Steve Jobs blows it. Again.

Sigh. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching Apple come so close to finally tying the knot, only to leave threads dangling.

I speak, of course, of yesterday’s Let’s Rock event where the apparently-not-dead (but much gaunter-looking) Steve Jobs talked at length about iTunes and iPods. And they played Jack Johnson, who is somehow the most popular male performer on iTunes to this point in history. (Yeah, I don’t get that either. Don’t get me wrong, Jack, you’re a great performer — just didn’t see that coming.)

But why — oh why! — does Apple have to continually deny us a complete entertainment experience?

I blogged about the iPhone shortly after its launch (well, I’d written the blog entry, just took a couple of months to get posted — long story) about how I felt that Apple had missed a killer opportunity. Like, as in a killing-the-competition-kind-of-killer.

I still feel that way. It’s been over a year and a half, now. And still, Apple plain refuses to pick up that ball.

Let’s review. Apple has the following in their product and service lines:

So, Steve, where is my home entertainment environment?

You’ve got all the pieces. They’re right there. Sure, with enough work I could figure it out on my own — it’s not that hard. But you’re missing a killer market here. You’re an experience-based company, for Pete’s sake! You know all about experience, because that’s what you sell.

Apple makes hardware and software. Big frickin’ deal — so do all of your competitors. But you spent the time to make them work well, and in a way that users don’t just love, you turn them into rabid fanboys. (Sorry, Microsoft, but your fanboys don’t come close.)

And while you’re at it, how hard would it be to make an app for the iPhone / iPod Touch that would allow you to flip audio/video between nodes in your house? To allow you to — literally — carry a tune from your node in your kitchen to your bedroom via your Wi-fi device (iWhatever) without skipping a beat. Video, too — so my wife can continue to watch her favourite movie in bed without missing anything.

While I’m at it, I have a couple of other requests I want to add:

C’mon, Steve. Don’t make me beg. It’s not a pretty sight.