“No sooner had Steve Jobs resigned than the process of his canonisation began. Genius, visionary, even revolutionary were some of the epithets used to describe the man who took Apple from the brink to the world’s most valuable company,” Julian Lee writes for The Sydney Morning Herald. “Yet, once the hyperbole is stripped away, it may be that he was merely the man who made us fall in love with pretty gadgets, and made Apple shareholders immensely rich in the process.”
“Jobs made computing sexy and packaged music players, phones and portable screens to make them the must-have item for millions. But he is guilty, among other things, of bequeathing to us a worldwide cult of technological onanism from which we are unlikely to recover any time soon,” Lee writes. “Those among us who have an iPod, Macbook, iTouch, iPhone or iPad have surrendered our powers of concentration and free time to this cult, not to mention our personal data. An entire generation will only be able to walk into its future so long as Apple holds its hand. They will only be able to commune with each other via their devices and a shared experience will only be truly shared through Facebook or Digg.”
“There is nothing very cool about the culture of the company Jobs has presided over since he returned as CEO in 1997, after being ousted some years earlier in a boardroom coup. Its ‘my way or the highway’ approach to business has earned it few friends. Apple is one of the few technology companies in the world that has succeeded despite having a closed ecosystem that does not work with any other technology,” Lee writes. “This protectionist approach extends to Apple’s aggressive policy towards patents and trademarks. Any company, be it large or small, that dares use the ‘i’ or anything resembling an apple in its brand, invites the wrath of Apple’s corporate lawyers.”
Lee writes, “In spite of all the facts – that Apple is a ruthless corporate machine that exploits consumers at will and gives little back (it doesn’t even pay its shareholders a dividend) – we love this brand and the avuncular evangelist Jobs who is slowly but surely being raised to the pantheon of ‘greats’ alongside Nobel prize winners, mighty philanthropists and, dare I say it, even religious leaders. In the end I suspect Jobs will be remembered chiefly as one of, if not the, best marketers the world has ever known.”
Full article – Think Before You Click™ – here.
MacDailyNews Take: This is an attempt at satire, right? Or is Lee just another hit-whore?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Way to go MDN. Giving another hit whore the hits he desires. Pathetic.
Ah, yes, this “story” is a perfect example of MDN hit-whoring by proxy.
“Giving another hit whore the hits he desires. Pathetic.”
You misspelled the third word, it obviously begins with an S.
This guy was just itching to use the word ‘onanism’ and then build an article around that word…
MDN is saying ‘Think Before You Click’. I don’t read that as an encouragement to read the article.
I vote hit-whore.
As devout an Apple fan as I am, I’m pretty sure I could go on with my life if they shut the doors tomorrow and I never saw another iProduct again. The news, weather, and entertainment industry currently suffers from a major bout of suck these days.
I’m sure the tens of thousands of Apple users, consultants, investors that turned modest investments into millions and retired ALL agree.
Hit the whore.
I switched back to Mac 2002 and have had the opposite feeling. Feel less expoilted than other companies and specific- Microsoft. Whom I have had the great pleasure of having to deal with and realize what a nightmare it was.
If Apple is expoiltive, then I am first in line. Now if Steve could make a women- well I would be VERY happy!
tens of thousands=tens of millions
This guy does not have an idea what simplicity is !!! He sure is a “PHILISTINE” and a moron evangelist!!!!
This guy is a reason to keep the feeble minded illiterate. If he didn’t know how to write, we would be spared his dribble.
Lee is ludicrous. He shows his ignorance of business.
“Apple is one of the few technology companies in the world that has succeeded despite having a closed ecosystem that does not work with any other technology” Lee writes.
Hmm, I seem to have no problem communicating with the rest of the world on my Apple devices. ‘Unclosed’ or ‘open’ systems seem to have the most problems with security, so now why is “open” good for the average consumer?
Patents? That is specious, as every company large and small uses these, and they wouldn’t have time to recover their development costs if they could not protect their inventions.
Trademarks? With out a trademark a corporation would have no “name” as an independent ongoing “legal person” or name for their products that was only their product.
Sounds like Julian Lee desperately needs a few dozen onanism sessions to calm himself down…
Closed ecosystem??? What is he talking about? How many thousands of 3rd partyy developers are out there for Apple products? Okay, the iPod is a closed system, but not the Mac, and certainly not the iPhone (has he not seen the AppStore). And I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can interoperate fine from my iMac with any other piece of equipment that uses industry standards.
Hit Whore is right. He probably looks at Microsoft as a benevolent company….
Even the Ipod can’t be considered closed considering how many Artists and independent labels are able to launch their content on a venue with access to so many consumers.
Pure crap. I feel defiled to have read it.
I wonder what this guy thinks of Balmer and Microsoft?
If you use the word “onanism” in a newspaper article, you might be a self-righteous douche.
1
I think he’s the nozzle of the douche
another moron who things he is enlightened. This constant drumbeat of hating successful people and companies gets old. None of these holier-than-thou Marxist drones ever look at their own wealth and extravagant lifestyles…usually funded by some parasitic means. Oh no…it’s always “hate that rich guy over there! He’s screwing you!” Never mind that guys like jobs make technology affordable for the proletariat to enjoy. But then that concept is ultimately why the Marxist hates a guy like jobs. The purpose of the Marxist parasite is only served if the proletariat is suffering and pissed off. The elitist Marxist journalist thinks technology like smart phones should be reserved for elite people like him. Why, if all the world’s poor have things like smart phones, the planet might be destroyed!
Just proves there’s an idiot hatched every day.
Digg is still around?
Digg is soooo last year.
If there is no Apple iPhone 5 soon, I will just die.
“a ruthless corporate machine that exploits consumers, gives little back”
I always considered this a description of Google. It really is seen when they demand you use a real name in their new Social website similar to FaceBook. The reason so they can sell accurate data about you and your friends to the highest paying advertiser with them.
Now that is truly evil in my book.
While writing his dribble, this filth-monger is having multiple onanistic orgasms spurting out ejaculates from his foul mouth and shitty nose.
As long as Apple’s competition keeps believing stuff like this, there will BE very little competition for Apple’s superior products.
That guy sounds the same to me as Keith Olbermann ranting about George Bush and Republicans. Recipe: replace facts and logic with bile and bluster.
Lol! Poor analogy. Keith doesn’t work for Fox News.
Ok people be honest…how many of you had to look up the word onanism?
Made my day when I found it out what it meant…..
Hehe. Had to double-check myself.
Lee might be referring to masturbation, which might be all he can get. Sounds like Jobs-resignation-hate-masterbation.
I would say that SOME of what this guy is saying is correct. Steve is very much known to have a my way or the highway attitude. I do not think this makes it a bad company. His ideas, his visions have brought those gadgets to us. The part I do agree with is that, like Microsoft, Apple wants to control its proprietary systems and brands. The app store is not open, it must be approved by apple. Did anyone notice Amazon and others getting kicked off the app store? This is almost as ‘bad’ as Microsoft bundling internet explorer free with Windows. If you will remember that is what got Microsoft in trouble.
I personally do not see anything bad or wrong with any of these situations. Let these companies do what they need to in order to make a profit. We the consumers are aware of it and accept it and love using the machines. So why not leave us and the companies that produce what we like to purchase alone. The big difference right now is that Apple does not own 95% of the market share in PC’s. I feel they will continue to grow, and when they do have 80 + percent of the market share (like they do in tablets) look out for the justice department to clamp down on Apple and tell them to open up the app store. I do not think that Apple is doing this any worse than any other company trying to protect and grow their profits. It does bother me from a business standpoint that many on this blog have issues with Microsoft for doing this but are defensive of Apple doing the same thing. In either case it is OK for a business to do what they need to in order to remain profitable. There is nothing wrong here….move along.
I also said this first, and it is an absolute truth: “…In the end I suspect Jobs will be remembered chiefly as one of, if not the, best marketers the world has ever known.”
Above all else, marketing genius. Upcoming proof? Try this – when the new iPhone is released, look for “improved antenna” among its descriptions. Then, ask yourself – if the thing needed an improved antenna, why were we told there was nothing wrong with iPhone 4 antenna. The blunder of Ive’s form over function was solved with MARKETING and not engineering.
It’ll have a redesigned antenna. Why? Because it will have to work with all of the various radio formats that the different networks use around the world. If you want to interpret that as ‘improved’, and then use it as ‘proof’ that the iPhone 4 antenna was, in your opinion, ‘flawed’, then that’s your right. Of course, it’ll just serve to prove that, in fact, you’re a jackass.
I second that motion.
I also object to the flippant use of the phrase ‘absolute truth’. Applied to an uninformed speculative opinion? Wake up: As humans,we never know everything about anything.
Waaaaahhh!!! I’m a victim!!!! Jobs MADE me fall in love with Apple’s products! I had no choice!! Waaaaaaah!
What’s an iTouch? ………muppet!
VERDICT: Intelligence retardant hit-whore.
This thought process is worthy of Michelle Bachmann and that forgettable airthead from Alaska. Consider another line of employment. 😯
It is laughable. The writer managed to contradict himself in several paragraphs:
“the man who […] made Apple shareholders immensely rich in the process.”
“Apple […] gives little back (it doesn’t even pay its shareholders a dividend)”
After having to work on a POS windows iis server for the last week, I think this LEE person needs a big kick in the nuts for speaking out against Apple, because the world does not need his internally thwarted progeny. He has offended my religion. Just kidding. ack
Hit whore.
Greed is good. Go Apple.
original author Julian Lee is a moron.
his arguments are flawed.
1. Apple is not the tyrannical monopolizer, Microsoft was.
Apple freed us from it. the Mobile industry was monopolizing consumer choices. Apple freed us, including the cell phone service providers from their horrendous prices. but we forget that now?! there’s tons more examples…
2. Lee suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. look it up.
3. If Apple exploits, what was Nokia, Dell, Microsoft, Sony etc. doing all these years, if not worse?! Apple is not into greed but naturally, not voluntarily reaches monopoly, through user choice, not force or hype. find a better solution before you scream. Apple’s integration or smoothness is not the same as Big Brother. don’t be daft.
4. Apple products just work. if you rather be free in the sense of multiple choice, go ahead, feel the bliss in Zune or Android or Dell. no one cares or will miss you on the Apple camp.
5. if Apple makes so much profits, it’s only because they deserve it. everything they accomplished is through being the hardest workers in the industry, the one that cares most about not simpleton products but simply sophisticated solutions, that no one can mimic only because no one understands technology essence as well. if you don’t like zen tech, eat your own shit in hell tech, but shut up. Apple’s stratospheric profits, are not thanks to being shallow but having depth – people can’t be fooled like scientology or religion for that long, over a decade, into buying stuff that doesn’t work.
6. if Apple gets you stuck by what you understand is its integration strategy, you don’t understand the big picture. At least Apple helps us solving daily problems, being more productive and enjoying aesthetics of life. if you hate it, leave, stop bitching. or do it better!
we do not pray to Apple or adhere dogmatically. we genuinely love Apple. now go find something or someone you love. maybe you need to get laid.