Apple CEO Tim Cook Pokes Fun at Windows PCs in Commencement Address at MIT

[Macaholic868]

The harder I work, the luckier I seem to be.

Life, at any moment, can throw you a curve ball that can destroy everything you have and/or derail any potential of success no matter how hard you work.

There are countless individuals who are responsible for your success that you're lucky to have had in your life even if you never knew them. Your family, our founding fathers, those soldiers who came before you who have given their lives so that you can live in a free country, doctors, medical researchers, policeman, firefighters, teachers, scientists, inventors, investors, politicians, explorers, holy men, heretics, teachers, construction workers and the list goes on and on.

Working hard is always a good thing, it's something to be proud of and something that should be rewarded but this notion that somehow anyone can obtain success completely and totally on their own without the help of others and without luck is laughable.

Those of us lucky enough to be alive, well and working our way up the ladder in life are standing on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us and if we live a successful life we will be hoisting up those who come after us.

 

[nStyle]

The "joke" was in good taste. It wasn't particularly funny, but it was in good taste. That is all.

There is no purpose in life. You live for your own reasons. There's far too many neckbeards judging this man's path and secretly wishing they were in the same position.

 

[doelcm82]

Life, at any moment, can throw you a curve ball that can destroy everything you have and/or derail any potential of success no matter how hard you work.

There are countless individuals who are responsible for your success that you're lucky to have had in your life even if you never knew them. Your family, our founding fathers, those soldiers who came before you who have given their lives so that you can live in a free country, doctors, medical researchers, policeman, firefighters, teachers, scientists, inventors, investors, politicians, explorers, holy men, heretics, teachers, construction workers and the list goes on and on.

Working hard is always a good thing, it's something to be proud of and something that should be rewarded but this notion that somehow anyone can obtain success completely and totally on their own without the help of others and without luck is laughable.

Those of us lucky enough to be alive, well and working our way up the ladder in life are standing on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us and if we live a successful life we will be hoisting up those who come after us.

Thanks for the lecture, and for disabusing me of a notion I didn't really hold.

I'm aware that I stand "on the shoulders of giants" and I'm trying to be a giant myself. I understand that luck played a huge part in Steve Jobs' success and that he still died at the age of 56.

I understand that everything I've worked for could be for nothing if a piano falls on my head or a Vogon construction crew demolishes the Earth for an intergalactic highway project.

The point of the quote about working hard to make luck is that you have some control over a limited number of things in your life. Working hard (or smart) is about expanding the the scope of that control and building up layers of protection against things outside of that scope.

 

[jblagden]

MIT students seem to all use Linux PCs, which are even more hassle.

Linux on the desktop is actually pretty good, especially if you go with a user-friendly distribution like Ubuntu. Linux isn’t very easy to work with on servers because it’s all command-line. I see you’re running Debian on your server. Debian is a lot more technical than Ubuntu. On the desktop, the hard part about switching to Linux is getting used to the new programs. Oh, and the fact that you can’t watch any of the videos you’ve bought on iTunes. But that’s about it. A good way to prepare to switch to Linux is to run some open-source software on your Mac. Here are several good ones to start with, as they’re fairly integral to functioning on Linux: LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Clementine, GnuCash, GIMP (or Krita), OpenShot (or KdenLive), Audacity, Calibre, Turtl, and Telegram. Those programs will give you a good idea of the what programs are like on Linux. As regards actually running it, you could always just install Debian or Ubuntu on an old PC that’s just laying around collecting dust - that’s what I did.

 

[Col4bin]

Keep it classy, TC!

 

[trainwrecka]

Hint: If you want to serve humanity, don't avoid taxes to that extent.

1. It's legal.
2. The way the government spends money is criminal.

 

[kaneda]

Did Tim Cook make a $9B mistake? Oh that was Ballmer buying Nokia, which totally crashed and burned.

Made $9 billion from iphone. Who was CEO when iphone was announce? I will let you think about that.

 

[MrX8503]

Made $9 billion from iphone. Who was CEO when iphone was announce? I will let you think about that.

What does this have to do with Steve Ballmer?

 

[sudo1996]

Linux on the desktop is actually pretty good, especially if you go with a user-friendly distribution like Ubuntu. Linux isn’t very easy to work with on servers because it’s all command-line. I see you’re running Debian on your server. Debian is a lot more technical than Ubuntu. On the desktop, the hard part about switching to Linux is getting used to the new programs. Oh, and the fact that you can’t watch any of the videos you’ve bought on iTunes. But that’s about it. A good way to prepare to switch to Linux is to run some open-source software on your Mac. Here are several good ones to start with, as they’re fairly integral to functioning on Linux: LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Clementine, GnuCash, GIMP (or Krita), OpenShot (or KdenLive), Audacity, Calibre, Turtl, and Telegram. Those programs will give you a good idea of the what programs are like on Linux. As regards actually running it, you could always just install Debian or Ubuntu on an old PC that’s just laying around collecting dust - that’s what I did.

I've gone down the Linux desktop environment route many times. Some old Ubuntu with the Gnome2 DE was my first, and it wasn't too bad for the time. I hated the new Ubuntu (v12 or something) desktop but thought Mint (by default) and Debian (with XFCE or whatever it's called installed) were ok. But I still haven't encountered a Linux-based OS that just works well on a PC without there being a wild goose chase. Like, installing Flash Player and Java or finding a 100% compatible PDF viewer. You can do it, but it just takes more time, and something always goes wrong eventually. Video and wifi drivers can be an even bigger hassle. As for the DE's networking options and such, I do that in the command line anyway because that's easier than learning how it's done in the GUI. But no matter what I did, I could never find a version where the mouse behaved quite right. There was always some quirk with the window focus or the movement. In the end, I've always decided it wasn't worth my time and installed Windows 7 instead, but these weren't my main PCs but media / general messing around machines. Also Hackintoshed a few computers, and that was nicer than Linux.

As for the open source software, I've used a lot of those. Gimp is by no means a Photoshop replacement. LibreOffice is trash. I've gotta have Photoshop and Excel, end of story, and I'd rather not have to WINE it. Anyway, on my Mac, I have it all, including the open source software that's good, like VLC.

 

[batchtaster]

I am less optimistic about the next generation, considering US colleges are currently the battleground for the reintroduction of segregation, censorship, removal of due process and the elimination of independent thought and free speech.
Oh, by the way, that's students fighting for those things, not against.
"Safe spaces," "trigger warnings," the removal of anything which makes a student feel "challenged," and judgements of people's value based on biological factors they can't control (male, white, cis, hetero are all evil and to be silenced; the more oppression points you rack up, the more value you have and the more you should be listened to) are the big issues of the day. This, from kids whose parents are sufficiently well-to-do that they're being sent to Yale, Princeton, etc. That is, the most privileged young adults in the world are attending glorified daycare. (e.g. Harvard Law School is now sending graduates out into the world who never learned rape laws because it made them feel icky - and challenged their perception of "stare rape" and "regret rape" as being legitimate complaints).

 

[dysamoria]

Not again. Sigh. How many times do I have to post on this forum that I was making the usual disgruntled taxpayer poke at the government? It's not meant to be taken seriously as a dissertation on taxation and economics. Doesn't anyone read through a thread anymore? It was a snark.

Sarcasm can still inadvertently fire up readers on all sides, apparently.

 

[5105973]

Sarcasm can still inadvertently fire up readers on all sides, apparently.

True. But I thought snarking about taxes was something everyone could appreciate. IRS jokes are as old as the IRS itself is.

 

[dysamoria]

I am less optimistic about the next generation, considering US colleges are currently the battleground for the reintroduction of segregation, censorship, removal of due process and the elimination of independent thought and free speech.
Oh, by the way, that's students fighting for those things, not against.
"Safe spaces," "trigger warnings," the removal of anything which makes a student feel "challenged," and judgements of people's value based on biological factors they can't control (male, white, cis, hetero are all evil and to be silenced; the more oppression points you rack up, the more value you have and the more you should be listened to) are the big issues of the day. This, from kids whose parents are sufficiently well-to-do that they're being sent to Yale, Princeton, etc. That is, the most privileged young adults in the world are attending glorified daycare. (e.g. Harvard Law School is now sending graduates out into the world who never learned rape laws because it made them feel icky - and challenged their perception of "stare rape" and "regret rape" as being legitimate complaints).

Why are you so threatened by people who want a culture that ends repression of people that aren't you?

As for your Harvard law school statement, it sounds like you're the one who's feeling challenged about the evolving definition of rape.
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True. But I thought snarking about taxes was something everyone could appreciate. IRS jokes are as old as the IRS itself is.

Things have gotten so badly out of order that it's not just a joke any more.

 

[s15119]

meanwhile the Surface is far better than the iPad will ever be..so yea keep laughing

HaHaHaHa. Now that's especially funny. I don't care who you are. hahahaha. Surface. hahahahaha, oh crap; I may never stop laughing.

 

[Mouse man]

HaHaHaHa. Now that's especially funny. I don't care who you are. hahahaha. Surface. hahahahaha, oh crap; I may never stop laughing.

I'm sure this will get me suspended but your response is typical of that of a sheep. For you to not recognize that is crazy..but yep keep sucking that kool aide down

 

[s15119]

I'm sure this will get me suspended but your response is typical of that of a sheep. For you to not recognize that is crazy..but yep keep sucking that kool aide down

Buahahahahaha. You just keep getting funnier and funnier.

 

[s15119]

I'm sure this will get me suspended but your response is typical of that of a sheep. For you to not recognize that is crazy..but yep keep sucking that kool aide down

it's ok. If you like the Surface best, by all means - that's what you should get and enjoy the windows "experience". But don't feign surprise when you go on a Mac forum singing Redmond's praises. Most of us have been there, done that and now appreciate the better experience we get from Apple products. Have a nice day and seriously, thanks for the chuckles.

 

[thekev]

Devastating to watch Mac sales plummet. We need real innovation like 30-day battery life, Blu-ray, 8K display, 5 TB drive, all in a light and thin aluminum body for only $600.

The iMac Pro should be $1,000 AT MOST. I can build a PC with the same specs for less than the crazy $5,000 they are asking for. HomePod should be $50.

Until then I am voting with my wallet and proudly giving my money to real innovative artists like Samsung and Asus. They DESTROY everything Apple makes.

The base specs include an 8 core cpu, some GPU, 27" 5K display, 32GB ram, 1 TB ssd. You could not build than for under $1k. You don't have to assume that they source the most expensive option for each of these things, but the combination of cpu and display would push you over the $1k mark, assuming comparable components. Xeons cost the same amount as i7 branded cpus matching the same socket.

 

[robbyx]

Apple already charges what it would cost if they made their products in the U.S. or are you so blindly ignorant of the fact since they are being produced by the company you worship?
As for the homophobic crap try reading my post again and use some reading comprehension this time

There is no way Apple can produce an iPhone in the US for the same price as China. Just because you say it, doesn't make it so. No company produces devices like this in the US. No computers are made here. No streaming media players. No phones. No televisions. Etc. Get real. Not to mention that producing these products requires a network of suppliers and auxiliary businesses to support production, none of which exist in the US. You're dreaming.
[doublepost=1497595996][/doublepost]

So you're Apple's Nick Burns!

Sorry, I have no idea who that is.

I'm just someone who has followed Apple and bought their products for nearly 4 decades. I have seen Apple go through periods of great innovation and long lulls. Cook's Apple is quite innovative compared to many periods in Apple's history. Cook isn't an exciting CEO, but one must be willfully ignorant to suggest that his Apple hasn't been innovative.

 

[Mouse man]

it's ok. If you like the Surface best, by all means - that's what you should get and enjoy the windows "experience". But don't feign surprise when you go on a Mac forum singing Redmond's praises. Most of us have been there, done that and now appreciate the better experience we get from Apple products. Have a nice day and seriously, thanks for the chuckles.

everything I own is Apple. I just feel if they put Yosemite on my Pro instead of IOS i fee there would so much more potential than it has now. Am I wrong. Only MS thing I own is the xbox one. I just feel the iPads are limited