Apple’s Newest Product: Gay iCon
Apple might have made history, if its CEO chooses to confirm it.
BY Lucas Grindley
October 19 2011
Soon after Apple named Tim Cook, Steve Jobs’s handpicked successor, CEO of one the world’s most popular technology companies, journalists began arguing bitterly over whether it matters if Cook is gay.
The first reports on Cook’s selection ignored the issue, even though Cook had been outed in January as it became clear he could one day replace Apple’s visionary leader, who died in October. Valleywag (now part of Gawker Media) cited anonymous sources who said Cook’s orientation was a topic of discussion at Apple, claiming executives would support Cook if he chose to be open.
But if Apple planned for this moment, then it watched from the sidelines while a furor unfolded online, with tech reporters sniping back and forth via blog posts, videos, and tweets. Cook, meanwhile, declined to speak to The Advocate.
“Tim Cook is now the most powerful gay man in the world. This is newsworthy, no?” wrote Reuters tech blogger Felix Salmon in a post titled “Don’t Ignore Tim Cook’s Sexuality.”
As you know, it doesn’t make a bit of difference to me, because I buy Apple products and not Tim Cook ... LOL ...
Typing to you on an iPad right now, using an iPhone, watching Apple TV and computing on an iMac ... :-) ... and having a great time using all those Apple products.