Too much hype will hurt you

2007 Mac World SF conference will start in few hours. And the rumors are running high, actually, the rumors have been running pretty high ever since the last big Mac event (Mac developers conference?). Speculations about iPhone, iWork, iTv and Leopard have jammed Mac rumours oriented websites such as (what else can it be?) macrumors.com And God knows how many blogs, online forums are dedicated to those mostly mere speculations. Mac users, Mac admirers, Mac user wannabes and other strange people who consider Steve Jobs the ultimate American idol will go crazy whenever Apple releases a new product, opens a new store or do anything start with an "i". And Steve Jobs and Apple have done a pretty job too, they rarely disappoint their audiences (oops, I mean USERS), except for that $100 leather iPod case. (but honestly, that's not Apple's fault, nobody would thought that Apple would hold a news conference just to anouce a leather iPod case and a funny looking speaker, right? )

So far, this fanfare has been doing Apple more good than bad. We've seen iPod turning from just another MP3 player into some kind of fashion statement and then into some kind of world phenomenon. Mac OS X has become the new Linux (and Ubuntu the new Mac OS), MS' number one nemesis. A lot of people I know either have bought (at least) a Mac computer or/and (at least) an iPod or are considering buying one (me for one is considering buying a ng Mac mini)
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But this could all change. Have too much expectations on something could lead to either high satisfaction when the expected results are delivered or big disappointment when expectations are not fulfilled. Just imagine this, rumors about a iPhone have been around for more than a year, every time Apple is going to announce something, anything, people will say .... "They are going to release iPhone, they are going to release iPhone!", and each time when it is not released, this just build up the expectation. Now i think it has reached a stage where people won't be totally happy, if Steve Jobs announces anything that is not truely revolutionary. Putting iTune in a cellar phone won't do it, a brick sized mobile phone with iPod look interface won't do it either. Not releasing it .... I am not sure how long this can be considered an option. Honestly, i won't be surprised if there are people taking their lives for Steve Jobs not announcing an iPhone this time around.

One might argue that this fanfare is not built by Apple or encouraged (directly) by Apple. That might be true, but at least Apple and Steve Jobs should have kept users expectation to a reasonable level. Instead, Apple and Steve Jobs have been (maybe unintentionally) inflaming the speculations. This could really backfire.

... well, enough said. With 2007 Mac World SF starting in a little more than 5 hours, let's see how Steve Jobs and Apple will meet Mac fans expectations this time.
P.S I do hope they will announce a Media Center Mac Mini. And ... a Mac smart phone with PDA would be cool too :-)