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Elon Musk Backtracks on Earlier Comments, Says 'I Don't Hate Apple'

I don't get it. I mean, if you're gonna dog Apple or anyone else, okay. Tesla is extremely cool. It's not like it's somehow not okay to make fun of Apple or have a negative opinion.

But why say this stuff in an interview and then feel the need to apologize or backtrack?
 
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Karma*Police said:
Even funnier still, and quite ironically, his comment about Apple Watch applies to his cars. It would also apply to the original Mac and iPhone... It seems in many cases, the 3rd time's the charm as far as mass market acceptance of new technology goes.
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Yeah which explains why the 3rd generation of Tesla vehicles will be the 'affordable' option for the mass market. The original founder of Tesla (not Musk) explains why they decided to debut with a sports car -- they somewhat predicted the whole 'people don't get it first.'

It's interesting that you mention "3rd times the charm" though, I think that can applied to most product categories I can think of... Very interesting stuff...
 
copykris said:
hahahahhahah

scared of 'what apple is capable of'? do you have any idea who Elon Musk is and what he does?
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Hint for Andres! : EVs, Solar energy, rockets, 'hyper' fast transportation & online payments ;)

Don't forget nuking the poles of Mars to make it inhabitable for humans... something which Elon thinks can be done within the next 10 years.
 
Apple fanboys (of which I am one) seem to have a very short memory. Steve jobs made countless jabs at competitors and was wrong as often as he was right. I doubt fans of his would *tisk tisk* to his less than tact opinions. Visionaries are seldom not opinionated. Steve Jobs, undoubtedly changed the IT business and the devices therein; Musk has changed banking, space travel, personal transport and he is not even 50! If Musk has a criticism I tend to listen...

This online lynching is just a symptom of the 2010s political correctness, social media, and the "certificate of participation", "selfie stick" narcissism that has been fostered into a generation of people who cant take criticism as they were never taught so. Where the generational trend is for people to be defined by - and demand respect for - their feelings and how they see themselves. Rather than how others see them and what they do which defines them. A backwards step IMO.
 
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I feel iffy when a conglomerate enters a market completely untraditional to their prominence. Is it considered tacky? Mitsubishi has made televisions in the past, as well as Phillips which now seems to make pharmaceuticals. Apple has pioneered personal computing, likewise Mercedes has done the same for the automotive industry (genuinely the first automobile created despite popular belief of many fellow Americans). At any rate, I hope they succeed. I just can't imagine an Apple sticker/badge in place of my beloved three-pointed star haha. And with that said, I hope to dear God Mercedes gives Elon's precious "Tesla" a run for it's money. German engineering is better than that, and I do not care for that guy, or his brainchild. "The Best or Nothing."
 
wingsabre said:
I think Musk is fairly correct about Apple making cars. It's a completely different foreign industry for Apple. The culture is also different. Apple has moved towards a model where they want you to upgrade annually, and they essentially build in an expiration date on their products so you will be forced to upgrade. If you own an iPhone or iPad that's older than 2-3 years, basically it's considered obsolete. Not everyone can or should lease a car. Cars should also be built to last, especially if they are going to be a premium product. This is a natural evolution for Apple, but I highly doubt that they'll do well the first decade they try it out. This feels very much like Apple's move with the Apple Watch. It's going to serve a niche audience for a prolong period of time. However as technology improves, I do think that an investment like this will benefit Apple in 20-30 years, because by then the cost would likely go down enough to be acceptable to the average consumer.
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You are dang right about the difference in culture. Just take a look at the kind of long term support Tesla owners get and will continue to get over time, doesn't compare to Apple.
 
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wingsabre said:
Apple has moved towards a model where they want you to upgrade annually, and they essentially build in an expiration date on their products so you will be forced to upgrade. If you own an iPhone or iPad that's older than 2-3 years, basically it's considered obsolete.
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I really don't buy this. People keep saying it like it's fact but... I'm in the process of fixing a 7-year-old MacBook Pro that, given Apple's OS policy, will be supported for AT LEAST another three years if 10.12 drops support. It'll be another 4 years or more otherwise. (I have a feeling 10.11 is EOL for Core 2 Duos though.)

As a previous Android user, I much prefer Apple's support policy with their OS. When 4.3 came out it REDUCED memory requirements and yet my perfectly good Galaxy Nexus which had enough process and memory and storage to handle the new OS was no longer supported after being only 18-months old.

The 4s is still supported with the latest OS. I don't know what iOS support policy is exactly but at a minimum the 4s has at least 2 more years of supported life left. Six years is pretty darn old.

No one is forcing people to upgrade their iPhones and iPads so quickly. The only people "considering" these devices to be obsolete in 2-3 years are owners who aren't satisfied with yesterday's toys.
 
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Here's the deal with Elon Musk. He was basically trying to pull off a Steve Jobs kind of response, but he couldn't. He just doesn't have it. Let's see if he tries it again.
 
beebarb said:
Why did he feel clarification was necessary? Anyone with sense knows it was a lighthearted friendly jab.
Calling it 'backtracking' is misrepresenting what was said.
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Why? Because we live in a world where your opinions and views can't offend anyone, and if they do, they must be changed and an apology statement be issued. Can't offend anyone nowadays. The future looks very bleak if we continue like this.
 
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Elon Musk is definitely a visionary lets be honest, I own the Apple Watch with 6 different bands and I love it but I absolutely do believe he is right about it and it will be much better and useful by the 3rd generation. Now I wear it cause I love how it looks and feels and does a few cool things that I find useful, yet sometimes annoying. Still love it though.

He definitely should not have backtracked on his trash talk though. Someone like him doesn't say something then go back on it. Thats not visionary by any means.

Oh well this is turning out to be a great little story haha
 
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Ashf0rd said:
Hint for Andres! : EVs, Solar energy, rockets, 'hyper' fast transportation & online payments ;)

Don't forget nuking the poles of Mars to make it inhabitable for humans... something which Elon thinks can be done within the next 10 years.
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I knew about all of those, but thanks for the recap ;)

2020 will be an interesting year, to say the least.
 
brendu said:
Why is it time for Tim to go? He has done an amazing job at Apple, taking it to places Jobs never did.
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I think Apple is an amazing company who was sailing in a good direction 5 years ago. From my post I obviously don't think too highly of Tim, but I'm open to other opinions. :)

What do you find he has done amazing? Do you mean expanding and focusing into China?
 
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Benjamin Frost said:
Tesla cars, like all electric cars, are totally impractical for everyday use.

When electric cars can be charged from 0%-100% in 2 minutes, when the battery doesn't cost a fortune to replace every few years, when there are charging stations installed in every single parking space and garage, and when the range is 400-600 miles a charge consistently for ten years, then they may take off.

Until then, they are government-subsidised trinkets for rich men with time on their hands.
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What are you even talking about? You've been watching too much conservative news network.
 
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Takeo said:
The iPhone on the other hand blew everyone's mind and was profoundly compelling... turned an entire industry upside down. I know those kind of products don't happen very often, but still. Yah. A watch. Meh. Whatever.
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Not right away, it didn't. Either way, the Apple Watch is simply the first step into wearables. It's not meant to be the flagship of the company. It's basically an accessory.

As far as Apple and cars, Elon Musk better not get too cocky:

“Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone… What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong. If it’s smart it will call the iPhone a ‘reference design’ and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures… Otherwise I’d advise people to cover their eyes. You are not going to like what you’ll see.”

- John Dvorak, 2007

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

- Ed Colligan, 2006
 
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It's actually an incredibly unprofessional comment. He's just labelled a bunch of ex-employees as being unimportant, not having made it and going to a graveyard. People change employment for lots of reasons; incompatibility, working conditions, family commitments, career prospects and these comments are really bordering on defamatory. I'd be hesitant to work for any employer who trash talked former employees, it's just unprofessional.
 
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Elon Musk comes off as a very genuine person who tells it how it is. So what if he made fun of apple. People on this website and all over the internet do it too everyday. Where is the outrage there? Just because he is a high profile personality doesn't mean he can't participate in trolling and fanboyism once in a while. It's human nature. I'm pretty sure every top business leader does it in closed doors and at company parties. Elon just happens to have turned off the BS filter. Of course being human, he had to reel it in and play nice and clarify his statements. Appreciate the man for who he is. I do wonder though if he even owns an Apple Watch.
 
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MasterRyu2011 said:
Elon Musk comes off as a very genuine person who tells it how it is. So what if he made fun of apple. People on this website and all over the internet do it too everyday. Where is the outrage there? Just because he is a high profile personality doesn't mean he can't participate in trolling and fanboyism once in a while. It's human nature. I'm pretty sure every top business leader does it in closed doors and at company parties. Elon just happens to have turned off the BS filter. Of course being human, he had to reel it in and play nice and clarify his statements. Appreciate the man for who he is. I do wonder though if he even owns an Apple Watch.
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There's a difference between making fun of Apple and dissing employees, calling their new employer a "graveyard".

What's amusing about Musk's comments is he's effectively bashing his own talent pool. Isn't it kind of hard to recruit Apple employees when you call their workplace a "graveyard"? And what does it say about your own hiring process if you're firing so many people?
 
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