Apple's Jobs fails to inspire - I must admit I was underwhelmed by Wednesday's announcements. There was nothing earthshaking, no big advances like we've seen in the past - iMac / Netbooting / AirPort.

Maybe Apple's done such a good job surprising and impressing us in the last 2 years that it's pretty much impossible to live up to that level of excitement.

Regardless, I'm bothered by how tight-lipped Apple has been about new products. I believe it's doing them more harm than good.

If they had told developers that MP macs were coming out so soon, more software could have been made MP-enabled by now. Then, these MP macs would have appealing to more markets in the short-term.

If they had told accessory makers about the new colours, they could have prepared for the transition.

If they had told WebObjects developers and sysadmins that the new G4s wouldn't be able to run OS X Server for a few months, they could have snagged the remaining supply for development and deployment needs while they waited for the update. People are complaining louder now than they would have had they had some warning.

Do you think it's important for Apple to be secretive about product rollouts? I'd love to hear a rebuttal.