I would rate the Apple WWDC splash this year as "about average." In other words, not a lot of the unexpected, nothing really revolutionary, and not much in it for business users. The new iPhone looks nice, but the much touted speed and MMS enhancements are inapplicable or delayed on the AT&T network that all US users are saddled with; the new unibody Macbooks were a face-saver more than anything, after the story broke last week that the old white Macbook was outperforming them, and although the price drops across the product line are welcome and possibly even overdue, they aren't the deciding factor for businesses accustomed to evaluating products in terms of TCO. The iPhone encryption enhancement is important for a certain subset of business users, sure, and the built-in Exchange support in Mail is also welcome... but Exchange really only shines if you're using it with Outlook. Why buy a Mack truck and then use it only to haul your weekly groceries?

The biggest impact for business users may have nothing at all to do with Apple, and everything to do with Microsoft and Windows 7. Apple, you may recall, is also planning to release a new operating system version this year, Snow Leopard, a couple of months before Microsoft rolls out 7 in early fall. While the operating systems are as incomparable as Windows and Mac operating systems always have been on the utility and productivity fronts, they are both incremental upgrades. Neither is particularly revolutionary; both simply improve marginally on existing products already deployed and paid for.

For the privilege of moving from Vista to Windows 7 (which in any sane and logical universe would be free, as an apology and atonement by the manufacturer for having inflicted Vista upon us in the first place) you'll probably fork out around $100, based on recently leaked pricing information (enterprise licensing deals will, of course, come in at something less than that depending on the specific terms negotiated). If you happened to be moving from Leopard to Snow Leopard? Thirty bucks.

As analyst Michael Gartenberg put it dryly after the Apple announcement yesterday, "Apple's announcement is a much more realistic assessment of how an interim OS upgrade should be priced."

You have to admire Microsoft's chutzpah, though; knocked around, operating system business threatened from all angles, they're still out there demanding more money for less compelling products. You go, girl!