On Tuesday evening, “Apple CEO Tim Cook accepted the Free Expression Award at the Newseum in Washington D.C.,” Chance Miller reports for 9to5Mac. “At the event, Cook was presented the award and made brief comments on what it means to him and Apple, as well as touching on the importance of companies taking a stance.”
“Cook was chosen for the award because of how he has used his spotlight to ‘take a public stand on major societal issues’ such as racial equality, privacy, climate change, education, and LGBT rights,” Miller reports. “Upon accepting the Free Expression award, Cook thanked Washington Post CEO and publisher Fred Ryan for the honor, explaining that he’s accepting it on behalf of everyone at Apple. Cook went on to address the idea of the freedom of speech.”
Apple’s CEO also took a swipe at U.S. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, saying, “‘We must be open to alternative points of view, not alternative facts,'” Miller reports.
At this point Cook just seems to be efforting to deflect attention from the piss-poor job he’s doing at helming Apple. I realize it is not a simple gig, but he goes against Apple instinct on so many things. Bad thing is I think we’re stuck w/ him. Even though he has been proven to be a poor choice, who’ll be able to fire Jobs’ own chosen successor? Rough seas ahead
He believes in “free speech” as long as it matches his worldview. He selectively ignores human rights abuses so that he can open stores in the Middle East, China, etc.
He should be running UNICEF so that someone with vision and commitment to technology can run Apple Inc.
MDN and other Hypocrites here think everyone can have an opinion, values and belief system without interfering with their ability to do their jobs- as long as you’re a straight conservative republican. Tim Cook’s politics and sexual orientation are irrelevant- many of you here have agendas that are beyond obvious. This makes you not only not credible but quite off-putting. We can see through your masks.
The other side thinks one way and does not allow for anyone to disagree. It’s all my side or none. No freedom if you disagree. Get sued, persecuted or silenced.
Myyyyy, how I have seen so much of that last part.
…And Donald Biff Trumper should not be president of United States…
Fwhatever, you have no basis on which to criticize anyone regarding selectively support of a worldview. You have long been the master of worldview tunnel-vision and hypocrisy.
I get along well with many people. But I cannot imagine willingly spending any time with you in a social setting…in any setting, really.
See… it’s possible we can agree on some things.
He is a hypocrite, not only for the reasons you cite, but he should be chastising his own marketing department.
TC has shown his stripes previously, but let’s see how he handles this one; China’s recent concern over Apple’s streaming of certain content. Will he relent? Will he relent and speak directly/indirectly to China’s censorship, while proclaiming his 1st amendment values? Will he make no note of his “belief” and relent b/c of “business?” I’ll throw in the 1st $100…if anyone wants to bet what he’ll do.
Ićll tell you what he will do. Like any responsible CEO, he will do what is best for the company. In this particular case, he will follow the laws in China and do what is necessary to comply with them. He may carefully evaluate if it may be worthwhile publicly voicing a personal opinion on the matter. The benefit of such statement would be dubious at best; Chinese media (for whom it would be intended) would certainly ignore/embargo it, so the only benefit would be from the domestic (US audience), to improve the opinion of ordinary people about him. I’m not sure if he really cares what ordinary folks think about him. Meanwhile, such a public statement may well have detrimental effect on Apple’s business in China (lesser things have in the past). So, I would guess, he will comply with the laws and refrain from making incendiary comments against China.
As an American citizen, he has no business lecturing Chinese, or any other country on how to run their country or businesses. But, as an American citizen, he has every right to use his high-profile position to advance social progress in his own country. As a taxpayer and a voter, he has every right to say his own opinion about that government, and the elected officials.
There is really nothing hypocritical in a CEO who does what is best for his shareholders, while publicly promoting social progress when it doesn’t affect the shareholders.
One would think that the CEO of a company which does business in a particular country, paying taxes to that country, would have some “business” speaking up about what’s important to his company. Apple has been until now a good corporate citizen in China and, just like anywhere else, the money that Apple brings to China buys them some leeway. Figuring out just how MUCH leeway is TC’s job, and I wish him much joy of it.
Fair enough, in principle. However, we may want to consider the specifics here. While China has long ago ceased to be a communist nation (in the sense of prohibition of free enterprise and open markets), it is still a single-party dictatorship with state-controlled economy. In a country such as India, or the UK, or the European Union (multiple countries, but common economic market and laws), Cook and Apple have made efforts to confront local legislation that they thought was unfair, and pushed their agenda of progress. Anyone who knows anything about China understands that such efforts are at best futile, and worse, could simply get the company removed from the market by the government decree. When there is no transparency or accountability, there is no way for you to battle the wrongs.
In China, Apple, through its suppliers, employs an army of workers. These workers are paid roughly twice as much as ANY other American company operating in China. These factories have much stricter oversight than any others. Apple being the biggest target, is frequently investigated by ambitious journalists on a quest for that Pulitzer, so they tend to do much more than anyone else is expected.
I know this doesn’t say much, and from the American perspective, these workers live in dreadful conditions, are paid ridiculously (from the American point of view) little, and work hours that would likely be illegal in most developed countries. But in China, among all the large factories that assemble consumer products for American corporations, Apple is the most coveted employer, for its jobs and working conditions are significantly better than all others.
Bring back Woz. He always has an eye to the future.
I would prefer Ed Breen current CEO of DuPont, who will soon be out of a job as DuPont is merging with Dow Chemical. Been is a very experienced and successful executive who would give Apple what it lacks – a real corporate organization designed to produce excellent products lines with regular updates and new product innovations. Breen has strategic vision and would unleash the potential of the many current Apple executives whose skills are not being used. He would also bring in more to develop new product lines in a timely way. And he has the brains to say no to dumb ideas like billions wasted on an electric car and billions wasted on a Retail VP who does nothing. We need Apple to be run like a business – not Tim Cook’s Gay Huffington Post.
” Been is a very experienced and successful executive who would give Apple what it lacks – a real corporate organization”
Just like that sugar water guy that dumped Jobs and the rest that followed. By the time Apple got to Gil Emilio the company was in near ruin. At least he recognized the only saving for Apple was a non corporate air such as Jobs.
“Real corporate organization” only produces crap like HP, Yahoo, Blackberry and others.
No Breen is a real executive and unlike Tim Cook he does not spend all day trying to figure out how to piss off half the customer and investor base.
Apple definitely does not need another corporate guy at the top. Every one of Apple’s downhill slides has been with corporate guys at the top. And, yes, we’re at the very beginning of another long slide.
Apple should never be about making Apple great. It should be about turning out the best products possible and making their customers’ lives better. Apple has always had its best days whenever it has followed that path.
Making Apple great and building the best financial and marketing teams is what gets Apple into trouble. Making Apple, the company, great is what the current team believes (or at the very least the very top few). They believe in marketing. They believe in kissing Wall Street’s ass.
It’s time for Apple to get someone who will take Apple back to its early days and the turn of the century days.
Actually it needs a guy who knows how to lead a corporation. And it doesn’t have one now.
Because ‘you’ would know that right?
America is truly a kakistocracy cheered on by clueless entitlement.
Ed Breen, formerly of Motorola l, board member of Comcast, and now head of a dying chemical company?
strange choice if you ask me. Much better to recruit young talent and groom them into leaders instead of overpaying for executives with a patchy track record.
But yes, Cook needs to go, along with about a dozen other dead weight Apple executives who do nothing but take cash from Steve’s money machine.
Woz would be worse than Tim Cook.
Woz has no desire or aptitude for running a huge company. Woz was (is?) a genius tinkerer. He was (is?) a fantastic designer of electronics. If you really, really want to bring back Woz in any capacity at all it would be as CTO or Chief Engineer. Nothing else comes even close to making sense.
These statements are NOT an endorsement of the current senior management but rather a statement that putting Woz in charge of the company is absolutely not the correct thing to do.
The only hypocrite is you and the Mac Daily news. The facts are that Apple has done more for human rights in those countries than any other company on the planet. If you think Apple is the only company using china to manufacture there products you are a very ignorant person. The Mac Pro is getting revised to pro’s specifications from many companies. And Tim Cook has taken Apple far beyond what Steve Jobs could have imagined in terms of sales and profit. Sure some things could have been different but they learned from that and are working on a solution already.
That’s pathetic, kent. You know Tim could do more if he really tried.
I may disagree with Timid Tim on all manner of things, but one cannot disagree with someone who correctly points out that facts must be respected. Misrepresentation, selective reporting, and other spin which is typical of Conway and other political cronies of both corrupt parties, should be called out early and often. There is only one set of facts. Your point of view may differ, but you cannot dismiss verified facts out of hand.
What is interesting is that the MAGA faction has no recognition that American prosperity requires a healthy, educated, civilized planet inside and outside the borders. The Trumpian isolation plan will only do long term harm. On the other hand, if Americans — and that includes federal government ant corporations — act as honorable world citizens to bring justice, eradicate disease, and educate the unfortunate — then people all over the world would again respect and appreciate the USA as a global leader. Trump, like GW Bush before him, is rapidly losing international goodwill and developing the USA reputation as a fat lazy bully well past his prime.
Here is a fact. Tim Cook attacks Christians for following their beliefs but he happily supports Muslims whose faith calls for the execution of homosexuals. Tim is a jackass. And you are pathetic.
Christians are not better than muslims: IT’S ALL FAKE NEWS (and alternative facts too, btw)!
Christians are not better than muslims … at blowing themselves up or driving multi-ton trucks over people in order to kill innocent men, women, and children at airports, public celebrations, and Christmas markets.
TFTFY.
Unibomber?
Oklahoma City?
Waco TX?
Ranchers in Oregon?
……
Christian-Protestant Religious Wars?
The Inquisition?
The Crusades?
There are Christian terrorists as well, going back hundreds of years.
I don’t believe that one spritual sky friend cult is better than another. If has been proven repeatedly that the average American can’t actually distinguish the source or author of isolated quotations from the Bible or the Qua’ran. Both are quaint outdated texts that nobody actually follows to the letter because they are both self-contradictory collections of behavior guides that are less relevant today than Emily Post books from 2 decades ago.
What determines the peacefulness of a culture is how well people treat each other here and now. Religion is all fine and good if that’s your thing but in the end we all have to get along, and for that we have established rule of law. Each religious faction has its realists, its literal interpreters, and also its fringe psycho members that should not be used to condemn the entire group. What should be condemned are the actions of anyone from any group that are not in accordance with peace in the present day.
Attacks christians??? Do explain please.
Seems to me Apple is about as far from religion as a company can be. Some companies actually favor promoting gays because they interpret child raising as a distraction– what greed driven organization would not prefer that executives marry themselves to their jobs instead of supporting families? But we digress…
Now of course if you choose to conflate sexuality with religion, that is YOUR choice. The bible, highly edited by medieval mysogynists and likely quite a few gay monks, makes no condemnation of homosexuality and is well known to have been written in a time when sexual practices were literally uninhibited. All female accounts of your lord were exempted from canonization, not to mention the actual private lives of the cult you choose to follow. We know more about the sexual escapades of dozens of ancient cultures but practicality nothing about founding christians. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3205727.stm
Me thinks that puritanical dogma is more in play in your worldview than the actual teachings of a radical liberal jew who traveled around with 12 male companions.
Who fact checks the fact checkers?
No, each of us still has to do our own research and make our own decisions.
It’s the responsability of each individual adult.
Mike: I love how you insert “both corrupt political parties,” but the entire negative weight of your writing is directed to one side. Just for fun, please write a similar synopsis that would show the corruption on the other side. Topic: your choice…”just call ’em out”.
It is somewhat difficult to make the same argument the other way round, since the reality today is so profoundly lopsided. When your current president has falsehood-to-truth ratio of almost 80%, which is by more than 50 percentage points higher than ANY other public figure (on either side), you have a serious problem. With any other person in the Oval Office (right or left), the percentage of lies would be inline with all other political figures, and this is what the population is used to. But with the current occupant, when four out of five things he tweets are clear, obvious falsehoods, the problem is exacerbated when his staff and cabinet goes to defend these falsehoods.
The most recent example: the recent special congressional election in Kansas: “Great win in Kansas last night for Ron Estes, easily winning the Congressional race against the Dems, who spent heavily & predicted victory!”. The democratic party refused to spend any money on that election, conceding it as a safe republican seat (while republicans poured money and robocalls from Trump himself). The “easy” win was by a very thin margin of 7%… In a profoundly conservative district. Same thing for yesterday’s election in Georgia, where the first-time no-name democrat almost won the seat against several republicans, again on the conservative home court (he was short by less than 2% of the votes).
Trump is by now well known as the most troublesome falsehood teller; except his followers don’t know this. And that is profoundly dangerous for the country, and for the world.
The other side is not in power, was not the subject of the article, and never receives the benefit of the doubt from kent, MDN, of the other even more active right wing extremists who have chosen to politicize this forum. I see no reason why Mike should have to stroke your need for pro-republican examples of anything. Will you call on botty, ffirstwhatever, and kent to be balanced in their commentary too?
The other side is populated with people who think Fidel Castro is an ideal leader.
Says who?
Jean, I have no need for Mike to provide me a pro-repub stroke…presumption yours. Mike came from the point of non-partisian commentator, which often acts a screen of rationality and fairness. Then he proceeds to be completely one-sided. I was simply calling BS, as history shows where his thoughts truly reside. Btw, the big difference btwn Mike and the two other posters you mention, I don’t believe they claim to see both sides as corrupt? Just curious, do you think there are just right-wing extremists on this site?
Which side am I taking? I clearly posted an awesome diagram showing how partisans taking sides can see the same object and depict their slanted views on it because they refuse to take in all points of view before forming their opinions.
So fine, if you want me to condemn Maddow, Maher, or other obviously liberal leaning entertainers, fine. But equally as dispicable are entertainers like Hannity, now-deposed O’Reilly, et al who use force of personality rather than facts to sway people’s opinions, artificially inflate controversy, enrage the public, and distort reality. Most dispicable of all are unelected people like Conway who are now paid by your federal government to attack the free press and present unsubstantiated opinion in place of honest federal data and statistics which once were used as a guide to effective public policy. It’s plainly clear that political operatives like Conway and her ilk have no interest in discussing reality, they are employed specifically to deploy FUD which supposedly MDN hates unless it is shat from people who align with their one-sided views of things.
Reread my prior post and look at the diagram again. You cannot know truth if you never bother to listen to people with other points of view and additional data that, even if imperfect, is often necessary to gain full understanding of a situation. The issue at hand isn’t about what political party I affiliate with (the answer is neither), but about how as a society everyone needs to take off their goddamn political blinders and talk civilly again.
Yep, pretty nifty diagram. As you are prone, you went far/wide of my point. It is clear to me which side you speak from and speaking from a side is common and very natural/human. What I am speaking to is your self-perception that you are thinking rationally and all others, with positions that are different, or annoy), need to put the clarity goggles on and stop with the irrational/bigoted/biased thinking, as they are missing the truth (that you possess). I’ll add, they need to “take off their gd political blinders and talk civilly” like you, because you’ve already removed yours. Btw, the last sentence isn’t very civil, or it’s not a good way to encourage people to dialogue civilly.
I accept your opinion, but it is also true that it takes thin skin to be offended by straight talk.
Perhaps you interpret my strong disagreement with many of the extreme righties overrunning MDN as evidence that I must agree with the left wing. That is not consistently true. I am fiscally conservative, socially moderate, but as a scientist I abhor the fact-free platitudes of the greedy right more than those of the emotional left. Jesus himself would be condemned and pilloried as a liberal (which he was) by many of the extreme righties no this board, so it is irrelevant that the overwhelming majority of extreme right wingers remaining on MDN think that anyone who promotes a Theodore Rooseveltian centrist, peaceful, balanced budget, pro-trade, international diplomacy-led, pro-small business position is “liberal” compared to themselves, who appear to be infatuated with a president who acts like a puppet of Putin.
There can be only one truth.
Yes, however, the universe does have 3 physical dimensions and a time variable that all need to be taken into account.
Partisans use FUD to ensure their followers receive only a static view of one side and then claim with religious fervor that their facet is the only one that is “right”.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence would be branded as liberals by the current crop of fascist-lite party operatives that Trump brought in to add to the already corrupt slimy swamp of DC.
Thumbs up to MDN for Tim Cook’s ‘Misplaced Priorities’ award.
Dear Tim,
You talk too much about political/social issues and don’t do enough on the technological/design front, especially on the what can now be considered the failed MacPro.
Jony and Forstall did not get along at all but, just like Jony needed Jobs to moderate his flights of fancy to achieve a balance of practicality and delights, so Jony I think needs Forstall. Some of their conflict stemed from their being equal in the hieararchy which would have occurred with Forstall and Jobs had not Jobs been the absolute top boss and had the unquestioned clout and respect from all.
Cook: “We must be open to alternative points of view, not alternative facts.”
Benjamin Frankin: “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” and my favorite, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Yeah, I sure wish Tim could be more like the people that run Google and Facebook.
Those guys have their priorities and heads screwed on straight. They don’t worry about old-fashion values or standing up for lame-ass, out-of-date concepts like data confidentiality and the right to privacy from government and corporate prying eyes. Those are losing propositions. A company should be willing to cheat and lie to its customers and to use a customer’s personal information any way they like in order to grow the bottom line.
Free the Corporations of America! Stop worrying about the customers and their rights! Come on, Tim, enough with the goody-two-shoe show. This isn’t 1984 you know. We want more profits!
Look, Steve had a social conscience but he also had technological vision whereas Tim Cook has dollops of the first and severely lacks the second.
I really did try to respect Tim Cook but as an Apple CEO he is really below par. I think one example may suffice and that is the Apple Mac Pro debacle. To get to the stage where Apple Mac users are screaming for an update year after year and then the company head is forced to make a huge (but deserved) mea culpa was simply beyond the pale.
Wonderful! I am so glad he got the award. And I will think about the award when I am not thinking about how I can duplicate the threatened Apple Ecosystem with Android and Windows app.
Yeah really. Shame on MDN for supporting OUR president and encouraging the CEO of a public company to focus on his product line, customer experience, and delivering products and profits when he says he will.
This is how it should really work:
-A CEO should really use their power to advance their owner political agenda and the social opinions/causes they deem as “progressive” and ignore the execution of their business priorities.
-A President should really just talk about things and never really do anything. We certainly don’t want them to stand for anything bigger than themselves..liberty, shmiberty…
-A media Company like MDN should relentlessly bash the President because it sells media and catches eyeballs, selectively avoiding anything good the President may be doing.
Sounds like you think all those libtards in 1776 should have continued to blindly support King George no matter what an inept and crass buffoon he was.
It is every citizens duty to fight for liberty and justice. If that means criticism for the president, so be it. Thus far Trump has promised everything under the sun but has filled his administration with the most ignorant and corrupt appointees in recent history, has offered zero transparency of his business dealings which his nepotistic children continue to run from inside the White House, and inbetween golf matches is making a mockery of what used to be an honorable post. As he attempts to isolate the USA and piss off former allies, modern Rome will crumble even faster than it did under the last 50 years of corrupt partisan idiot leaders.
Why wont he just stick to the busness at hand…
Aggravating.
If he wants to be a polotician or get into socilal advocacy and activism … then just freaking quit and move on.. and let someone else with “laser sharp focus” (your words Tim , remember ) take on the postion.
But admittedly, i have no clue who that person could be?
So i guess, for now, i have to swollow this shit until a better alternative comes along.
I don’t come here to read anti-Cook propaganda and negative comments about him – mostly in some way related to him being gay. I also don’t come here to hear how great Trump is and how out of touch the rest of the world is. There are other Mac news sites that don’t attempt to create controversy as does MDN. I think I’ll be hanging out on them from now on. MacDailyNews is history for me.
Here we go again, Timmy on his social issue high horse under the Apple umbrella. Damn Apple, get rid of this idiot before he destroys this company. He should stick to coming up with new upgrades to old computer hardware and not social issues. That should be done on his own time. There are a lot of shareholders who do not hold his views and would not like this to happen on their dime. Time to dump Timmy!!!!
I am one that has been directly affected by Apple not investing time on the Mac desktop. But MDN take is shortsighted and shallow. In 50 years, nobody is going to care about the 2013 MacPro, but we sure will be talking about the stance that Apple took during these “Alternative Fact” years.
Perhaps its time for Tim to ponder running for some office and let someone else run Apple..
Never get between a republican and their lies. Even Jesus is not safe.
Yes, please, Tim. Run for office, please.
Tim Cook, what a loser.
At this point Cook just seems to be efforting to deflect attention from the piss-poor job he’s doing at helming Apple. I realize it is not a simple gig, but he goes against Apple instinct on so many things. Bad thing is I think we’re stuck w/ him. Even though he has been proven to be a poor choice, who’ll be able to fire Jobs’ own chosen successor? Rough seas ahead
Tim Cook is a flaming hypocrite.
He believes in “free speech” as long as it matches his worldview. He selectively ignores human rights abuses so that he can open stores in the Middle East, China, etc.
He should be running UNICEF so that someone with vision and commitment to technology can run Apple Inc.
And you should change your website name to RepubDailyNews.
You got that right!
Tim should be CEO of Blueboy Publications and Consumer Products.
Amen to that.
MDN and other Hypocrites here think everyone can have an opinion, values and belief system without interfering with their ability to do their jobs- as long as you’re a straight conservative republican. Tim Cook’s politics and sexual orientation are irrelevant- many of you here have agendas that are beyond obvious. This makes you not only not credible but quite off-putting. We can see through your masks.
So what is a hypocrite? All of us?
One side thinks one way and allows for others.
The other side thinks one way and does not allow for anyone to disagree. It’s all my side or none. No freedom if you disagree. Get sued, persecuted or silenced.
Myyyyy, how I have seen so much of that last part.
…And Donald Biff Trumper should not be president of United States…
Dr. Botvinnik’s prescription for Almux and all libtards:
Dosage, take daily for eight years.
http://www.mydol.com
Fwhatever, you have no basis on which to criticize anyone regarding selectively support of a worldview. You have long been the master of worldview tunnel-vision and hypocrisy.
I get along well with many people. But I cannot imagine willingly spending any time with you in a social setting…in any setting, really.
See… it’s possible we can agree on some things.
He is a hypocrite, not only for the reasons you cite, but he should be chastising his own marketing department.
Aspirational indeed!
“We now present to Apple CEO Tim Cook the trophy for misplaced priorities…”
Ouch. The truth really does hurt!
TC has shown his stripes previously, but let’s see how he handles this one; China’s recent concern over Apple’s streaming of certain content. Will he relent? Will he relent and speak directly/indirectly to China’s censorship, while proclaiming his 1st amendment values? Will he make no note of his “belief” and relent b/c of “business?” I’ll throw in the 1st $100…if anyone wants to bet what he’ll do.
Ićll tell you what he will do. Like any responsible CEO, he will do what is best for the company. In this particular case, he will follow the laws in China and do what is necessary to comply with them. He may carefully evaluate if it may be worthwhile publicly voicing a personal opinion on the matter. The benefit of such statement would be dubious at best; Chinese media (for whom it would be intended) would certainly ignore/embargo it, so the only benefit would be from the domestic (US audience), to improve the opinion of ordinary people about him. I’m not sure if he really cares what ordinary folks think about him. Meanwhile, such a public statement may well have detrimental effect on Apple’s business in China (lesser things have in the past). So, I would guess, he will comply with the laws and refrain from making incendiary comments against China.
As an American citizen, he has no business lecturing Chinese, or any other country on how to run their country or businesses. But, as an American citizen, he has every right to use his high-profile position to advance social progress in his own country. As a taxpayer and a voter, he has every right to say his own opinion about that government, and the elected officials.
There is really nothing hypocritical in a CEO who does what is best for his shareholders, while publicly promoting social progress when it doesn’t affect the shareholders.
One would think that the CEO of a company which does business in a particular country, paying taxes to that country, would have some “business” speaking up about what’s important to his company. Apple has been until now a good corporate citizen in China and, just like anywhere else, the money that Apple brings to China buys them some leeway. Figuring out just how MUCH leeway is TC’s job, and I wish him much joy of it.
Fair enough, in principle. However, we may want to consider the specifics here. While China has long ago ceased to be a communist nation (in the sense of prohibition of free enterprise and open markets), it is still a single-party dictatorship with state-controlled economy. In a country such as India, or the UK, or the European Union (multiple countries, but common economic market and laws), Cook and Apple have made efforts to confront local legislation that they thought was unfair, and pushed their agenda of progress. Anyone who knows anything about China understands that such efforts are at best futile, and worse, could simply get the company removed from the market by the government decree. When there is no transparency or accountability, there is no way for you to battle the wrongs.
In China, Apple, through its suppliers, employs an army of workers. These workers are paid roughly twice as much as ANY other American company operating in China. These factories have much stricter oversight than any others. Apple being the biggest target, is frequently investigated by ambitious journalists on a quest for that Pulitzer, so they tend to do much more than anyone else is expected.
I know this doesn’t say much, and from the American perspective, these workers live in dreadful conditions, are paid ridiculously (from the American point of view) little, and work hours that would likely be illegal in most developed countries. But in China, among all the large factories that assemble consumer products for American corporations, Apple is the most coveted employer, for its jobs and working conditions are significantly better than all others.
Bring back Woz. He always has an eye to the future.
Or Scott Forstall should be considered; He would put some fire under Apple’s languid butts. Jobs criticized Adobe for being lazy.
Scott would be good.
I would prefer Ed Breen current CEO of DuPont, who will soon be out of a job as DuPont is merging with Dow Chemical. Been is a very experienced and successful executive who would give Apple what it lacks – a real corporate organization designed to produce excellent products lines with regular updates and new product innovations. Breen has strategic vision and would unleash the potential of the many current Apple executives whose skills are not being used. He would also bring in more to develop new product lines in a timely way. And he has the brains to say no to dumb ideas like billions wasted on an electric car and billions wasted on a Retail VP who does nothing. We need Apple to be run like a business – not Tim Cook’s Gay Huffington Post.
” Been is a very experienced and successful executive who would give Apple what it lacks – a real corporate organization”
Just like that sugar water guy that dumped Jobs and the rest that followed. By the time Apple got to Gil Emilio the company was in near ruin. At least he recognized the only saving for Apple was a non corporate air such as Jobs.
“Real corporate organization” only produces crap like HP, Yahoo, Blackberry and others.
No Breen is a real executive and unlike Tim Cook he does not spend all day trying to figure out how to piss off half the customer and investor base.
Apple definitely does not need another corporate guy at the top. Every one of Apple’s downhill slides has been with corporate guys at the top. And, yes, we’re at the very beginning of another long slide.
Apple should never be about making Apple great. It should be about turning out the best products possible and making their customers’ lives better. Apple has always had its best days whenever it has followed that path.
Making Apple great and building the best financial and marketing teams is what gets Apple into trouble. Making Apple, the company, great is what the current team believes (or at the very least the very top few). They believe in marketing. They believe in kissing Wall Street’s ass.
It’s time for Apple to get someone who will take Apple back to its early days and the turn of the century days.
Actually it needs a guy who knows how to lead a corporation. And it doesn’t have one now.
Because ‘you’ would know that right?
America is truly a kakistocracy cheered on by clueless entitlement.
Ed Breen, formerly of Motorola l, board member of Comcast, and now head of a dying chemical company?
strange choice if you ask me. Much better to recruit young talent and groom them into leaders instead of overpaying for executives with a patchy track record.
But yes, Cook needs to go, along with about a dozen other dead weight Apple executives who do nothing but take cash from Steve’s money machine.
Woz would be worse than Tim Cook.
Woz has no desire or aptitude for running a huge company. Woz was (is?) a genius tinkerer. He was (is?) a fantastic designer of electronics. If you really, really want to bring back Woz in any capacity at all it would be as CTO or Chief Engineer. Nothing else comes even close to making sense.
These statements are NOT an endorsement of the current senior management but rather a statement that putting Woz in charge of the company is absolutely not the correct thing to do.
Shadowself: right, Woz would be a disaster…it’ll never happen. He wanted to give things away in the earliest days when “it” wasn’t yet Apple.
Good for him.
The only hypocrite is you and the Mac Daily news. The facts are that Apple has done more for human rights in those countries than any other company on the planet. If you think Apple is the only company using china to manufacture there products you are a very ignorant person. The Mac Pro is getting revised to pro’s specifications from many companies. And Tim Cook has taken Apple far beyond what Steve Jobs could have imagined in terms of sales and profit. Sure some things could have been different but they learned from that and are working on a solution already.
And Tim has done all he can to spread awareness of AIDS, and also spread AIDS.
FO&D, Kunt.
you mad, bro?
That’s pathetic, kent. You know Tim could do more if he really tried.
I may disagree with Timid Tim on all manner of things, but one cannot disagree with someone who correctly points out that facts must be respected. Misrepresentation, selective reporting, and other spin which is typical of Conway and other political cronies of both corrupt parties, should be called out early and often. There is only one set of facts. Your point of view may differ, but you cannot dismiss verified facts out of hand.
What is interesting is that the MAGA faction has no recognition that American prosperity requires a healthy, educated, civilized planet inside and outside the borders. The Trumpian isolation plan will only do long term harm. On the other hand, if Americans — and that includes federal government ant corporations — act as honorable world citizens to bring justice, eradicate disease, and educate the unfortunate — then people all over the world would again respect and appreciate the USA as a global leader. Trump, like GW Bush before him, is rapidly losing international goodwill and developing the USA reputation as a fat lazy bully well past his prime.
Here is a fact. Tim Cook attacks Christians for following their beliefs but he happily supports Muslims whose faith calls for the execution of homosexuals. Tim is a jackass. And you are pathetic.
Christians are not better than muslims: IT’S ALL FAKE NEWS (and alternative facts too, btw)!
Christians are not better than muslims … at blowing themselves up or driving multi-ton trucks over people in order to kill innocent men, women, and children at airports, public celebrations, and Christmas markets.
TFTFY.
Unibomber?
Oklahoma City?
Waco TX?
Ranchers in Oregon?
……
Christian-Protestant Religious Wars?
The Inquisition?
The Crusades?
There are Christian terrorists as well, going back hundreds of years.
I don’t believe that one spritual sky friend cult is better than another. If has been proven repeatedly that the average American can’t actually distinguish the source or author of isolated quotations from the Bible or the Qua’ran. Both are quaint outdated texts that nobody actually follows to the letter because they are both self-contradictory collections of behavior guides that are less relevant today than Emily Post books from 2 decades ago.
What determines the peacefulness of a culture is how well people treat each other here and now. Religion is all fine and good if that’s your thing but in the end we all have to get along, and for that we have established rule of law. Each religious faction has its realists, its literal interpreters, and also its fringe psycho members that should not be used to condemn the entire group. What should be condemned are the actions of anyone from any group that are not in accordance with peace in the present day.
Attacks christians??? Do explain please.
Seems to me Apple is about as far from religion as a company can be. Some companies actually favor promoting gays because they interpret child raising as a distraction– what greed driven organization would not prefer that executives marry themselves to their jobs instead of supporting families? But we digress…
Now of course if you choose to conflate sexuality with religion, that is YOUR choice. The bible, highly edited by medieval mysogynists and likely quite a few gay monks, makes no condemnation of homosexuality and is well known to have been written in a time when sexual practices were literally uninhibited. All female accounts of your lord were exempted from canonization, not to mention the actual private lives of the cult you choose to follow. We know more about the sexual escapades of dozens of ancient cultures but practicality nothing about founding christians. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3205727.stm
Me thinks that puritanical dogma is more in play in your worldview than the actual teachings of a radical liberal jew who traveled around with 12 male companions.
Who fact checks the fact checkers?
No, each of us still has to do our own research and make our own decisions.
It’s the responsability of each individual adult.
Mike: I love how you insert “both corrupt political parties,” but the entire negative weight of your writing is directed to one side. Just for fun, please write a similar synopsis that would show the corruption on the other side. Topic: your choice…”just call ’em out”.
It is somewhat difficult to make the same argument the other way round, since the reality today is so profoundly lopsided. When your current president has falsehood-to-truth ratio of almost 80%, which is by more than 50 percentage points higher than ANY other public figure (on either side), you have a serious problem. With any other person in the Oval Office (right or left), the percentage of lies would be inline with all other political figures, and this is what the population is used to. But with the current occupant, when four out of five things he tweets are clear, obvious falsehoods, the problem is exacerbated when his staff and cabinet goes to defend these falsehoods.
The most recent example: the recent special congressional election in Kansas: “Great win in Kansas last night for Ron Estes, easily winning the Congressional race against the Dems, who spent heavily & predicted victory!”. The democratic party refused to spend any money on that election, conceding it as a safe republican seat (while republicans poured money and robocalls from Trump himself). The “easy” win was by a very thin margin of 7%… In a profoundly conservative district. Same thing for yesterday’s election in Georgia, where the first-time no-name democrat almost won the seat against several republicans, again on the conservative home court (he was short by less than 2% of the votes).
Trump is by now well known as the most troublesome falsehood teller; except his followers don’t know this. And that is profoundly dangerous for the country, and for the world.
The other side is not in power, was not the subject of the article, and never receives the benefit of the doubt from kent, MDN, of the other even more active right wing extremists who have chosen to politicize this forum. I see no reason why Mike should have to stroke your need for pro-republican examples of anything. Will you call on botty, ffirstwhatever, and kent to be balanced in their commentary too?
The other side is populated with people who think Fidel Castro is an ideal leader.
Says who?
Jean, I have no need for Mike to provide me a pro-repub stroke…presumption yours. Mike came from the point of non-partisian commentator, which often acts a screen of rationality and fairness. Then he proceeds to be completely one-sided. I was simply calling BS, as history shows where his thoughts truly reside. Btw, the big difference btwn Mike and the two other posters you mention, I don’t believe they claim to see both sides as corrupt? Just curious, do you think there are just right-wing extremists on this site?
Which side am I taking? I clearly posted an awesome diagram showing how partisans taking sides can see the same object and depict their slanted views on it because they refuse to take in all points of view before forming their opinions.
So fine, if you want me to condemn Maddow, Maher, or other obviously liberal leaning entertainers, fine. But equally as dispicable are entertainers like Hannity, now-deposed O’Reilly, et al who use force of personality rather than facts to sway people’s opinions, artificially inflate controversy, enrage the public, and distort reality. Most dispicable of all are unelected people like Conway who are now paid by your federal government to attack the free press and present unsubstantiated opinion in place of honest federal data and statistics which once were used as a guide to effective public policy. It’s plainly clear that political operatives like Conway and her ilk have no interest in discussing reality, they are employed specifically to deploy FUD which supposedly MDN hates unless it is shat from people who align with their one-sided views of things.
Reread my prior post and look at the diagram again. You cannot know truth if you never bother to listen to people with other points of view and additional data that, even if imperfect, is often necessary to gain full understanding of a situation. The issue at hand isn’t about what political party I affiliate with (the answer is neither), but about how as a society everyone needs to take off their goddamn political blinders and talk civilly again.
Yep, pretty nifty diagram. As you are prone, you went far/wide of my point. It is clear to me which side you speak from and speaking from a side is common and very natural/human. What I am speaking to is your self-perception that you are thinking rationally and all others, with positions that are different, or annoy), need to put the clarity goggles on and stop with the irrational/bigoted/biased thinking, as they are missing the truth (that you possess). I’ll add, they need to “take off their gd political blinders and talk civilly” like you, because you’ve already removed yours. Btw, the last sentence isn’t very civil, or it’s not a good way to encourage people to dialogue civilly.
I accept your opinion, but it is also true that it takes thin skin to be offended by straight talk.
Perhaps you interpret my strong disagreement with many of the extreme righties overrunning MDN as evidence that I must agree with the left wing. That is not consistently true. I am fiscally conservative, socially moderate, but as a scientist I abhor the fact-free platitudes of the greedy right more than those of the emotional left. Jesus himself would be condemned and pilloried as a liberal (which he was) by many of the extreme righties no this board, so it is irrelevant that the overwhelming majority of extreme right wingers remaining on MDN think that anyone who promotes a Theodore Rooseveltian centrist, peaceful, balanced budget, pro-trade, international diplomacy-led, pro-small business position is “liberal” compared to themselves, who appear to be infatuated with a president who acts like a puppet of Putin.
There can be only one truth.
Yes, however, the universe does have 3 physical dimensions and a time variable that all need to be taken into account.
Partisans use FUD to ensure their followers receive only a static view of one side and then claim with religious fervor that their facet is the only one that is “right”.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence would be branded as liberals by the current crop of fascist-lite party operatives that Trump brought in to add to the already corrupt slimy swamp of DC.
Thumbs up to MDN for Tim Cook’s ‘Misplaced Priorities’ award.
That’s what the article should have been titled.
Here’s an alternative fact Tim has been pushing – Apple has a product pipeline. Now that is a real bit of fake news.
Dear Tim,
You talk too much about political/social issues and don’t do enough on the technological/design front, especially on the what can now be considered the failed MacPro.
Bravo Tim, Bravo, the public needs you, please leave apple as soon as possible and leave Jonny in charge or re hire Scott Forstall to head apple.
Please not Jony. The guy has ruined everything he’s touched lately. Move on.
Jony and Forstall did not get along at all but, just like Jony needed Jobs to moderate his flights of fancy to achieve a balance of practicality and delights, so Jony I think needs Forstall. Some of their conflict stemed from their being equal in the hieararchy which would have occurred with Forstall and Jobs had not Jobs been the absolute top boss and had the unquestioned clout and respect from all.
“I’m Thpartacuth!” – Pipeline Timmy
Cook: “We must be open to alternative points of view, not alternative facts.”
Benjamin Frankin: “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” and my favorite, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
botvinnik: no quotable quips whatsoever
Yeah, I sure wish Tim could be more like the people that run Google and Facebook.
Those guys have their priorities and heads screwed on straight. They don’t worry about old-fashion values or standing up for lame-ass, out-of-date concepts like data confidentiality and the right to privacy from government and corporate prying eyes. Those are losing propositions. A company should be willing to cheat and lie to its customers and to use a customer’s personal information any way they like in order to grow the bottom line.
Free the Corporations of America! Stop worrying about the customers and their rights! Come on, Tim, enough with the goody-two-shoe show. This isn’t 1984 you know. We want more profits!
[SARCASM]
Hey MDN, when are you going to us readers the opportunity to give star ratings on your own comments? Love the new trophy designation.
Look, Steve had a social conscience but he also had technological vision whereas Tim Cook has dollops of the first and severely lacks the second.
I really did try to respect Tim Cook but as an Apple CEO he is really below par. I think one example may suffice and that is the Apple Mac Pro debacle. To get to the stage where Apple Mac users are screaming for an update year after year and then the company head is forced to make a huge (but deserved) mea culpa was simply beyond the pale.
Tim’ social vision is attacking people who have actual positive moral convictions. Tim Cook is in fact anti-social.
Wonderful! I am so glad he got the award. And I will think about the award when I am not thinking about how I can duplicate the threatened Apple Ecosystem with Android and Windows app.
MacDaily’s blind support of Trump is becoming very said indeed.
Yeah really. Shame on MDN for supporting OUR president and encouraging the CEO of a public company to focus on his product line, customer experience, and delivering products and profits when he says he will.
This is how it should really work:
-A CEO should really use their power to advance their owner political agenda and the social opinions/causes they deem as “progressive” and ignore the execution of their business priorities.
-A President should really just talk about things and never really do anything. We certainly don’t want them to stand for anything bigger than themselves..liberty, shmiberty…
-A media Company like MDN should relentlessly bash the President because it sells media and catches eyeballs, selectively avoiding anything good the President may be doing.
If only…
Sounds like you think all those libtards in 1776 should have continued to blindly support King George no matter what an inept and crass buffoon he was.
It is every citizens duty to fight for liberty and justice. If that means criticism for the president, so be it. Thus far Trump has promised everything under the sun but has filled his administration with the most ignorant and corrupt appointees in recent history, has offered zero transparency of his business dealings which his nepotistic children continue to run from inside the White House, and inbetween golf matches is making a mockery of what used to be an honorable post. As he attempts to isolate the USA and piss off former allies, modern Rome will crumble even faster than it did under the last 50 years of corrupt partisan idiot leaders.
Why wont he just stick to the busness at hand…
Aggravating.
If he wants to be a polotician or get into socilal advocacy and activism … then just freaking quit and move on.. and let someone else with “laser sharp focus” (your words Tim , remember ) take on the postion.
But admittedly, i have no clue who that person could be?
So i guess, for now, i have to swollow this shit until a better alternative comes along.
I don’t come here to read anti-Cook propaganda and negative comments about him – mostly in some way related to him being gay. I also don’t come here to hear how great Trump is and how out of touch the rest of the world is. There are other Mac news sites that don’t attempt to create controversy as does MDN. I think I’ll be hanging out on them from now on. MacDailyNews is history for me.
Here we go again, Timmy on his social issue high horse under the Apple umbrella. Damn Apple, get rid of this idiot before he destroys this company. He should stick to coming up with new upgrades to old computer hardware and not social issues. That should be done on his own time. There are a lot of shareholders who do not hold his views and would not like this to happen on their dime. Time to dump Timmy!!!!
I am one that has been directly affected by Apple not investing time on the Mac desktop. But MDN take is shortsighted and shallow. In 50 years, nobody is going to care about the 2013 MacPro, but we sure will be talking about the stance that Apple took during these “Alternative Fact” years.
What’s with this? I thought we were going up?!!
http://money.cnn.com/data/markets/nyse/
Tim Cook is a crony capitalist in progressive clothing.
Tim Cook: The anti-sociopathic CEO.
Congratulations! Well earned Tim!