Macworld was a bit of an odd experience, as it was a coming out party for Apple's forays beyond the desktop. Or the laptop for that matter. And I had no idea how many companies were actually making and marketing iPod accessories! I mean, I knew there were a lot, but how many plastic sleeve manufacturers can stay in business long term?

Okay, obviously there are some things in this world that I am not meant to comprehend. Like why in any mall in America you can find a cart filled with cel phone faceplates. I mean, how many people are willing to spend twenty bucks to give their phones a leopard print faceplate?

Speaking of Leopard, where was it? Outside of a rehashed demo and a new ad taking potshots at Windows Vista, where was Mac OS 10.5? or iWork/iLife '07? Missing, and tantalizingly so. Are they waiting until after Vista gets the inevitable press rush to display the hinted at new features? Is the integration between the OS, Apps and the new iPhone so deep that you can't reveal one without the others? Is everything coming out of Cupertino going to be insanely great all year long?

Yes, the reality distortion field is in full efect. The fact that Apple didn't announce things has caused a stir among the faithful. You can debate whether or not Apple has reinvented the phone, but there's no debating that Steve Jobs is a master of manipulating the media.