@americaussie

Apples and oranges, you are blaming Jobs for the corporate tax system that’s in
place.  Jobs is dead, Jobs isn’t responsible for the tax system nor any other head or
CEO of a major company.  That is something that the government needs to
regulate.  What you did is ignore Job’s death and the innovations he’s added to the
world and add something to negate the moment of his death by bringing in the
poor and disenfranchised as if Apple is responsible for all of this.  This is not only
unfair but untrue. Blame Clinton for NAFTA, blame the repeal of Glass-steagal,
blame deregulation.

@Red Teddy, it is as Patrick said.  Jobs was obviously
brilliant, and I guiltily use some Apple gadgets.  But,
nevertheless, I am angered when I find out how much tax
your average American has to pay vs. mega-profitable
corporations such as Apple.  If I didn’t feel some sense
of guilt over the sourcing of some of the stuff used to
make my gadgets, and the conditions of the workers who
make them, then there would be something wrong with me. 
All the fawning over Jobs on the internet bothers me
because it is not put into perspective.  Apple will
continue to put out distinctive and highly profitable
gadgets, for which they could afford to pay better
wages, despite the passing of Jobs.  If it comes out
that Jobs spent some of his massive fortune trying to
find humane and less destructive ways to source minerals
for all of these gadgets, then I will be glad to know he
did something to try and stop a bloody war that no one
hears much about.  But as it stands, I’ve heard nothing
of the sort.  Perspective. 

Oh, and no, I don’t own a smartphone.

CJ—-Stick to your art.

Does anyone know where I can find information on
the name of American Corporations in China? Thank
you.

Alas, not quite—he was a tyrant and a cult figure, insufferable on both counts,
however good a retailer he was, and what he was was a retailer first and last. I
just heard on CNBC (if you can stand to observe and listen to the otherwise
apotheosis of Mr. Jobs ongoing since the announcement yesterday) that Apple
stores—not Jobs’ idea—produce more revenue per square foot than Tiffany’s.
Indeed, the highest revenue per square foot in the history of retailing.

Well, check Apple’s prices for an explanation, far higher than the average
bauble at Tiffany’s—second highest.

Full disclosure—I finally bought a Mac Pro for two reasons—Intel inside and
power. I’m a digital artist and needed something that did’t take 15 minutes to
save a file. I overpaid for it by purchasing with IRA (retirement money) some
Apple stock awhile back. (Even socialists have to play the game, at least when
no income from books and so on and not much income from any kinda job
after downsizing.) The amount I made on the stock paid for the computer and
so—in effect—Apple paid for my computer. Thanks Mr. Jobs. I own nothing
else Apple.

The claim is made that Jobs’ idea was to combine gadgetry with art. In that, he
got only the gadgetry however sorta streamlined the gadgets finally became.
(Streamlining isn’t difficult and other PC makers could easily have done the
same had they been willing to hire the right people.) Otherwise, those old
Apples were uglier than sin. Jobs forgot, apparently, that the point of gadgets is
utility. (Want art? Buy a painting or some music or a book, or go to theater,
sometimes a movie. Americans, per capita, spend less on fine art than any
other population in the developed world and so never mind.)

I mentioned the cult thing, fueled by Jobs’ paranoiac secrecy. When were cults a
good idea? A few historical examples I won’t mention would suffice to
demonstrate the danger.

Apple’s made a crap load of money, currently sitting on $75 billion in cash. Be
nice if Apple were to help ANY community, but never happened under Jobs, as
Apple also employs cheap labor abroad—about which I felt lousy when I bought
stock. Apple could spread the dough to employees not quite enjoying the
beauties of Silicon Valley.

And yet, he’s being extolled in media as practically the Second Coming—to the
point of nausea, and not just at CNBC where one would expect that sort of
thing for a departed gangsta businessman. He’s being mentioned with Einstein,
Edison (who stole from Tesla), Ford (noted anti-semite), et al., including Mozart
and Beethoven. (They’re not very conscious of painters or sculptors at CNBC or
elsewhere so to make those comparisons.)

Any at the Wall Street protest, with which I have my own problems, is a better
and more decent person and a braver person than was Steve Jobs. On her first
program at CNN, recent CNBC employee and cuty-pie kid, Erin Burnett, mocked
the protestors as she found a couple not too articulate as to what the protest is
about. (I’ve no doubt anyone articulate was edited out.)

So, while media’s otherwise been busy deifying the late Jobs just as it did the
somewhat more creative Michael Jackson, protestors—worthy of so much
praise—still go (comparatively) largely unmentioned for their inventiveness,
indeed inventiveness Jobs never really possessed.

Apple’s revenue is largely a product of I-Tunes downloads at an outrageous
price. Jobs never made the music itself at any time but he sure knew how to
exploit those not in his inner circle. If Jobs is one to emulate—as media claims-
-woe will be ours. It’s Steve Jobs and Apple protestors are protesting—I hope?

Condolences to his family and friends, of course, if not so heartfelt by me as
those I offer to a Pakistani wedding party or a Palestinian victim of Israeli terror.

I’m not sure Apple products aren’t just one more form of terrorism.

Once in a great while an innovator like Jobs comes around and leaves his imprint on history.

It is only people like him who balance out the many despots and opportunists who do us harm.

@americaussie

How short sighted of you, Rob was an innovator and innovators who can bring
technological change to improve the way we do things are just as important as
other’s who also create change.  If you don’t believe me then just throw away all
‘gadgets’ you have in your home like the washer dryer and toaster.  Then get rid of
other innovations such as your central heating, electricity even your vehicle and
then come back to us and tell us how your life changed; all of those items were
invented by someone.  Do you own a smart phone?  If you do then its a Job
innovation copied from his iphone.  Knee-jerk reactions where you are ready to
throw out the baby with the bathwater isn’t going to help the poor one bit!!

Losing someone you love is a terrible thing, so I feel for his family and friends.  But it’s all about perspective.  Ghandi was a great man.  Asmaa Mahfous has proven herself an admirable woman.

This is not a loss for the global community, just those of us who can afford to buy Apple stuff.  Are the Chinese workers who are paid about 8 USD per day mourning his loss?  Do you think the workers who can take 1 in 13 days off when iPad demand is high, and who have co-workers committing
suicide are all in awe of Steve Jobs, and mourning his loss?  That they even have time to do so….since they may be working up to triple the amount of overtime allowed by law?

I’m sure that those who have lost family members over tantalum hope he rests in peace.  Or the women who have been raped and mutilated for various conflict minerals.  Oh wait, they don’t have macbook pros.

Steve, RIP - I use the products of your invention daily, and mostly they’re great -
the joy you must’ve taken when learning that rival Gates once stormed into a staff
meeting raging that MS’s new OS was not more like Apple’s - my only regret is
that in recent years Apple’s is more like MS’s… well, you couldn’t control
everything, but did the best you could and that was great… peace be with you

As always, Prisnersdilema, I enjoy reading your commentary.  I suspect that you
are a well known author, you truly write meaningfully and expressively.  It is a
benefit and joy for many of us who would love to have such talent.

Some people feel that life is like a stone dropped into a lake. That the ripples of our
lives echo throughout the cosmos but gradually fade and diminish over time.There are
some lives however, that don’t diminish and don’t fade, but increase exponentially as the
ripples of their lives, increase with each person that they touch.  Steve Jobs was one of
those. RIP Steve, and thank you for your vision, and all you gave.

Truly Steven Jobs was a man of vision and genius.  He will long be remembered for
his successes in equalizing society as a whole.  He did this by bringing
information and communication in an affordable medium to the poor as well as
the rich.  Worldwide. I am in awe. 

I am thankful that he lived and allowed his creative and intelligent ideas to be
developed and shared throughout the world.  A blessing to us all.  Deepest and
most heartfelt condolences to all the Steven Jobs family.  Your loss is great.  The
entire global community’s loss is in tandem.