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This is an insane undertaking; what a remarkable project. Can't wait to see it when it's complete.

It is... But I would have rather seen them spend the money spent on this for R&D. What groundbreaking products have Apple released since they started building this?

Yet people seem to cheer on this, and there seems to be only two possible explanations: A) they think Apple will somehow be more magical when this is finished or B) they hope Apple will take them along as "true believers" when the spaceship departs.
 
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It is... But I would have rather seen them spend the money spent on this for R&D. What groundbreaking products have Apple released since they started building this?

Yet people seem to cheer on this, and there seems to be only two possible explanations: A) they think Apple will somehow be more magical when this is finished or B) they hope Apple will take them along as "true believers" when the spaceship departs.
You forgot explanation C: people like seeing Steve's last major idea come together; his dream realised.
 
It is... But I would have rather seen them spend the money spent on this for R&D.

But, like so many other similar posts in other threads, you're missing a rather important point: for a company of Apple's size and resources, AC2 and R&D are not mutually exclusive options. They have more than enough cash to do both.
 
You forgot explanation C: people like seeing Steve's last major idea come together; his dream realised.

Well then it was too bad that Steve's "last major idea" (I'm skeptical) would benefit no-one outside Apple's own HQ.

Yet people cheer this as if Apple was a sports team getting a new home stadium they can all visit. They are going to be disappointed...

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But, like so many other similar posts in other threads, you're missing a rather important point: for a company of Apple's size and resources, AC2 and R&D are not mutually exclusive options. They have more than enough cash to do both.

They don't have to be mutually exclusive - correct - but given Apple's recent lack of exciting developments, they clearly aren't spending enough on R&D. They could rent office space or build something more affordable, just like any other major corporation, but they choose not to. Why? Does anyone care where or how Google is headquartered? So why is this so important?
 
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I am impressed people are able to fly drones over a secure air space like Apple HQ.
It ain't Apple HQ yet.
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There was no need for this new complex at all.
There was no need to make it ring-shaped etc.. But Apple is in need of more office space, their number of employees has been growing significantly over the last decade. Right now they are renting office space all over Cupertino (and probably also a bit beyond) which also means their employees are spread over probably dozens of sites.
 
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Too bad that because of Tim Cook, Apple will be out of business before it's finished.
I think you are delusional if you believe Apple is anywhere *close* to going out of business in the next 5 years.

I remain optimistic that improved MacBook Pro's and MacPro's will make an appearance later this year, and their efforts to tighten the integration between devices will continue. It's rather upsetting to see the traditional market of video professional's being de-emphasized, but Tim Cook is making the sound business decision to "follow the money" and that means 10's of millions of iPhones and iPad's being sold each year. Hopefully there will be another few cycles of new hardware that I can use, but I will certainly understand if that never happens.
 
It is... But I would have rather seen them spend the money spent on this for R&D.
It is often said that what is limiting Apple is its ability to attract, integrate and retain human talent.
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I'm thinking its a lightweight dirt substitute?

So they can still build what appears to be a substantial hill on top of the tunnels, without having a lot of weight bearing down on them?
That is probably the main reason. To some degree it also protects the roof underneath from roots.
 
It is often said that what is limiting Apple is its ability to attract, integrate and retain human talent.

And they need this monstrosity of a campus to accomplish that!?! They must be in more dire straits than I thought. Because a "spaceship" campus is not going to be what keeps an apple engineer/designer from going to a competitor.
 
Discovery Channel (or someone) better be making a documentary about this building (like they so often do for major construction projects). These drove videos are nice, but footage from a camera crew granted access by Apple would be so much better.
 
Finished in six more months seems pretty optimistic to me

They will NOT be done by Dec 31 2016. They may not be done by dec 31 2017. The construction schedule has been unrealistic from the start and then things have gotten complicated by switching contractors mid stream.

It is a complicated building with HUGE amounts of infrastructure.
 
It is often said that what is limiting Apple is its ability to attract, integrate and retain human talent.
Not making private, illegal deals with other tech company CEOs to intentionally limit options for employees to freely move and receive more money for their work would be a good start too.
 
And they need this monstrosity of a campus to accomplish that!?! They must be in more dire straits than I thought. Because a "spaceship" campus is not going to be what keeps an apple engineer/designer from going to a competitor.
I never said that. Just that (a) lack of money is not holding them back (rather the ability to hire, integrate and retain human resources) and (b) that having most of your employees in one place is better than having them scattered over dozens of locations (as it is currently the case because they have massively outgrown their current Infinite Loop campus).
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Not making private, illegal deals with other tech company CEOs to intentionally limit options for employees to freely move and receive more money for their work would be a good start too.
That practice stopped many years ago. They've got slapped with a fine for doing so already several years ago.
 
Not making private, illegal deals with other tech company CEOs to intentionally limit options for employees to freely move and receive more money for their work would be a good start too.

Yeah. Good thing Google, Microsoft or anyone else did that. Oh wait...

Except that now that this "agreement" is over, employers can bid on employees. And with Apples massive cash hoard, they could literally suck all the talent away from other companies. They could actually cause significant harm to others product development by poaching entire teams of engineers. And if/when that happens, I'm sure NOBODY will be complaining about Apple stealing all the good talent from everyone else.
 
It is... But I would have rather seen them spend the money spent on this for R&D. What groundbreaking products have Apple released since they started building this?

Yet people seem to cheer on this, and there seems to be only two possible explanations: A) they think Apple will somehow be more magical when this is finished or B) they hope Apple will take them along as "true believers" when the spaceship departs.

Spending money on needed office space and R&D are not mutually exclusive. Apple can do both and still have an insane amount of money left in the bank.

Apple needs huge amounts of office space and has multiple large developments in progress in the Bay Area. Why do you care so much about how Apple chooses to design their buildings? Their money, their need for office space, they can design whatever they want. Might as well make it a beautiful building that meets their needs precisely while attracting the best talent.
 
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In addition to building a great place to work, it was what Steve Jobs envisioned for the future of Apple. He spoke of the need a couple years before his death at a city council meeting about the company's need for office space. Also, they earned the money, its their right to do what they wish with it within reasonable means. You got your end of the bargain from whatever product you bought years ago. If I sold you a glass of lemonade and I used the money from my lemonade stand to build a new home or renovate an existing home, isn't that my right?

Part of the major draw especially for the new generation of college students entering the work world is to have a great place to work. Microsoft started this in the 90's with the free food and sodas on campus. Google upped their game with the free gourmet food and an environment that made you feel like you never want to leave work. Others like Facebook and now Apple are doing the same. Its part of the package.

I personally will be putting in a request to at least be present at the grand opening or just request a tour.
 
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