An Open Letter to Steve Jobs

Dear Steve,

Glad things are going so well for you and Apple these days. I’ve been a big fan(boy) for many years, and have been an unpaid evangelist for Apple and your wonderful products. I had been waiting for so many years for an Apple sub notebook that I cried tears of joy when you launched the iPad. And yes, I drove from Toronto to Buffalo NY so I could line up and buy one on the first day.

I travel a fair bit for work, and the joy of ONLY carrying this svelte little beauty put me right over the top. For 6 months I’ve travelled light like a Ninja with my iPad… until I had to give a very important presentation recently. But, let me backtrack a minute. I’ve loved Keynote for a long time, and used it excusively over the last 5 years to create presentations. And I’m one of the few people (aside from you and your team at Apple) who really GET why creating a touch-based version of The iWork suite will prove to have been such a significant accomplishment in the software world.

OK, back to my big presentation. Like you, I walk around when I give a presentation, and rely on a small remote control (way smaller than iPhone) to advance my slides. Being untethered is so important to me as a presenter, I carry two remotes and extra batteries just in case… I will never give another presentation without a remote.

While its GREAT to show presentations directly on the iPad for one or two people, and it’s great that you can output directly to a projector, IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME THAT YOU WOULD CRIPPLE IPAD KEYNOTE PRESENTERS BY NOT SUPPORTING REMOTE SLIDE ADVANCEMENT. You generally show a deep love for your customers and their experience with your products. How is it possible that you missed this important aspect to giving a presentation (even though you acknowledge this need by offering Keynote Remote app)? I can only assume that you did it on purpose.

For a company that says “its better to cannibalize yourself than have the competition do it” you better not have done it to force me to replace my aging MBAir with a shiny new 11″ MBAir (which I did). If you did, shame on you. What i really want is to walk into a presentation, hook up my sleek iPad, and proceed to wow the crowd with both my brilliant presentation and your brilliant technology – WHILE I WALK AROUND THE ROOM.

Please correct this injustice immediately. If you haven’t done so by the time of the next Annual General Meeting I may just show up to ask you in person.

Sincerely,
Fred Illies