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Apple CEO Tim Cook saw an iPhone in a nearly 350-year-old painting
CNBC Tech Transformers ^ | May 25, 2016 | By Arjun Kharpal

Posted on 05/25/2016 10:22:43 AM PDT by Swordmaker

Apple's Tim Cook saw an iPhone in 350-year-old painting

The Apple chief executive joked saying he thought he knew when and where the iPhone was invented.

Apparently the iPhone was invented nearly 350 years ago, according to Apple boss Tim Cook's interpretation of a painting.

During a chat at the Start-up Fest event in Amsterdam on Tuesday, Cook spoke to former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes about topics ranging from health to the future of TV.

But the pair shared an anecdote from the night before when Kroes took Cook to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.

"Do you happen to know Tim, where and when the iPhone was invented?" Kroes asked Cook on stage.

The Apple chief executive explained that in one painting at the museum he thought he saw the subject holding an iPhone.

"You know, I thought I knew until last night. Last night Neelie took me over to look at some Rembrandt and in one of the paintings I was so shocked. There was an iPhone in one of the paintings," Cook jokingly explained.


Koreas showed a picture of the painting but it was a little blurry.

"It's tough to see but I swear it's there," Cook said.

The painting Cook was referring to was not in fact by the Dutch painter Rembrandt. It was painted by Pieter de Hooch in 1670 and is entitled "Man Hands a Letter to a Woman in a Hall." The letter in the picture sort of looks like an iPhone.

"I always thought I knew when the iPhone was invented, but now I'm not so sure anymore," Cook said.

Just to be clear though, the first iPhone was released in 2007 when Steve Jobs was still in charge of Apple.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Humor
KEYWORDS: applepinglist; humor; iphone; tripe
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To: BenLurkin
Get back to me when he sees a cell phone tower 300 years ago

Not much would work well on an iphone without GPS and cell towers. And, where the heck are you going to plug it in to recharge?

OTOH, you'd have a long time to wait for an update.

21 posted on 05/25/2016 11:04:08 AM PDT by zeugma (Today is Setting Orange, the 72nd day of Discord in the YOLD 3182)
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To: zeugma

You could play angry birds until the battery ran out.


22 posted on 05/25/2016 11:05:18 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Swordmaker

I think it is what the title says - handing her a letter


23 posted on 05/25/2016 11:14:01 AM PDT by Mr. K (Trump will win NY state - choke on that HilLIARy)
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To: Snickering Hound

#8 The kids today should never ever complain about how tough life is when you see a photo like that.


24 posted on 05/25/2016 11:14:42 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: Donglalinger

the close-up is certainly more revealing!!


25 posted on 05/25/2016 11:15:34 AM PDT by Mr. K (Trump will win NY state - choke on that HilLIARy)
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To: Donglalinger

Right....the chicks got nail polish, too


26 posted on 05/25/2016 11:16:18 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Swordmaker

No wonder Apple is starting to struggle... their CEO is starting to hallucinate.


27 posted on 05/25/2016 11:18:30 AM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Mr. K

No way! It is a Multidimensional Zarcon Feedback Matter Displacement Module! Or a MZFMDM back up.


28 posted on 05/25/2016 11:19:00 AM PDT by jetson
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To: BenLurkin

There is that. You could also use the timer, stopwatch, calculator, and flashlight until it died.


29 posted on 05/25/2016 11:24:03 AM PDT by zeugma (Today is Setting Orange, the 72nd day of Discord in the YOLD 3182)
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To: zeugma

How about this.

Find out which function most impresses which one of the locals and sell the IPhone to that person. Charge a fortune for it.

Don’t forget to skip town right away.


30 posted on 05/25/2016 11:26:39 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: Swordmaker

Looks like that ol’ fudgepacker needs his meds adjusted.


31 posted on 05/25/2016 11:42:08 AM PDT by Seruzawa (If you agree with the French raise your hand. If you are French raise both hands)
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To: BenLurkin
Actually, an iPhone is not what I'd sell them. There are any number of things that would work better. How about a straight up mechanical automatic watch. No batteries required, but it also doesn't need to be wound, and would keep better time than anything that existed in that time period. I suspect you could make a fortune selling just the escapement to a jeweler.

The best way to make money in the past though, is even easier than that. Simply take ten pounds of aluminum ingots, and trade it to someone who deals in commodities straight up weight for weight for gold. They'd think they were getting a heck of a deal, and thus could be trusted to keep their mouth shut, and you'd be somewhat better off as well. Until the advent of electricity so separate aluminum from ore, it was insanely expensive stuff, and like gold, has the advantage of not being subject to tarnish.

32 posted on 05/25/2016 11:46:31 AM PDT by zeugma (Today is Setting Orange, the 72nd day of Discord in the YOLD 3182)
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To: zeugma

Interesting!


33 posted on 05/25/2016 12:02:40 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: zeugma

FWIW, Rush Limbaugh’s time travel stories involve kids taking their iPhones to take pictures while they are in the past. No ability to chat/visit obviously. They take them to the past and can use them while they have charge.


34 posted on 05/25/2016 12:24:59 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: BenLurkin

LOL! I just posted something to that effect, except was citing Rush’s fictional kids’ use of iPhones in travels to the past to take pix.


35 posted on 05/25/2016 12:25:58 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: zeugma
The best way to make money in the past though, is even easier than that. Simply take ten pounds of aluminum ingots, and trade it to someone who deals in commodities straight up weight for weight for gold. They'd think they were getting a heck of a deal, and thus could be trusted to keep their mouth shut, and you'd be somewhat better off as well. Until the advent of electricity so separate aluminum from ore, it was insanely expensive stuff, and like gold, has the advantage of not being subject to tarnish.

Did you know there is still an ingot of aluminium (note the English spelling) amoung the British Crown Jewels? Before the turn of the 20th Century pure metallic Aluminium was that valuable it was considered a precious metal.

36 posted on 05/25/2016 3:07:48 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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