Posted on 03/17/2014 9:08:13 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Apple's design chief helped transform computing, phones and music. The company's secrecy and Ive's modesty mean he has never given an in-depth interview—until now.
'Hello. Thanks for Coming'
We use Jonathan Ive’s products to help us to eat, drink and sleep, to work, travel, relax, read, listen and watch, to shop, chat, date and have sex. Many of us spend more time with his screens than with our families. Some of us like his screens more than our families. For years, Ive’s natural shyness, coupled with the secrecy bordering on paranoia of his employer, Apple, has meant we have known little about the man who shapes the future, with such innovations as the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. But last month, he invited me to Cupertino in Silicon Valley where Apple is based, for his first in-depth interview since he became head of design almost 20 years ago.
The gods — or was it the ghost of Steve Jobs? — seemed against it. Jobs didn’t like Apple execs doing interviews. It had not rained properly in California for months but that morning the clouds rolled off the Pacific, turning the Golden Gate Bridge black. Interstate 280 South to Silicon Valley was a river of water, instead of the usual lava streaks of stop-start SUVs. But just after 10AM, an Apple tech-head appeared in an all-white meeting room on the first floor of building 4 of the firm’s antiseptic headquarters with strict instructions to find an Earl Grey tea bag.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
And by the way, all that time being told that if I was going to be in graphic design I would have to have a (more expensive) Mac. That was BS also. Adobe products drive the graphics industry, not Apple. And Adobe products work better on a PC than a Mac. I don’t use their cloud apps, so maybe it’s improved. It was marketing BS and only true in the very early days of DTP. But it was an added cost for Apple hardware and many peripherals. But I did it because that’s what guys like you were saying was necessary. I like the Mac but it is far from as perfect as you portray. And the company isn’t either.
And every day I had to go in and open that window and close that door, afraid I’d lose my job if I pushed it. And every day I’d pump out great pre-press work in a volume that impressed the film bureau in LA, in 4 or 5 hours a day. And I bought Starbucks for the owner and press-woman every day. And I took them from doing two full color jobs a year to several per day.
And then I’d go home and work some more. And I managed their computers and network, so I had access to ALL their stuff. But when I left I didn’t take any of their clients. And today, after several years, that’s the only thing I regret.
Now you can talk about my life, but you’d be mistaken to think you know me or what I believe. I never did that to you. And you can’t point to one time that I put lies in your mouth. I was simply quoting primary sources.
My daughter is currently in an Arts/Architecture program at Ohio University. When she signed up for her courses at every stage of the process the administrationBots told her she had to buy a Mac it was the only computer that would work and ***GASP*** why they had a nice easy payment plan through the University (Oh how convenient...)
I told my wife no problem But instead of buying a new one let us wait and get a nice used one just before she starts classes.(I have good contacts in several of the Universities around us where I can get good deals on refurbed and used electronics/computers) Now I had no intention whatsoever of ever buying a Mac because I knew the scam ahead of time BUT my wife is one of these people that believes the University would never steer us wrong because they are here to help and want the best for our daughter (hahahahah I LOL every time I hear that BS).
So I kept stalling and telling her that not to worry a good computer can be had but we first need to find out exactly what she needed. So our daughter starts her classes and she takes her Windows Computer to class which is one i got her and paid pennies on the dollar for. It is a refurbed unit with a ton of RAM a large Solid State HD and a screaming fast processor built in webcam, blue tooth and loaded with great Software like the full adobe suite and a fingerprint scanner for security. It cost me just under 700 bucks delivered.
So each prof she sees in her first day of classes gives her a paper with ***GASP*** a form on it to get an easy payment plan for a new Mac. She calls me and tells me and I say no problem I can get her the same much cheaper. Then I ask her to look at the profs Computers and see what they are using. Out of the 5 profs she had, ONE used a Mac and he wasn't an Arts or Architecture prof. (He was a Psych prof) So she showed the profs her computer and they all loved because it was a much higher end unit then what they used. Then they told her it would do everything and more of the things she need to do for her classes.
After this our daughter was happy because she did not want to change computers but my wife insisted being "The University wanted the best for our daughter." (hahahah still makes me LOL every time i hear it)
Bottom line: Most of the profs that do arts and architecture at her University have Macs that are given to them by the school and if asked will toe the company line about NEEDING a Mac for class BUT they use Windows Computers to actually do work in the classroom.
You can arrive at your own conclusions about what is going on at Universities.
Good for you MD. I was in so early that some of the programs were just being ported to PC, but in the second print shop it was all PC’s. XP to boot. And I had these Macs that I had to keep up-to-date. Expensive Macs that I really loved. But I don’t work on the OS, neither will your daughter. We work in Photoshop, or Illustrator that is running on a Mac or a PC. I was surprised, after all the BS, that Photoshop even worked on the PC. LOL Sad, but just like your daughters teachers, everyone was saying Macs Only if you do graphic work. Glad you saw through it.
Look! Leonard. I know nothing about the circumstances of your life so it is impossible for me to lie about them. . . But your circumstances do not justify your insulting snarky attitude. I have merely asked that you learn the truth and pointed out the areas where you are demonstrably wrong . . . But you seem to continue to prefer the falsehoods. My comments you now call "creepy."
I know the economic motives of why Apple did what they did and they are NOT the evil you impugn to them. My point was NOT that the other companies I mentioned do the same thing, but that while they use similar manufacturing tactics, those companies are not taking the higher road that Apple does, such as including in their contracts provisions that require better working conditions for the people who work on Apple's products—requirements that the owners open that damn window, so to speak—or to NOT use benzene or poly-bi-prophenolated bromines in the cleaning of the products because it will harm the workers, etc., but Apple DOES put those things in their contracts and Apple stations paid monitors in the factories to assure it happens! The other companies just accept the standard contract, have their stuff cranked out, then move on, and don't give a damn about the conditions at the factories, or the lot of the workers. Apple has several times to my knowledge PULLED Multi-billion dollar contracts from companies that violated those contract provisions, once delaying a product release because of pulling the contract for a crucial component. These are the very things YOU want a company to pro-actively do. . . preferably without a government compelling them to do it at the point of a metaphorical gun!
This was the very bone of contention at the last Shareholders' meeting where a so-called conservative group was upset that Apple was doing things they felt were not necessary or profitable that were NOT governmentally compulsory—yet, but might be in the future. Apple's position was to do it pre-emptively by free enterprise. . . and by doing so, prevent the government from deciding to do it by fiat. . . and require it be done "according to expensive regulations," with government oversight. Apple would ALREADY have done it, and done it inexpensively, their way.
No, the pay, work hours, and overtime are not the equivalent of here. . . They are far better than the pay standards for China. . . But Apple assures the safety standards ARE equivalent. An attempt to cut overtime was a failure with workers threatening suicides. . . they WANT to work as much overtime as possible. To us it seems crazy. . . But these workers send money home to their extended families and factory shift work is among the best paying work in China and time and a half overtime is GOLD. The best pay of all is to work on an Apple job.
And again, you assume Apple made political contributions. You assume WRONG! Apple had a very low budget for that kind of thing. Far, far less than Microsoft or Google or Facebook. . . it's an assumption with no basis in fact. Apple did not even pay a full time lobbyist until a couple of years ago. They essentially ignored government. Why do you think Apple products were not bought by the government? Apple didn't lobby. Scientists who wanted Macs, and a lot of them did, had to jump through hoops to get them.
You’re absolutely right, but I was talking about Apple. Our host insists that Apple is not a lefty company and then started insulting me, my intelligence and my dog, David.
You’re looking at a conversation between two old Apple friends. One a baptized disciple of Saint Steven of Cupertino and me, an angry excommunicated heretic.
I still remember the days when Swordmaker and I would take on the unbelieving hordes. “Macs are only for gays,” they’d shout, and while Mr SM was fending off the ill-informed and and un-educated, I would thrust and parry with the mockers, all to the delight of the debonaire Mr SwordMaker.
And now, alas, he tires of my wit and vigor. Ah well, all is not lost. I have this shiny new PC and so far it hasn’t %3nn### fj**k ppp ppp ppp A %g%glanjjj...........................
” No, the pay, work hours, and overtime are not the equivalent of here. . . They are far better than the pay standards for China. . . But Apple assures the safety standards ARE equivalent. An attempt to cut overtime was a failure with workers threatening suicides. . . they WANT to work as much overtime as possible. To us it seems crazy. . . But these workers send money home to their extended families and factory shift work is among the best paying work in China and time and a half overtime is GOLD. The best pay of all is to work on an Apple job.”
Fine, but you know this because you have talked with each worker with no coercion? No, you believe what the Geneva man told you. Good for you. I don’t.
“Look! Leonard. I know nothing about the circumstances of your life so it is impossible for me to lie about them. But your circumstances do not justify your insulting snarky attitude.”
BS. You started name calling and chest-beating real early. You won’t even define what you mean by “stay competitive” yet claim to have a classical economics education. Well I can cook a steak, but that doesn’t make me Gordon Ramsay. Snark and name call, then when you get a little back you demand that it stop right now. Again, very cute.
“And again, you assume Apple made political contributions.”
I don’t assume, I know that there are many off-the-books ways to make political contributions besides money. You’d know that too had you been classically trained in economics. Oh wait, you were.
“An attempt to cut overtime was a failure with workers threatening suicides. . . they WANT to work as much overtime as possible. To us it seems crazy. . . But these workers send money home to their extended families and factory shift work is among the best paying work in China and time and a half overtime is GOLD. The best pay of all is to work on an Apple job.”
Wait, why would that seem crazy? I know lots of people who love overtime. Oh wait, maybe it seems crazy because you took the word of the Geneva man who said that kids were jumping out of buildings because they wanted more overtime.
So here’s your chance to post your primary sources for this story. Everything I find contradicts what you just said.
“I know the economic motives of why Apple did what they did and they are NOT the evil you impugn to them. My point was NOT that the other companies I mentioned do the same thing, but that while they use similar manufacturing tactics, those companies are not taking the higher road that Apple does, such as including in their contracts provisions that require better working conditions for the people who work on Apple’s products—requirements that the owners open that damn window, so to speak—or to NOT use benzene or poly-bi-prophenolated bromines in the cleaning of the products because it will harm the workers, etc., but Apple DOES put those things in their contracts and Apple stations paid monitors in the factories to assure it happens! The other companies just accept the standard contract, have their stuff cranked out, then move on, and don’t give a damn about the conditions at the factories, or the lot of the workers. Apple has several times to my knowledge PULLED Multi-billion dollar contracts from companies that violated those contract provisions, once delaying a product release because of pulling the contract for a crucial component. These are the very things YOU want a company to pro-actively do. . . preferably without a government compelling them to do it at the point of a metaphorical gun!”
You realize how two-faced this is. You mock worker safety when you’re being snarky (only us Dems care about such things) and then praise Apple for being so worker conscious. You stopped reading your own posts, didn’t you?
Sorry if you took offense, Swordmaker. I was just chuckling over your choice of words. Computers are still a file-based paradigm, no matter where the files are stored.
“We are just asking for facts, not myths without proof.”
It is a fact that a 8GB upgrade for iPhone is $100 while I did a 32GB upgrade to my android for $15.
Might want to go back and re-read not only this thread, but other Apple-related threads. Indeed - the biggest Apple-defenders tend to attack the arguments presented by Apple-haters. The Apple-haters tend to attack personally, right after poking homosexual or defective brain allegations against Apple users in general.
But alas - selective attacks are ok... it just reflects the exact same tactics used by the political Left.
What good is your expansion memory for Apps? Apples Memory is not the same, TexasGator. Yours can only be used for storage. . . Photos, music, etc. try putting an App and running it. Also, consider the security of removable memory .... There is none. You lose the card, your data is gone. Better encrypt it. . .
And Gator? It's a 16GB upgrade to 32 or a 32Gb to 64 or a 64Gb to 128, depending on the Apple model upgraded. . . And all that memory can be used for any purpose; it's all executable memory. . . It's not just storage like your card. For storage we have instant access to literally terabytes of that. . . without worrying about security of losing the damn card.
Quit with the lame attempt at reductio ad absurdum. Again, you don't do it very well. First of all, there IS no "guy from Geneva." There are THREE independent worker rights organizations who have investigated the allegations and several news organizations who have done so as well, including NPR and PBS who had to recant an entire one hour "exposé" of Apple's Chinese manufacturing plants when it was discovered that the "journalist", Mike Daisey, who had produced it had faked most of it! The interviews with workers were genuine, but the English translations of the worker's statement DID NOT match the Chinese words they were actually speaking! The complaints of abuse he attributed to Apple assembly lines occurred at companies not even associated with Apple contracts. . . And videos he presented to back up the unsanitary and unsafe conditions were from a plant making Microsoft Xboxes, as were the suicides he claimed were at Apple plants!
The independent auditors interviewed both current and ex-employees. . . under conditions that prevented coercion. . . so your seeing evil does not exist. Employees CHOOSE to work for companies that contract with Apple and want to work under an Apple contract again, given the choice. That is the proof that is needed. Free choice. Thousands apply for each open position. . . Not because they are "slave" jobs that are under the horrid conditions YOU claim. Quit swallowing the FUD, Leonard. Read the independent reports.
I called the information you spouted wrong. I don't have to provide a full definition of "stay competitive" and write a textbook to do so. . . It's self explanatory.
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