[rorymarinich]

It's interesting because I agree with you, Steve does feel a little awkward on stage, and he always has. But at the same time I think he's the best corporate showman I've ever seen.

I think there are two reasons for this. First off, he's a perfectionist when it comes to timing and arrangements. Apple execs in general are pretty good at knowing what the public cares about hearing and what they'll find boring; not so with other companies, whose executives are usually hilariously awful. But even among Apple's top presenters I think that Steve's timing is particularly terrific.

The bigger reason, however, is that Steve displays a really sincere love for almost all the things he shows off (and it's very obvious on the rare occasions he doesn't like what he has to say). It seems really clear that he genuinely thinks all the things he shows off are as terrific as he says they are. It's magnetic to see somebody talk about how much they love something. It's also rare to see it coming from a corporate event.

[ugh]

“[…] and it's very obvious on the rare occasions he doesn't like what he has to say […]”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWSRgsk2oaw#t=2m45s

[grammaton]

He seems like a natural born showman because of the hours upon hours of preparation that go into each presentation:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/jan/05/newmedia.me...

[mikeryan]

I think with Steve his passion for his products is worn on his sleeve when he presents in a very natural manner, this makes up for perhaps some strange foibles when he's on stage.

Compare this to Zuckerberg, who tends to look a bit nervous and like he's trying to sell something a bit. (Note I'm not saying Zuckerberg isn't passionate about what he does, he is, but it tends not to show). Or Ballmer who looks like he's trying really hard to be passionate about his products.

[mashmac2]

Developers Developers Developers Developers :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE