r2i forum

Ever since Jobs made a re-entry to Apple after Pixar, the valley has not been the same.

The revolution that started with iPod, has continued till iPad. Will his departure affect the innovation culture deeply or he was at right place at the right time, so his presence or absence should not make a difference?

What do tech/apple-gadget lovers think?

Now that the OP is neutral to view people's thoughts, let me add my views.

Steve Jobs is a visionary and an icon, no doubt about it and he put Cupertino (a small town in valley) in world map because of it being the head quarters of Apple Inc.

But for Mercury News to run 3-4 page supplement on his announcement and the aftermath day later is an overkill. Man helped improvize existing gadgets ,but it's not like he invented anything from scratch and he is not God :).

I also felt that even while leaving Steve exhibited a streak of narcissism that he is well known for. Google's recent acquisition of patents from Nortel/Motorola give enough ammunition for it's Android to protect against patent stealing accusations and Android is gaining market share in touch screen smart phones even in overseas market where Apple share is dominant. Samsung's tablet can give a run for iPad in its second/third release, so Apple is bound to suffer some market share decline. So Steve announces departure so the tough onus is on Tom Cook to prove that the future letdown(if it happens) is due to market dynamics and not due to Steve's departure.

Plus if $1 salary taking Steve is so magnanimous, why not let the thousand+ Wipro/Infosys contractors to let them have their iPhones they get when they start the contract? Apple enjoys 60-70% margin on each iPhone, so gifting at the most $150 gizmo (apple's cost in $400 retail value) to hard working contractors will not make even a small dent to Apple's bottomline :) Now they are forced to return after their assignment/contract is up. But such details are always hidden in media hype of 'God' :)

When I say hard working, I mean it. People who live in the viscinity of Apple Campus know that parking lot has significant occupation even around 8pm in weekdays and at weekends. No company needs such slavery for its dominance !! RB has no ethics like this where she opens her debugging window and happily types such stuff in forum window plus weekends are hers and her family's alone and no attendance to her fans here on weekends:)

You are bashing a company (and Steve Jobs) because it/he does not give contractors (who would work for just a couple of months) a free phone?

to compare the contractors for a free iphone ? why not let the ipad assemblers in china have a free ipad also, some gave up their lives recently when the assemble plant has an explosion due to chemical storage?

rdecartus;407278You are bashing a company (and Steve Jobs) because it/he does not give contractors (who would work for just a couple of months) a free phone?

If you associate my long post as mere bashing an 'icon' for a free phone, you didn't read the whole post. Probably you missed words like 'visionary' in your hurry to bash me ! Any views on departure that is asked in OP? :) :)

RB is no indian MNCs contractor and does not work for Apple. Plus she gets 'free' (phone included) at the wink of her command from her husband. But wanted to show that while Apple has enjoyed nice overrun of it's stock in last decade, it's culture as a slog company/slave shop is still intact and media never publishes these labor breaking laws while highlighting how google stole some patents! Opensource is a opensource and no company should have a patent for simple coding algorithms !!

Steve has every right to be a narcissist! He has taken the company a long long way from MS.

I don't think Steve Jobs departure will make any dent in Apple's sales until all these nipple piercing hippies find carrying the stupid Apple gadgets as the trendy thing to do.

As to Steve Jobs, I wish he uses his retirement days to study calendars and dates well to realize that an option allotted today cannot be dated yesterday. Yesterday != today.

"I don't think Steve Jobs departure will make any dent in Apple's sales until all these nipple piercing hippies find carrying the stupid Apple gadgets as the trendy thing to do."

So are the customers of apple products from 4 corners of the world are same category of the human beings. You are living in a cave.:wink

PeterGriffin;407296Steve has every right to be a narcissist! He has taken the company a long long way from MS.

If his narcism gave the world iPod,iTunes, iPad, iPhones, then I bless narcism!!

Why should Apple give its gizmos to Infy/Wipro consultants? Infy/Wipro bid for the contract, and they won it. So they have their people working in Apple. If Infy/Wipro feel so bad for their workers who are working on weekends, why doesn't Infy/Wipro give them gizmos? Or rather stop bidding for Apple's contracts if they think Apple is slave-driver. Oh wait... if Infy/Wipro does not bid for these projects, someone else will get these projects, and the same developers will change jobs & work for this third company & end up in Apple's campus. Maybe we should all be just thankful that Apple is creating these jobs, and stop worrying about consultants getting a free gizmo.

Btw Apple's work culture was well depicted in the movie "Pirates of silicon valley" more than 10 years back. It's not a hidden fact.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168122/