Apple Attempts to Suppress Steve Jobs Profile Article

[dbwie]

ugh.

I'm tired of the metaphors of Apple as an extension of Steve Job's personality, the comparison of his internal organs to the innards of a Mac, etc. Come on! If people truly start to think this way, then the company will be a cult in the eyes of people! Cults are only as powerful as their ability to persuade others to follow along, even when common sense may suggest another course of action. In Apple's case, they do not have to work too hard to persuade consumers that their products are great. If and when they are no longer great, people will stop buying them, regardless of Steve Jobs presence or absence.

 

[LagunaSol]

Employing lots of people is doing harm to humanity? However they earned their money, Gates has done more charitable work than Jobs, which is to say Jobs has done none.

The poppy fields of Afghanistan employ lots of people and probably save many from starvation. Therefore, we should build statues in honor of the opium lords.

I have far less money in my bank account after my charitable contributions than Bill Gates. My charitable contributions comprise a much larger percentage of my daily living needs' budget than Bill Gates can claim. So from an affordability standpoint, I am more charitable than Bill Gates. Someone please give me a freaking medal of honor already.

The widow's mite, you see, was a far greater act of charity than the lavish donations of the filthy rich.

 

[Lastaria]

Steve is what they say. And yes there are some negative parts to his personality. But if he did not have the personality he has Apple would not be in the position it is now.

Steve is ruthless, and unfortunately major corporations need that.

I love Apple. I love that on the whole they are a nice company trying to do things in a relatively moral way and produce superior products. But I also understand the person who leads such a company needs to be ruthless to stop it being buried by other companies more prepared to take tough measures.

 

[scroto]

After a quick skim through the article they've given quite a negative view on him. Not very nice really, Steve has changed the world for the better and they are insulting him. Go make an article about Bill gates & how he has stolen everything from other companies.

Yes Steve is a perfectionist & its a good thing.

Microsoft aint perfectionists, visionaries or innovators & that is why Windows is such a bloated & Ugly operating system, they think anything will do, although they do seem to have sort of improved on windows 7, but its still not good enough well for me anyway.

What does MS have to do with this story?

 

[strike1555]

Yes, Bill G. made billions by ripping off the work of others and through illegal business practices and was "kind" enough to turn much of it back to the people (while keeping plenty left in the tank to keep him filthy rich for the rest of his existence). Wow, what a saint.

Sounds a lot like the drug cartel bosses in Columbia that build soccer stadiums (named after themselves, of course) in poor communities and are loved by the people for it.

One could say that by the way technology has been stifled by Microsoft over the years, combined with the resource-sucking (in man-hours) monster that Windows is, Gates has done far more to harm humanity than Steve Jobs could ever dream of.

Bill Gates does not impress me in the least.

Steve Jobs has stolen more technology than all of the criminals in Detroit combined. He takes things and doesn't put out. Hell, he even took somebody's liver.


I love how both you AND LTD have no response to my argument, just some strawman arguments. Try again.

Microsoft and Apple aside, Jobs has almost no philanthropy to speak of.

So what. I care about the products Apple produces, not whether SJ is trying to save the whales.

Sorry to be so blunt but the truth hurts: Bill Gates has benefited humanity much more than Steve Jobs ever has and ever will.

That may very well be true . . . if you take Windows and Windows-related products out of the mix. Ditto for the Zune, Windows Mobile . . .

Apparently you missed the part where I said "Microsoft and Apple aside"...even though you put it in bold. *Facepalm*

 

[digiguy23]

How does someone become a dictator of a company when you have other choices? The reason people rant about Apple is because of their prices. Yeah, the CEO of BMW is a dictator too, their cars cost $40,000 and over.

 

[DMann]

Yes, Bill G. made billions by ripping off the work of others and through illegal business practices and was "kind" enough to turn much of it back to the people (while keeping plenty left in the tank to keep him filthy rich for the rest of his existence). Wow, what a saint.

Sounds a lot like the drug cartel bosses in Columbia that build soccer stadiums (named after themselves, of course) in poor communities and are loved by the people for it.

One could say that by the way technology has been stifled by Microsoft over the years, combined with the resource-sucking (in man-hours) monster that Windows is, Gates has done far more to harm humanity than Steve Jobs could ever dream of.

Bill Gates does not impress me in the least.

I'd admire Bill Gate's sense of philanthropy if it weren't for one 'minor' caveat. Most of the money/grants/etc. given out by the foundation is either in the form of, or conditioned upon the purchase of windows licenses and other Microsoft products. I admire the will to give so much, but it hardly seems 'giving' when you require most of what you give to be given back.

Let the truth be told! This is all completely accurate - glad to see that he's willing to return a mere portion of the ill-begotten funds he ruthlessly extorted via MS's deplorable business practices, in an attempt to redeem his image, being completely mindful of the enormous tax benefits and write-offs granted for maintaining his charitable foundation, as well as the imposed conditions of his alleged 'benevolence.' - behind this facade, a saint he is not.

 

[tdream]

Does it take a narcissistic person to accomplish what he did?

Hell yes, read his biography. Anyone who stood in his way did not meet a kind fate. He also gave himself 80% worth of the stocks of pixar when they floated. Billions in his pocket, and he didn't get there by being Mr. Nice Guy.

 

[rtdunham]

... Steve has changed the world for the better and they are insulting him. Go make an article about Bill gates & how he has stolen everything from other companies....

i think we're far too thin-skinned here, and unfair, too.

There's a difference between reporting facts some might find less than complimentary, and insulting someone. Jobs might find some of these assertions about him complimentary, not insulting.

And before you argue gates has "stolen everything" you might think about the many start-ups that introduced neat software for Macs and were then put out of biz (or in rare cases brought into the fold) when apple "stole" the innovations and incorporated them into its own OS. That's not stealing, it's business... whether it's Mr Jobs or Mr Gates doing it.

I'm a big apple fan. I admire what Jobs has done. I don't like emotion distorting our judgements or perceptions (keynotes aside ).

There are many people under whose leadership apple could continue to excel. Let's hope we get them.

 

[jive turkey]

Gracious alive

You cannot know you want a red Corvette if the red Corvette does not exist. Products do not begin with the consumer. If they did, the consumer would become a business.

 

[rtdunham]

...unless you're diagnosed with NPD, then you're not truly a narcissist in the true term of the word, surely?

that's one of the things i love most about me.

 

[Bjohnson33]

Does it take a narcissistic person to accomplish what he did?

I think so. He might not be the nicest guy to work for, but he gets results and consistently drives his employees to make products that many consider far superior to what else is on the market. Sometimes it takes a dictator to get the desired results.

 

[phillipjfry]

I wonder how Apple "tries to discourage" profiles. My guess is a volley of lawsuits.

I could easily see Jobs as the dictator of a small nation--albeit a very fashionable one.

The first thing that comes to mind is the "future" that is represented in the movie "Demolition Man". Everything is dressed in color white, clean, and lacking of cursing.

 

[*LTD*]

Steve Jobs has stolen more technology than all of the criminals in Detroit combined. He takes things and doesn't put out. Hell, he even took somebody's liver.


I love how both you AND LTD have no response to my argument, just some strawman arguments. Try again.



Apparently you missed the part where I said "Microsoft and Apple aside"...even though you put it in bold. *Facepalm*

Still don't care.

It's easy to give when you've got billions. There are millions of people who have very little, yet who are giving of themeselves, their time, and money, every day. A lot of them can barely afford it. But they don't get any PR, and often they don't even get any thanks.

Are we supposed to be impressed that a billionaire is giving some of his money away to charity? Good! I'd expect him to do it as a matter of course. Does he want a medal for it?

That pic is wholly inappropriate to this conversation, by the way.

 

[ctdonath]

Does it take a narcissistic person to accomplish what he did?

Yes.

To pull off something on that scale involving that many employees, business partners, and customers (not to mention billions of dollars) you have to be absolutely convinced that what you are doing is right, so radiantly convinced of your own rightness that others will consent & comply out of sheer force of will, content to make flip (but always correct!) decisions that will move markets and create/destroy jobs en masse, and be able to take grand-scale failures in stride - narcissism so great it's contagious.

The trick is actually being right, and convincing enough others of it. Just being a narcissist isn't enough.

 

[gwangung]

I'd admire Bill Gate's sense of philanthropy if it weren't for one 'minor' caveat. Most of the money/grants/etc. given out by the foundation is either in the form of, or conditioned upon the purchase of windows licenses and other Microsoft products. I admire the will to give so much, but it hardly seems 'giving' when you require most of what you give to be given back.

Sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about. No conditions on Gates Foundations grants.

 

[farmboy]

That article may be old but it's even higher numbers now. The Gates have done incredible things with their money.

Microsoft and Apple aside, Jobs has almost no philanthropy to speak of.

Sorry to be so blunt but the truth hurts: Bill Gates has benefited humanity much more than Steve Jobs ever has and ever will.

And you know this HOW? Because there is no Steve Jobs Foundation or some other fund with his name on it? Nobody but Jobs knows, and you're casting aspersions with absolutely no evidence.

 

[Rocketman]

I guess my comment is a bit more nuanced than the intro text. Jobs is narcicistic. I grant that. He is vision focused to the point of being fixated, granted as well.

He does have a staff. That staff provides a feedback loop that despite appearances is listened to, has real impact, and as Steve would never admit, drives that innovation Steve "adopts".

There is value to having one guy having top level awareness of all issues related to a product. Except for very small companies, Apple may be unique in this particular feature.

As a stock company, it meets its goals of high margins and sales growth and steady stock increases, EVEN DURING A MARKET, ECONOMY, AND STOCK CRASH. That's pretty amazing.

More to the point, in the limited markets it enters, it tends to dominate and redefine. After all is said and done, that is what the people see who describe pyramids and temper tantrums. They see a visionary saying "no thank you" to mediocrity.

Long live the Jobs philosophy well after Steve becomes emeritus.

Hey Steve, I vote for the Time Machine guy for the next face of Apple, and Steve, when you get a day off, let's fly some rockets, and please bring along Woz and all the kids.

Rocketman

 

[gwangung]

And you know this HOW? Because there is no Steve Jobs Foundation or some other fund with his name on it? Nobody but Jobs knows, and you're casting aspersions with absolutely no evidence.

FYI, Jobs is on record as given multiple gifts in the $25K+ range to at least Reed College, KQED and the Audubon Society. There are probably more.

 

[LagunaSol]

I love how both you AND LTD have no response to my argument, just some strawman arguments. Try again.

What was your argument exactly?

Oh, and if you're going to post a photo of me in my Apple unitard, you could at least have the decency of posting a photo of you in your Bill Gates Underoos...

I'll nominate Bill Gates for sainthood the day he gives up his $150 million house with 24 bathrooms. Until then, he's just another obscenely rich dude giving a bunch of money in the name of legacy or good PR.

I love how both you AND LTD have no response to my argument, just some strawman arguments.

Oh, and I don't think "strawman argument" means what you think it means.

 

[GripperDon]

We know dictatorship's is effictive way to govern.

While being a dictator may be an efficient and effective way to lead it does have it dangers.

Is the dictator correct in his goals, in the case of gates, ford and jobs to sell more products, yes.

To have fair and equitable business practices, No.

They both exercised their power in ways that were no in the fair interests of the public.

Would we have the great computers or cars, we have without them, absolutely other competing ideas would have filled the vacuum of their absence.

Would we miss their charitable gifts, probably not the public may not have been robbed by their price controls on the industry.

Remember things are the way they are, because thats how they have become as a result of all the forces controlling the situation, that does not mean that the result is the best that could have been achieved.

These guys are not necessarily design paragons that were unique on that they had the timing, power and design abilities to win at the time.

Their products are not completely unique and certainly not the absolute best.

They simply won! the game as it was defined at that time.

Finally, Steve is simply a talented egomaniac that won at this time.

 

[EnderTW]

lol.

Apple fantards never cease to amaze me. It's one thing to protect a CEO of a company to the point where you support censorship, but it's an entirely different issue when you talk smack about Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.



Always classy. lol

Disclaimer: I am an apple product user but at the same time I am open minded.

 

[strike1555]

Still don't care.

It's easy to give when you've got billions. There are millions of people who have very little, yet who are giving of themeselves, their time, and money, every day. A lot of them can barely afford it. But they don't get any PR, and often they don't even get any thanks.

Are we supposed to be impressed that a billionaire is giving some of his money away to charity? Good! I'd expect him to do it as a matter of course. Does he want a medal for it?

That pic is wholly inappropriate to this conversation, by the way.

What was your argument exactly?

Oh, and if you're going to post a photo of me in my Apple unitard, you could at least have the decency of posting a photo of you in your Bill Gates Underoos...

I'll nominate Bill Gates for sainthood the day he gives up his $150 million house with 24 bathrooms. Until then, he's just another obscenely rich dude giving a bunch of money in the name of legacy or good PR.



Oh, and I don't think "strawman argument" means what you think it means.

Two posts and you STILL can't offer a rebuttal? Either give it up or admit you can't because you two spin more than Linda Blair in the exorcist. LOL!

 

[CQd44]

Disclaimer: I am an apple product user but at the same time I am open minded.

No, you're not allowed to be. >:I

 

[LagunaSol]

Two posts and you STILL can't offer a rebuttal? Either give it up or admit you can't because you two spin more than Linda Blair in the exorcist. LOL!

You have provided no argument to rebut.

LOL!