Why is Apple Launching New Gear A Week Before Macworld: The Official No-Answer Reads Like a Zen Koan

I had a briefing with Apple on their new Xserve and Mac Pros that were released today, mid week during CES, a week before Macworld 2008. I had only one question for them after their thorough presentation on the new hardware spec: Why release new gear when the Keynote is only a few days away? Their answer won’t satisfy your curiousity, but here is the official response:

We’re very excited about these new products and we think our customers will be too, so we wanted to kick off 2008 by getting them into our customers’ hands as soon as possible. They’re both available starting today.

LOL. What does this mean for the Keynote? Are they getting the proc bumps out of the way just to make room for the sexy new designs and devices made from scratch? Only The Steve knows.