Sorry, Children, Leopard’s Top Secret Features Aren’t Real
Yay, woohoo, Leopard has finally been announced! Two and a half years after the release of Tiger, that’s an almost Microsoft-esque timeframe by Apple’s standards. You’d expect Leopard to be something special, and, with 300 plus improvements, it must be. However, since Steve’s announcement 14 months ago of “top secret” new features, nothing has materialized to fit that billing. And it’s reasonable that the fans are feeling a little bit let down.
At WWDC 2006, on giving the first preview of Leopard, Steve Jobs promised there were still new features to be revealed that were “top secret.” The allusion was that revealing them would allow the mortal enemy, Microsoft, to copy them (at the last minute) into Vista, which was a few months from release.
In Steve’s own words, courtesy of Engadget, he said from the WWDC 2006 stage, “Today we want to give you a preview of Leopard. First I want to tell you there are some top secret features that we’re keeping close to the chest.”
A quick scour of the new features pages for Leopard reveals nothing significant above what was first shown way back in August 2006. Finder upgrade, Quick Look, Time Machine, Mail 3, iChat 4, Spaces, Safari 3, Parental Controls upgrade, and Boot Camp: these get top billing on the new features page. But if you’re feeling a bit of déjà vu, it’s because you saw all this at WWDC 2006.
Ironically, OS X’s own dictionary describes déjà vu as “tedious familiarity.” Who hasn’t felt a bit that way as Apple has continued to trumpet the same old new features?
At the same time, who isn’t feeling at least the smallest bit used? Patronized? Taken for granted? It’s rather easy to feel Steve has treated us like children, telling us there’s a tooth fairy when there isn’t, telling us whatever suits Apple without respect for its customers. By the way, if there are any children reading this, yes, of course the tooth fairy is real, and yes of course there are significant secret features in Leopard. Someone will find them. One day. Promise.
Some fans had held out hope until yesterday that Apple would deliver the promised top secret features. Sadly, I guess we just can’t believe what Steve tells us anymore.
Many commentators are suggesting Apple is becoming more Microsoft-like. The arguments center around Apple’s apparent growing disregard for its own customers. This “top secret” saga adds weight to their arguments. You get the impression Apple thinks it can tell us whatever it likes because we’re gullible, naive, and forgiving. It really smacks of Apple disrespecting its fans.
As for Leopard itself, although tempted to rush out and join the early adopters, I think this time I will wait a few weeks, probably until 10.5.1 comes out. That’s not to say Apple has any sort of track record like Microsoft’s disasters with first versions of operating systems. Rather, it says more about me being happy with Tiger and seeing no compelling features in Leopard to make me salivate and want to upgrade immediately. Maybe those missing top secret features would have made Leopard a compelling upgrade.
* Image courtesy of Engadget
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You know, my record is looking up just now and I have this funny feeling that this article really is premature, you know.
If on the other hand we were supposed to be awed and amazed by what amounts to some eye candy, then as I wrote recently in comments on some other site, Apple deserves a bit of chiding for the PR blunder and I’m surprised more people aren’t making noises about it.
Ironically, OS X’s own dictionary describes déjà vu as “tedious familiarity.”
It would be a little strange if the Oxford American Dictionary had an incorrect definition for deja vu.
What I find most insulting is the way they pad out the 300 “NEW” features with things that already existed such as “watch the latest trailers in Front Row” to name one of many.
Perhaps but if Apple actually meant what they seemed to imply by “Top Secret” features, then would it not be possible that Apple is holding this off for a future OS? I mean come on, just like Benji pointed out with the iPhone 3rd party apps, could it not be the same for Mac OS X? Did Apple ever say that these Top Secret features are going to be in Leopard?
It’s also possible that they wanted to make sure these features work very well before being released. Besides, Vista was harldy something revolutionary but they were just waiting for the worst situation. If Vista actually did good, then they would may have been pressured to release those secret featues. Just my 2 cents
Benji, I’d never considered deja vu as tedious. I’d always used the first meaning, i.e. feeling of having seen something or been somewhere before.
One top secret feature is that Leopard is running on the iPhone and iPod Touch. That’s why the iPhone SDK could only be announced AFTER Leopard, because the SDK has to be hosted natively ON Leopard as well, since Tiger is missing key Leopard APIs. What this means is that a lot of 3rd-party app development for handheld multitouch can be repurposed quickly for a tablet Mac, future notebooks, touchscreen desktops, etc. Does the larger picture start to make sense?
Now, try to imagine Vista running on a mobile phone.
Baloney. “Top Secret” was hype, sure. Jobs’ presentations always include large doses of hype - i mean, look at his usual language with all the superlatives thrown around loosely. and if you don’t see that up front and take it all with a huge grain of salt, you’re totally gullible and need some street smarts real bad. But those two words neither linguistically nor conceptually equal “amazing” or “revolutionary” etc. that is you projecting a hoped-for notion from inside your own head onto someone else’s ill-defined words. that’s your trip, not his. there are plenty of Leopard features now announced that were heretofore “secret” except to beta developers. that’s just a fact. if you want to fault Apple for exaggerated rhetorical hype for too loosely using the word “Top,” fine, i’m with you. but if you say they outright lied or betrayed, that’s just plain silly whining.
wiki server on Leopard server is pretty new to me. I mean I was excited about ical server but wiki server fills a need I have right now.
ZDF is pretty big news.
If reports of a faster finder are correct thats great.
I believe that this article is a bit premature and expecting a few hits. Mission accomplished.
And now I’m German
It wasn’t me who made a big thing of the “top secret”, Alfiejr. It was Steve. I mean, just look at that slide!
He could have played it casual and said “We’ve got some things we’re not ready to show yet.” or even “There’s some features we’re keeping secret for now.”
But no, he whooped it up with a huge slide, and the blatantly clear implication that these “top secret” features were so significant, Microsoft would try to copy them into Vista.
Here’s a refresher (that, remember, goes with that slide):
“You know, our friends up north spent over $5 billion on R&D, but these days all they seem to be copying is Google and Apple. Shows money doesn’t buy everything. Today we want to give you a preview of Leopard. First I want to tell you there are some top secret features that we’re keeping close to the chest.”
I didn’t read a single person commenting on that statment that didn’t expect something truly significant. This is not just me who projected this.
Regards being premature, I’ve been hearing that line all year, people saying “Don’t worry, Steve won’t let us down, the top secret features must be coming at [insert occassion here]”
I am coming ‘round to the idea though, that there were significant other features but they had to be cut coz they couldn’t make the October deadline.
If that’s true, then I’d expect to see them in a later dot upgrade. And then you’ll be able to say I was premature.
http://tinyurl.com/ytg5cz
“In 10 days - 10 excruciating days - I and hundreds of Mac developers and VIP users can finally speak out about that which we have sworn to hold secret.”
Hmm.
That is exactly what I meant, Chris.
I have to wonder if A. there might be ‘top secret’ features pertaining to iPhone or B. they might pertain to developer technologies.
Great link, victorpanlilio.
I’m not reading anything into that, Victor. I reckon it’s just he’s chaffing at the bit to tell the world how good Leopard is - esp compared to Vista. Apple wouldn’t leave it to developers to announce anything significant, and wouldn’t it be in Apple’s best interest (to encourage more sales), to announce any significant unknown features now?
“...and wouldn’t it be in Apple’s best interest (to encourage more sales), to announce any significant unknown features now?”
Like they announced iPod Touch? Or any of the other innovations they have launched over the past 10 years? iPhone remains one of the few exceptions to Apple’s surprisingly consistent secrecy. So why would they change form now if they do actually have more “top secret” features?
I am surprised at all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over “top secret” features that are, if they exist, still top secret. If they do indeed exist then, based on past form, I would not expect them to be announced until the product is launched. That is the Apple way.
Then again, it sure gets a lot of column inches = more free advertising. Steve’s a genius…