SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc's developer conference gave investors a new opportunity to see the company at work without Steve Jobs.

The company unveiled a faster iPhone and cut prices on its MacBook Pro notebooks, relying on a team of managers to tout the products while its chief executive officer is on medical leave.

The absence of Jobs let Apple make the case that the company is built on more than one man, said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co in Minneapolis. Jobs, 54, is scheduled to return to Apple at the end of the month, though some investors expected him to make an appearance yesterday.