Apple's Macworld Finale Short on Fireworks

Apple's(AAPL Quote) farewell appearance at the Macworld Expo lacked not only CEO Steve Jobs but also any of the rumored new products fans and investors had hoped they might see.

Speculation about a new Mac mini, iPhone nano and even a media server were wide of the mark as Apple focused on its iTunes store, a new ultrathin MacBook and a slew of software upgrades.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller, assuming the keynote responsibilities from Jobs pointedly stated that "today is all about the Mac" as he kicked off his presentation at the San Francisco event.

With the media and investors currently fixated on his boss's health problems, Schiller focused firmly on Apple's product roadmap, highlighting some major changes in its strategy.

Notably, Apple is introducing a new iTunes pricing model. The company will now offer three download prices, 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, whereas previously it had a flat rate of 99 cents.

Apple already offered some digital rights management-free downloads for $1.29, although the three-tier pricing strategy is a major nod to the music industry, which has long called on Apple to price its downloads based on popularity and newness.

The company also took a major step toward removing the usage restrictions on its downloads, with Schiller announcing that, starting today, 8 million songs will be offered DRM-free. By the end of the quarter, the remaining 2 million songs in the iTunes catalog will be available DRM-free, he added.

Schiller also announced that the iTunes music store is available on 3G networks, providing iPhone users the same downloads as Internet users.