Steve Jobs dead, hipsters mourn
- Thread starter mjp
- Start date
mjp
Founding member
Since Steve Jobs' name is (still) being shouted from every rooftop and he is still being hailed as a genius and this generation's da Vinci or Edison, I decided to do some research and make a list of his inventions:
Hmm, that's a short list. Maybe it's better to list the things he DIDN'T invent:
The personal computer
The computer graphical interface
The computer mouse
The MP3 player
Pixar
The smartphone
The tablet computer
Anything else Apple has ever sold or ever will sell
Did his company make great products? I don't know, I never bought one, but for the sake of argument I'll say, yes, sure, they made GREAT products. They certainly make the most expensive products. Are they beautiful? Well, as beautiful as a phone or a computer can be, sure. I'll give you that too.
But putting other people's inventions into pretty boxes and selling them for a premium isn't genius. It's really kind of cynical and underhanded when you think about it. And "changing the world"? I don't see Apple computers in the One Laptop per Child program, and I don't see a Steve Jobs foundation dedicated to education or ending world hunger.
Not only was Jobs no da Vinci or Edison, he wasn't even a Bill Gates. I can't find evidence of anything Steve Jobs ever did that wasn't strictly in the interest of Steve Jobs. Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The Emperor has no clothes.
I'm open to the idea that I'm completely wrong and I missed something incredible somewhere, so by all means, feel free to correct me and provide me with a list of Jobs' genius accomplishments. Outside of marketing.
I'll be waiting.
Hmm, that's a short list. Maybe it's better to list the things he DIDN'T invent:
The personal computer
The computer graphical interface
The computer mouse
The MP3 player
Pixar
The smartphone
The tablet computer
Anything else Apple has ever sold or ever will sell
Did his company make great products? I don't know, I never bought one, but for the sake of argument I'll say, yes, sure, they made GREAT products. They certainly make the most expensive products. Are they beautiful? Well, as beautiful as a phone or a computer can be, sure. I'll give you that too.
But putting other people's inventions into pretty boxes and selling them for a premium isn't genius. It's really kind of cynical and underhanded when you think about it. And "changing the world"? I don't see Apple computers in the One Laptop per Child program, and I don't see a Steve Jobs foundation dedicated to education or ending world hunger.
Not only was Jobs no da Vinci or Edison, he wasn't even a Bill Gates. I can't find evidence of anything Steve Jobs ever did that wasn't strictly in the interest of Steve Jobs. Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The Emperor has no clothes.
I'm open to the idea that I'm completely wrong and I missed something incredible somewhere, so by all means, feel free to correct me and provide me with a list of Jobs' genius accomplishments. Outside of marketing.
I'll be waiting.
ok. mr. highhorse, I thing you're forgetting a few things?
next time, do your research.
jerk.
next time, do your research.
jerk.
jordan
lothario speedwagon
i have mixed feelings about apple, and i'll admit that a lot of that is driven by working with people who own macs as their personal computers, and who, as a result, don't know how to use a computer in an office environment. and, of course, these same people are the ones who grouse about how difficult PCs are to use, not realizing that complaining in a PC-run office about not knowing how to use a PC is tantamount to saying that they don't know how to do their jobs.
i think steve jobs's triumph is twofold - no, he didn't invent those things, but he did more than put them in pretty boxes. he convinced people like my mother that a computer was something she *could* figure out how to use. windows made it possible for people without programming knowledge to use a computer with ease, but the mac made it intuitive. that's a pretty great achievement, i think.
the second triumph is more of a marketing triumph - by focusing everything apple did through the lens of the cult of steve jobs, the company basically installed a deity as its mascot. the number of people lining up to proclaim him this generation's greatest genius is a testament to that. and, just like religious relics that people travel thousands of miles to pray in front of, apple products offer a glimpse of that divine power, and even a way for common people to "touch god" in their daily lives. it's more than the fact that he made the objects "beautiful" - apple made sure you knew that every product was an extension of steve jobs himself, the greatest genius who has ever lived, and that is what every insufferable apple fanboy is *really* touting when he/she goes on at length about the inherent superiority of the devices.
i think steve jobs's triumph is twofold - no, he didn't invent those things, but he did more than put them in pretty boxes. he convinced people like my mother that a computer was something she *could* figure out how to use. windows made it possible for people without programming knowledge to use a computer with ease, but the mac made it intuitive. that's a pretty great achievement, i think.
the second triumph is more of a marketing triumph - by focusing everything apple did through the lens of the cult of steve jobs, the company basically installed a deity as its mascot. the number of people lining up to proclaim him this generation's greatest genius is a testament to that. and, just like religious relics that people travel thousands of miles to pray in front of, apple products offer a glimpse of that divine power, and even a way for common people to "touch god" in their daily lives. it's more than the fact that he made the objects "beautiful" - apple made sure you knew that every product was an extension of steve jobs himself, the greatest genius who has ever lived, and that is what every insufferable apple fanboy is *really* touting when he/she goes on at length about the inherent superiority of the devices.
