Ahead of MacWorld, we always try to give readers of the print section something special to whet the appetites properly. (See "Behind the magic curtain" from 2006 and "What Jobs told me on the iPhone" from 2007, for starters.) This year, we asked a panel of former Apple employees, analysts and expert observers to answer the following questions. (We did ask some current Apple employees. They said no.)
Their edited responses will be in print tomorrow (with the full text on the site tomorrow; it runs about 6,000 words in all). But before then, have a stab yourselves at answering them. Try to be brief. You've got the advantage over the others: they replied before the Xserves and Mac Pros were released. Their advantage, though, is they know this area. Do you?
(Update: the edited answers are online.)
So:
* What do you think Apple will announce at Macworld in (a) hardware (b) software (c) services? * What do you think Apple *won't* announce (but others think it will) at Macworld? * What has been the smartest thing Apple has done in the past year, and why? * What has been the dumbest thing Apple has done in the past year, and why? * Who do you think will be Apple's most dangerous competitors in the coming two years, and why? * What would be the best acquisition Apple could make in the next year, and why? * Think forward two years, to Apple, January 2010. What do you think will be the biggest difference from Apple right now? * How important is the Mac computer line to Apple's future, as the iPod and iPhone generate more of its revenues and profits? * When do you think the next version of Mac OSX will debut? * When do you think Steve Jobs will cease to be chief executive at Apple? Any reason why? (Month/year) * Strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats is a classic way to analyze a company's position. What, do you think, are Apple's?
(A brief update: none of the respondents in the article is me or Jack, and I don't think it would add anything to have them - the people chosen have a much better focus. I've made my predictions for this year already.)
