The Onion did a Steve Jobs Obituary:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/last-american-who-knew-what-the-fuck-he-was-doing,26268/
Your comments stayed because they were relevant and intelligent. I was referring to a few more blatantly disruptive or outright disrespectful posts that were either temped or outright deleted.
[quote=“Cornpone Hercules”]I prefer other companies and think Apple is phony. They appoint an enviro-flake like Al Gore on their board, don’t audit their suppliers enough in China (who often abuse the human rights of their workers), and yet suburban Marin-country living liberals in California think it’s cool to own their products? The Maoist fervor people have when it comes to this brand is like a cult. 
Jobs was a visionary and should be lauded for turning the company into the powerhouse it is today after the Scully years. But I really don’t know why urban hipsters dig this company! They are ruthless and hardly very progressive at all. Yet they are often viewed as some anti-establishment company full of cool people wearing jeans and black turtlenecks? 
Flakes.[/quote]
Actually this is very astute commentary, and I haven’t really seen much in the form of rebuttal to it. Apple, much like pretty much all brand marketing companies these days, follows the Nike model. It is hypocritical for liberals to worship the brand (and the CEO behind it) as if it were anything other than yet another megacorp (actually, one of the biggest among corporations) with dubious labour and environmental practices.
Although, Cornpone, I must say your concern for the environment and labour practices is awefully… leftist of you. 
[quote=“Toasty”]
Although, Cornpone, I must say your concern for the environment and labour practices is awefully… leftist of you. [/quote]
I used to be one before I was turned to the dark side. Seriously though, I have no problems with companies going to countries where there is little or no environmental legislation or minimum wage requirements. 
Hell, I’d rather companies be paying a Chinese peasant woman $400 a month than a unionized worker in a developed country $60,000/year for little or no work.
What bothers me about Apple is that they pretend to be something different when they are just as dirty as the rest of them, if not dirtier if you look at the frequency they audit their suppliers. I like the dirty ones, not the snotty ones that think their shit doesn’t stink.
I don’t feel it’s Apple saying how they are doing things any better than the rest of the industry, because they haven’t made any statements or taken any actions above those which any firm being scrutinized would. It’s more that their as you put it, “urban hipster” fans adamantly defending them as perhaps doing better than the Dells, HPs, HTCs, Sonys, Asus, Acers of the world. The industry as a whole does have things they can do to improve things, but if arbitrage exists, whether for commodities or currencies, labor or manufacturing, it’s going to be used, if not in China, then somewhere else.
[quote=“sandman”][quote]
You really need to listen to the ICRT ad – “Dude! Check out my phone! It has all the latest state-of-the-art blah blah”
“No dude! Check out MY phone! It surpasses yours in EVERY possible way!”
“EURGH! Guys, you have NO IDEA about cool. Its ALL about the RINGTONE!”[/quote][/quote]
Who exactly are you talking to when you make comments like this, especially on a thread discussing the death of a person? Are you talking to the people who like their iPhones because they have revolutionised their lives, none of these people care what you think. Or are you talking to the people who think along the same lines as you, in which case your comment is redundant. Either way your comment is redundant and juvenile.
Thanks to Steve Jobs I have a single device which I can use to:
- Find my way around Taiwan, not have to worry about getting lost
- Take HD footage of my son as he grows up
- Makes the need to carry a camera around redundant.
- Take note of words that I need to lean and study them anywhere at any time
- Hold my entire CD collection no matter where I am in the world.
- Search the internet for information I need where and when I need it.
- Play high quality games when I get bored
If it weren’t for steve jobs apparently to do this I would still need to be carrying around a camera, a GPS, a laptop, an mp3 player, a phone, and some form of PSP or gameboy.
For those of you criticizing Steve Jobs’ stance on the environment, here’s Greenpeace’s reaction to his passing away.
[quote]Today, all Apple products are free of these hazardous substances and where Apple lead, HP, Acer and others have followed. That alone made Steve Jobs ultimately a valuable ally in the fight for a toxics free future.
There’s still much more for Apple and the rest of industry to do to be truly sustainable, both in terms of toxic free products and a clean energy future. But today is a day to reflect that among all of Steve Jobs achievements in the technology industry, one of the less well known ones is one of the most important. We need many more leaders like Jobs at the top of global companies who have the vision, drive and personality to deliver real solutions to the environmental challenges of today.
Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple.[/quote]
[quote=“Adam_CLO”]For those of you criticizing Steve Jobs’ stance on the environment, here’s Greenpeace’s reaction to his passing away.
[quote]Today, all Apple products are free of these hazardous substances and where Apple lead, HP, Acer and others have followed. That alone made Steve Jobs ultimately a valuable ally in the fight for a toxics free future.
There’s still much more for Apple and the rest of industry to do to be truly sustainable, both in terms of toxic free products and a clean energy future. But today is a day to reflect that among all of Steve Jobs achievements in the technology industry, one of the less well known ones is one of the most important. We need many more leaders like Jobs at the top of global companies who have the vision, drive and personality to deliver real solutions to the environmental challenges of today.
Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple.[/quote][/quote]
That’s a nice piece of PR written, no doubt, by a hired professional PR rep for Greenpeace, which is itself a large organisation sensitive to public opinion. I doubt many rank and file members would concur with this press release, though.
[quote=“Adam_CLO”]For those of you criticizing Steve Jobs’ stance on the environment, here’s Greenpeace’s reaction to his passing away.
[quote]Today, all Apple products are free of these hazardous substances and where Apple lead, HP, Acer and others have followed. That alone made Steve Jobs ultimately a valuable ally in the fight for a toxics free future.
There’s still much more for Apple and the rest of industry to do to be truly sustainable, both in terms of toxic free products and a clean energy future. But today is a day to reflect that among all of Steve Jobs achievements in the technology industry, one of the less well known ones is one of the most important. We need many more leaders like Jobs at the top of global companies who have the vision, drive and personality to deliver real solutions to the environmental challenges of today.
Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple.[/quote][/quote]
Again, look at its suppliers. Worse than the industry average by far. Greenpeace’s endorsement again illustrates the mindless naivety on the left, especially considering the matching hypocrisy in the non-profit sector which Greenpeace belongs to–one of the dirtiest sectors in the world if you really want to talk about outrageous salaries and no accountability. 
Of course, the left loves to protect that sector just as it loves to protect the legacy of Steve Jobs. There may be other companies in China in the electronics sector that are polluting like Apple, but do they have environmental freaks like Gore on their board or do they market themselves as such a “Green” powerhouse? No.
It’s the hypocrisy I hate with Apple and that entities such as Greenpeace show it so much respect.
A good man dies and a thread gets filled with mindless diatribes. Stupid.
[quote=“pqkdzrwt”]
Thanks to Steve Jobs I have a single device which I can use to:
- Find my way around Taiwan, not have to worry about getting lost
- Take HD footage of my son as he grows up
- Makes the need to carry a camera around redundant.
- Take note of words that I need to lean and study them anywhere at any time
- Hold my entire CD collection no matter where I am in the world.
- Search the internet for information I need where and when I need it.
- Play high quality games when I get bored
If it weren’t for steve jobs apparently to do this I would still need to be carrying around a camera, a GPS, a laptop, an mp3 player, a phone, and some form of PSP or gameboy.[/quote]
All thanks to Steve Jobs? I think you are attributing far too much to one person.
I wouldn’t be at all critical of the man, I see many achievements and great talent, an eye for the aesthetically beautiful, someone that was not afraid to take risks in order to succeed. But, most of the technology was natural progression. Cameras being incorporated into mobiles, then email and smart phones, not just iPhones, but Windows mobile or Android.
I mean you are really thanking Steve Jobs for the ability to search the internet, I suppose Apple developed Safari, but Netscape was around years before, Internet explorer has much larger usage and Firefox and Chrome are better. Or maybe you mean a search engine like Google (does Apple even have an equivalent?).
Sad to see him go, I enjoyed watching clips with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in debates, it’s good to listen to someone that knows what they are talking about. But he was not the inventor like Edison or scientist like Newton but was a great businessman with an instinctive feel for what direction to take the company in.
[quote=“Toasty”][quote=“Adam_CLO”]For those of you criticizing Steve Jobs’ stance on the environment, here’s Greenpeace’s reaction to his passing away.
[quote]Today, all Apple products are free of these hazardous substances and where Apple lead, HP, Acer and others have followed. That alone made Steve Jobs ultimately a valuable ally in the fight for a toxics free future.
There’s still much more for Apple and the rest of industry to do to be truly sustainable, both in terms of toxic free products and a clean energy future. But today is a day to reflect that among all of Steve Jobs achievements in the technology industry, one of the less well known ones is one of the most important. We need many more leaders like Jobs at the top of global companies who have the vision, drive and personality to deliver real solutions to the environmental challenges of today.
Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple.[/quote][/quote]
That’s a nice piece of PR written, no doubt, by a hired professional PR rep for Greenpeace, which is itself a large organisation sensitive to public opinion. I doubt many rank and file members would concur with this press release, though.[/quote]
How many times do I have to say it, they TRANSPARENTLY build in product obsolescence in order to sell more products, each product manufactured contributes to more pollution. Yes we can applaud their efforts in some ways, but it’s really a lie because they don’t want to extend their products lifespans. All they have to do is put in those screws. Give me the screws Godammit
I got an iPod Nano sitting there for months now, what am I supposed to do with it? Hacksaw?
Did you know him personally, how do you know he was a good man?
Not saying he wasn’t, but what the hell would any of us know about that?
sigh. guys, can we just let it rest already? we can all talk about iOS5 tomorrow, cool?
[quote=“Toasty”][quote=“Cornpone Hercules”]I prefer other companies and think Apple is phony. They appoint an enviro-flake like Al Gore on their board, don’t audit their suppliers enough in China (who often abuse the human rights of their workers), and yet suburban Marin-country living liberals in California think it’s cool to own their products? The Maoist fervor people have when it comes to this brand is like a cult.
Jobs was a visionary and should be lauded for turning the company into the powerhouse it is today after the Scully years. But I really don’t know why urban hipsters dig this company! They are ruthless and hardly very progressive at all. Yet they are often viewed as some anti-establishment company full of cool people wearing jeans and black turtlenecks? Flakes.[/quote]
Actually this is very astute commentary[/quote]
Not really. Apple was one of those companies that came up again and again in business school. One of the case studies had to do with corporate ethics, so I know a bit of the history here. Apple did have serious problems with supplier human right abuses, but several years ago (I want to say 2006 or 2007) it developed a supplier code of ethics, and has consistently audited to that code. Cornpone is simply wrong that Apple does not audit its suppliers’ ethical practices, and that it did not turn itself around in the fashion of Nike. It does audit its suppliers, and it dramatically altered its business practices. The company has applied severe pressure on its suppliers. But Apple is the first to admit there are still problems. It publishes an annual supplier ethics report, which has been noted for its stark honesty and self-criticism.
CH is also wrong that Apple’s competitors are more diligent in preventing human rights abuses at their foreign suppliers. In fact, the same basic supply chain services the entire computer industry. Exclusive vendor relations are rare outside of Japan. It’s common for a factory in China to ship out 10,000 Apple units one day, reconfigure their fab shop, and ship out 10,000 competitor units the next day. Human rights abuses are common across the third-world supply chain, and the reality is that neither Apple nor its competitors are going to be able to prevent them entirely.
That’s how I feel as well. I’ve never understood the vile antipathy some people have towards Apple products and customers. Personally I love Apple products and own several. And they all work together simply and easily, which is the whole point. That was Jobs’ talent; not inventing, but innovating products that are easy to use, useful, and fun.
It is still doing a lot worse than other companies according to Chinese NGOs. Huge rises in the cases of cancer? Hmmm…interesting
AS the days go, eventually a balanced view of JObs will come out
A very tragic thing is that Steve Jobs could have been alive and well today, read here for more:
http://www.quora.com/Steve-Jobs/Why-did-Steve-Jobs-choose-not-to-effectively-treat-his-cancer
He was a free thinker and did not like modern medicine. His beliefs killed him, it would appear.