Like many long time Mac users and definitely, as an Apple Employee, any time we get to hear Steve speak, we look forward to walking away mesmerized and enthused. The man is a truly dynamic and captivating speaker, and has the ability to rally the troops like no other. Having worked at Apple under Scully, Spindler, Amelio and Jobs, no leadership besides that of Jobs has taken Apple forward and upward.
Yet at this years WWDC Keynote, as the press appears to have noticed as well, it was not quite 'up to par' with most of his previous speeches. Even my close friends and co-workers were surprised at the handing off of many portions of the keynote to other leaders within the company while Steve stepped back into the sidelines. Also, many have commented on his appearing thinner than usual.
I have my own thoughts on this, some echo that of the popular press and others are more 'first hand' observations.
Working at the Apple campus in Cupertino, you have the opportunity to encounter Steve on campus, and in the last couple of month's I've found him in the cafeteria as well as ended up sitting, unintentionally, within arms reach on one occasion. I had the initial 'shock' of having seen him thinner than usual, but at the same time, when put into perspective, the man's had a battle with cancer, and that can take it's physical toll, regardless of the success of the surgery or not. Also, Steve's a staunch vegan, so his resemblance to the wafer-thin checkout clerks at Whole Foods might also be based on the diet practices.
What I can say is that the times I've observed him on campus, he's always appeared to be as animated, engaged and enthusiastic as always. Sitting beside him and Jonathon Ive, one can only hope to pick up tidbits of the conversation.
WWDC is about Developers. The keynote was tailored to just that; what developers needed to know. It was not about iPods, Media Centers, Phones or all the other speculations that ran rampant before the conference. And in that context, I thought the presence of additional executives related to those areas was a good opportunity for their visibility as well.