So, Apple isn't going to do the whole razmatazz thing again, the European Macworld is off and Steve Jobs isn't doing the annual presentation in January. Let's get the last item out of the way first: Mr. Jobs' absence has led to a load of speculation about his health. I have no idea what's true and what isn't in this respect, but if he or his family happen to read this then I wish him all the best. Any more than that and it really isn't my business.
I do see some positives in Apple's scaling down of the annual launch, though. As regular readers of this blog will realise (hello mother!) I'm an Apple user myself, I have an iMac, an iPhone and if not for the recession and a few cancelled columns in the papers as a result I'd have a MacBook Air by now as well. I like the kit, it does the job well and it works.
I'm acute enough to realise, though, that it's just technology. It's IT kit, it's a phone or 'console with a phone attached' as Apple now considers it, but as a Microsoft executive said about Windows 95 when it first emerged, it's not a new dessert. And I treat it as such.
Which is why I'm quite pleased to see the annual or semi-annual Apple love-fest coming to a bit of an end, or at least a pause. If you have a minute, have a look at some of them. There's showbiz, there's cheering (this is a cultural difference of course, the Brits never cheer at a press conference, the presenter is trying to sell us an idea to make themselves some money, what's to applaud?) - and for what?
Other companies don't do this. Other technology companies understand that their goods are useful for productivity, entertainment or whatever else they're good for, but they're not subject to the same adoration from their fans.
Yes, I said fans. Apple makes some excellent computing equipment but the reaction of a section of the users is bewildering. I have a colleague who, in spite of Apple's own exortation that people should use an antivirus program with its systems, refuses to do so. His reasoning is simple: Apple doesn't get viruses because it's Apple. It's a view you find time and time again. Apple enthusiasts think Apple is the best just because it's Apple.
Personally I use it for convenience. I like having Windows and Mac (and Linux if I wanted it) on the same system because a program called Parallels makes that easy. And yes, by all means it looks good; I work from home and that is important to me as well as the functionality. Going along and cheering, predisposing myself to liking equipment before I've even seen it, is crazy.
So the razmatazz is going to go away? Good. I approve. Apple and its customers are going to start behaving like adults. And you know what? I think the kit is going to stand up pretty well.