RIP Steve Jobs

No way man. No waaaaay.

http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

Who here hasn't been affected somehow by this man's influence? We've lost a massive innovator, and I fear its all downhill from here.

I don't use a mac myself, but man. This kinda sucks...

This looks like a thread for Fire Tom! RIP Steve Jobs

He's bodily deceased but rest assured his consciousness has been uploaded onto some massive server.

I absolutely don't get it. Neither he nor Apple have ever led the field in anything other than selling technology as a lifestyle accessory.

I had touch screen smart phones (several of them) before the iPhone came out, MP3 players were a fairly standard bit of kit before the iPod (which, incidentally, has always contained some of the lowest quality audio components of any brand) and tablet computers existed for many years (since the 90's in some form) before the iPad. As a company they have never 'invented' anything and none of their products have ever been the best in their field, even at the time of release.

All Apple have ever done is mass market ideas that other people already came up with. Jobs did nothing but follow what the fashion industry has been doing for years and sell lifestyle ideals to a section of the public that just wanted to buy 'cool'.

He also headed the single most anticompetitive company that has ever existed. Far from innovating Apple is stunting the development of technology with its ridiculous software / hardware (and now store) tie-ins and absurd lawsuits.

It is always a sad day when anyone dies young but when people compare him to Edison, Bell, Logie Baird, Berners-Lee, or even Dyson it is fairly ridiculous.

You cannot valuate person as a company.

I agree with Seye on this. As I get into more advanced computer engineering I see it more common than ever. Not just Apple/Macintosh has been stunting the growth of better technology though. Think of it as a wal-mart with the value items. Apple and other companies take the technology that's good enough but still cheap enough the majority of people will still buy it. They've had some pretty good marketing ideas and Jobs did a lot to get the company running, but they haven't "pushed" the limits off anything but the marketing of modern(ish) technology. For the most part all they've done since the mouse and user interface have refaced already known tech and re sell it to a fan base of buyers. Mean while getting upset when others do the same to them. Companies like Apple want to limit who can produce certain types of tech this is limiting learning and progression. It would be close to the same as someone telling you not to use a noun in a sentence and expecting you to write a novel to keep up with them.

Sorry for the w.o.t. I have been seeing too much of this stuff lately, and everyone praising Jobs for the mediocre things he has done makes me angry. Though he did do good. R.I.P. I would have like to meet him. I think he's real work he did is getting way blown out of proportion.

If you'd got into advanced computer engeneering you'd mention
Dennis Ritchie instead. Shame on you both.

Yes Ritchie We should turn this into a Dennis Ritchie thread, since he also just passed away. At least he gave us C, and that will live forever!