| More evidence for a Keynote 2.0 on the way? | | Date Created: 25 Nov, 2004, 01:35 AM |
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A few days after Steve Jobs' Keynote introducing the U2 iPod and iPodphoto, I blogged some thoughts about his presentation likely using Keynote 2.0, given the previously unseen effects and transitions.
Many visited the blog entry, including an astounding large number of European Mac users, and MacRumours readers.
There was overwhelming hope that indeed Keynote 2.0 would be released, leapfrogging Powerpoint 2004, and taking advantage of OS X 10.4 (Tiger) Core Video features.
Some added to the rumours by suggesting that they had firm evidence that Keynote 2.0 was in the MacWorld San Francisco showbag, while others believed the features I blogged were in fact part of Apple's Motion, which has just received its first update.
Now I want to present more evidence, much of it circumstantial, rather than eyewitness or from rumour sites.
First, go to Apple's own page here, and note how there is a new Keynote online seminar series being offered by Apple.
You need to go through a registration process, but once there you are presented with an overview from website developer and Apple Senior Product manager Alan Eyzaguirre, who appears in an intro. Quicktime video of either 54 or 72MB, depending on the screen size your prefer.
(Eyzaguirre has written a Forward to Erik Holsinger's book, Presenting Keynote: The Insider's Guide to Creating Great Presentations. Available here at Amazon.)
Then follow six chapters each with loads of copy, and a medium sized Quicktime movie to illustrate each point made.
Now it seems to me that if Apple is to "orphan" Keynote, as some have suggested since it hasn't been upgraded for years, it would cease to promote Keynote this way.
Now before you think me naïve, please go visit another location on Apple's own site, this time its Keynote Design Winners page here. Back in June 2004, Apple opened a "Present your Passion" contest, asking Keynote users to submit "presentations on the things they love the most".
The contest has been decided, and the Grand Winner was Making Meg's Cards, by Meg Spoto. Apple has done well by allowing it to be downloaded as a 62MB Quicktime movie here, or an actual 87MB Keynote (.sit) file here.
1st place was "This is Holy Land" by Cathy Carter (a Native American ode), and the 2nd place was Pennies by David Joyce, a cute ode to the American penny. Again, these are both available at the main page as Quicktime and Keynote files, of maximium size of 44MB.
I dowloaded these and the honorable mention presentations (viewable as embedded Quicktime movies), and there is a very broad variety of styles, subjects and techniques employed.
Do note that some of the Keynote shows require certain fonts to be installed and will not reproduce correctly if substitute fonts are needed. Fortunately, the Keynote application tells you in advance which fonts you will need to locate and install.
As a keen, and dare I see accomplished and inventive Keynote user, I take my hat off to those whom Apple acknowledged. It would be very interesting to see if the average Windows Powerpoint user would pick them as a slide show, or some special expensive multimedia package.
However, once you watch a few of them, you do get to see Keynote 1.0's limitations in terms of its small number of transitions and movements, despite their very clever use by the winners. The same effects used repeatedly begins to tally, and make me for one cry out for more of those effects shown at the U2/iPodphoto Keynote last month.
But apart from that, the graphics, movie and font usage is outstanding and will evoke admiration from even experienced Keynote users, and validate those who have stayed with the product, despite the advances seen in Powerpoint 2004. It will certainly stimulate users to think again about how they use Keynote.
Again, the presence of this Winners' page is more circumstantial evidence of Apple's faith in Keynote. That and the fact that it is also still part of the .Mac learning centre Apple page here (albeit mentioned last after Garageband) means that I am even more hopeful of seeing a new version released at MacWorld in 6 weeks!
Yes, all circumstantial but hey! People have been found guilty of murder on that sort of evidence! (Link requires free rego.)
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