Cooperman joined Apple from Oracle Corporation in November 2007, where he served as General Counsel for nearly 11 years. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Business Software Alliance, a trade association in the software industry. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Committee of Corporate General Counsel and is on the Advisory Council for the Law, Science and Technology Program at Stanford Law School.

Prior to joining Oracle, he was a partner with the San Francisco-based law firm of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen (now known as Bingham McCutchen), and served as chair of the firm’s 65-lawyer Business & Transactions Group and managing partner of the San Jose office. Cooperman graduated summa cum laude with highest distinction in economics from Dartmouth College in 1972, then attended Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and School of Law, receiving both his M.B.A. and J.D. from Stanford in 1976.

Philip W. Schiller - Senior Vice President - Worldwide Product Marketing

Philip Schiller is Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing and reports to Apple’s CEO. Schiller is a member of Apple’s Executive Team and is responsible for the company’s Product Marketing, Developer Relations, and Business Marketing programs. Since rejoining Apple in April 1997, Schiller has helped the company return to its role as a technology innovator, delivering breakthrough products such as the iMac, MacBook, Airport, Xserve, Mac OS X, Safari, AppleTV, iPod and iPhone.

Schiller has over twenty four years of marketing and management experience including seventeen years at Apple in various marketing management positions. Prior to Apple, Schiller served as Vice President of Product Marketing at Macromedia, Inc. of San Francisco, CA; as Director of Product Marketing at FirePower Systems, Inc. of Menlo Park, CA; as an Information Technology Manager at Nolan, Norton & Company of Lexington, MA; and as a Programmer and Systems Analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Schiller graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Boston College in 1982.

Scott Forstall: Senior Vice President, iPhone Software

Scott Forstall is senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple. Reporting directly to the CEO, Forstall leads the team responsible for delivering the software at the heart of Apple's revolutionary iPhone including the user interface, applications, frameworks and the operating system.

Forstall joined Apple in 1997 and is one of the original architects of Mac OS X and its Aqua user interface. He was responsible for several releases of the operating system, most notably Mac OS X Leopard. Prior to Apple he worked at NeXT developing core technologies. Forstall received both a Bachelor of Science in Symbolic Systems and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Jonathan Ive Senior Vice President, Industrial Design

London born designer Jonathan Ive is the senior vice president of Industrial Design at Apple, reporting directly to the CEO. Since 1996 he has been responsible for leading a design team widely regarded as one of the world’s best.
Recognized with numerous design awards, Apple products are featured in the permanent collections of museums worldwide including MOMA in New York and the Pompidou in Paris.

Ive holds a Bachelor of Arts and an honorary doctorate from Newcastle Polytechnic. In 2003 he was named Designer of the Year by the Design Museum London and awarded the title Royal Designer for Industry by The Royal Society of Arts.

Ronald B. Johnson - Senior Vice President – Retail

Ron Johnson joined Apple as senior vice president in January 2000. Reporting directly to the CEO, Johnson leads Apple's retail strategy and is responsible for its overall execution and performance. Under Ron's leadership, Apple has opened over 200 stores to date. Johnson has over 20 years of experience in retail and merchandising as well as a strong track record for delivering consistent year over year growth for billion-dollar companies.

Before joining Apple, Johnson held various management positions at the Target Corporation, most recently as Vice President of Merchandising for Target Stores. In this capacity, Johnson presided over a successful period of growth at Target, playing a key role in developing new initiatives for branding, marketing and merchandising. He led the team responsible for launching the Michael Graves exclusive line of products, as well as the addition of other key brands to the store’s selection. Johnson received his M.B.A. from Harvard and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University.

Bob Mansfield Senior Vice President, Mac Hardware Engineering

Bob Mansfield is senior vice president of Macintosh Hardware Engineering reporting to Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer. Mansfield joined Apple in 1999 and oversees the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough Mac products including the MacBook Air and the all-in-one iMac line.

Prior to joining Apple, Mansfield was vice president of Engineering at Raycer Graphics, which Apple acquired in 1999. Previously, Mansfield was a senior director at SGI, responsible for the development of various microprocessor designs. Mansfield earned a BSEE degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1982.

Bertrand Serlet - Senior Vice President - Software Engineering

Bertrand Serlet is Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, and is responsible for leading Apple's Software Engineering group. Serlet reports directly to the CEO.

Serlet joined Apple in 1997, and has been a key player in the definition, development and creation of Mac OS X, the world's most advanced operating system. As vice president of Platform Technology, Serlet managed the largest part of the Mac OS software engineering group. Before joining Apple, Serlet spent 4 years at Xerox PARC, then joined NeXT in 1989. Serlet holds a doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Orsay, France.

Sina Tamaddon - Senior Vice President – Applications

Interesting enough, Apple doesn't list his creditials or whereabouts on their page...so, enough mystery clouds this potential into another “what in the world is Sina Tamaddon up to?”

So, I ask you LaptopLogic readers – amongst those listed above, who do you feel will truly be the big announcement handler at this years 2009 Macworld and moving forward if Steve Jobs does decide to retire?

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