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Tim Cook Takes Swipe at Windows During MIT Commencement (cnet.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Friday, and he couldn't help taking a swipe at a rival. In a section of his speech describing his search for answers and tough decisions in college and beyond, he admitted turning to a Microsoft computer. "I went to grad school at Duke, looking for the answer," Cook said. "I tried meditation. I sought guidance and religion. I read great philosophers and authors. In a moment of youthful indiscretion, I might even have experimented with a Windows PC. And obviously that didn't work." The line got a hearty laugh from the crowd.

47 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. How about a relevant rival? by CajunArson · · Score: 1

    No dissing on Google, who is Apple's actual competitor in the 21st century?

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    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
    1. Re:How about a relevant rival? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In the context of discussing his college years? Exactly how would that have worked?

    2. Re:How about a relevant rival? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      No dissing on Google, who is Apple's actual competitor in the 21st century?

      Management with no imagination.

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      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  2. Re:So... the time has come... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Or you could be overreacting to a funny.

  3. Water is wet by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 2

    Fire is hot. This is now news.

  4. Did he inhale? by ghoul · · Score: 1

    The real question is did he inhale? Apparently not though he seems to have drunk the Apple Coolaid.

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    **Life is too short to be serious**
  5. Re:Okay, so Windows doesn't work... by unixisc · · Score: 1

    The Mac OS prior to System 7 may well have had shortcomings, and useful only as a toy OS. It wasn't until they got OS X that they had a serious OS

  6. Re:So... the time has come... by sound+vision · · Score: 2

    Or, it could be both.

  7. Stones by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

    People in glass storefronts should not throw stones.

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    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
  8. its a good line... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    it was a funny line, thats it - It is not "taking a swipe" its a throw away laugh line. he didnt disparage anything or any one, he, as the apple ceo, said he may have tried apples rival...Big deal - why is this news?

    1. Re:its a good line... by porges · · Score: 1

      Yeah...this is headline?

    2. Re:its a good line... by avandesande · · Score: 1

      CrApple stories generate a lot of clicks on ./ Always fun to be part of something that is Ironic!

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      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:its a good line... by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      ...but it's a cook book...

  9. Re:So... the time has come... by al0ha · · Score: 1

    Yeah, Steve Jobs was the genius driving Apple - proven after being fired then returning and taking Apple to the stratosphere.
    Personally I think AAPL is a long term short now - they are obviously still riding Steve's coattails as he did the best he could to set them up to do so; but without a once-in-a-lifetime visionary genius, they are nothing special.

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    Did you ever wake up in the morning, with a Zombie Woof behind your eyes? -- FZ
  10. But they screwed that up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Increasingly, it's got ancient tools, proprietary tools, and a "package management" system that is more about making Apple money rather than easing a user's administration of his computer. They went from UNIX to eunuchs pretty quick.

  11. I guess this must be "News for nerds" by Green+Mountain+Bot · · Score: 1

    ... because it sure isn't "Stuff that matters".

    1. Re:I guess this must be "News for nerds" by Translation+Error · · Score: 1

      It isn't news, either. Or nerds. Hell, it isn't even for!

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      When someone says, "Any fool can see ..." they're usually exactly right.
  12. Don't overreact by Glock9mm · · Score: 2

    Don't overreact, it's just joking around. This is good humor and we need more of it. I'm a die hard Microsoft fan of 30 years and very Microsoft biased too, btw.

    1. Re:Don't overreact by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      While that's true, it's also the kind of jokes made by companies who are imminently about to fail at something.

      I'm not sure are they flattering Microsoft by joking about the competition or adopting their mobile and music business strategy?

    2. Re:Don't overreact by david-bo · · Score: 1

      How can grownups be "fans" of a company? And even go public with it?

  13. Re:So... the time has come... by phayes · · Score: 1

    But it really isn't; it's just a harmless joke that even Bill Gates would laugh at.

    --
    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  14. Re: So... the time has come... by dougdonovan · · Score: 1

    careful tim, gates might bankroll apple and you out of a job.

  15. Re:Okay, so Windows doesn't work... by phayes · · Score: 1

    The A/UX I was using on my Mac II in 1987 was a full Unix that also had a fully functional MacOS GUI.

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    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  16. Student Budget by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    is he suggesting that Apple's computers weren't even an option to him at that point?

    I expect so on a student budget. Apple's computers are not an option to many students given their currently insane pricing. This has always been an issue but a few years ago they seemed to get the pricing right and I saw a lot of students in my lectures with Mac laptops, now it is down to just one or two with most have Dell, HP or low-end MS Surface devices.

    1. Re:Student Budget by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Or you could simply buy a P-P-Powerbook.

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      #DeleteFacebook
    2. Re:Student Budget by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      It may be different in the US but since Apple moved their manufacturing to the US the recent increases in the US dollar have caused their prices to increase from what was already high to what is now frankly obscene. At the same time, they have slipped to being ~1 year behind the latest CPUs and GPUs making Macs even worse value for money.

      I'm a faculty member and while I could afford their prices and would prefer MacOS to Windows. However, the fact that I could pay $2k Canadian less for a top-end laptop and get a more recent CPU and GPU plus twice the memory and both USB-A and C ports was enough to make me switch and use the Linux Windows subsystem.

  17. it's a quip by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

    Oh, come on. It's a quip, nothing more than that.

    If you spend more than ten seconds thinking about it, you're overthinking it.

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    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  18. Re:The CEO of the worlds biggest tech company by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

    No he said in his youth it didn't work. TBH, if he hadn't been making a joke, then assuming he's talking about the 1980s or early 1990s, he's not far off. Windows was pretty awful at the time.

    Of course, in my view, Mac OS was pretty awful back then too, so there's that.

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    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  19. Taking swipes at competitors... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    This sounds like a strategy taken from the Microsoft playbook of things to do right before your next major product flops.

    1. Re:Taking swipes at competitors... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      This sounds like a strategy taken from the Microsoft playbook of things to do right before your next major product flops.

      I'm a Mac user - but this was my first thought as well. I recall Ballmer doing these sorts of things - making fun of Macs, making fun of iPods.

      Apple - like Microsoft from a decade or so ago - may be rolling in dough... but it also seems to be out of ideas.

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      #DeleteChrome
  20. Re:So... the time has come... by kuzb · · Score: 2

    Apple has been trying to belittle its opponents since the beginning. It's how they roll. Just look at the old mac vs pc commercials. I have to agree though, the days of innovation at Apple are dead under Cook's leadership. When your best idea is removing features, it's time to rethink your strategy.

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    BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
  21. Re:unfair joke by Nchantim · · Score: 2

    He could have said "I got a BSO" or something related to Windows, but he didn't. You could replace Windows for any product, (Billy Gates about Mac, Zuckeberg about google... ) and it would have raise laughs as well.

    That kind of jokes are not fair play, because the pun has nothing to do with the target, it could be used for any one. I don't think it is funny an edited photo of Donald Trump wearing a diapper, not because I love Donald Trump, but because it is not imaginative. If you are anti-Clinton you could show her wearing a diapper and your supporters will laugh. If you are anti-Pope you can show him wearing a diapper and your supporters will laugh....and go on forever.. those are easy jokes.

    In a gas station stops a car and from the car gets out [basket star]. He tells to the gas employee. - I am [basket star], I forgot my wallet at home, please, let me fill the tank and I will pay you in a few hours the double. - Well, you look like [basket star], but understand me, I am not sure, I have never met you personally before. Could you do something to probe you are [basket star]? [basket star] gets a ball from the car and does wonders with it - Obviously it is you. I'll fill the tank

    Another day [music star] stops at the gas station. He tells the gas employee. - I am [music star], I forgot my wallet at home, please, let me fill the tank and I will pay you in a few hours the double. - Well, you look like [music star], but understand me, I am not sure, I have never met you personally before. Could you do something to probe you are? [music star] sings one of his most famous songs. - Obviously it is you. I'll fill the tank.

    Another day Donald Trump stops at the gas station. He tells the gas employee. - I am Donald Trump, I forgot my wallet at home, please, let me fill the tank and I will pay you in a few hours the double. - Well, you look like Donald Trump, but understand me, I am not sure, I have never met you personally before. Could you do something to probe you are Donald Trump? Donald Trump says - Well, I can't do anything - Obviously it is you. I'll fill the tank.

    Along the years I've heard this joke with different politicians. The joke disappears and reappears after a few years or months with a different politician. It's not a great joke, it is a joker joke.

    What's the joke like in English, I wonder?

  22. Re:So... the time has come... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    The problem is that a numbers guy is now at the top and a designer is now making engineering decisions.

    That's not the way to do it and the so-called "iMac Pro" is proof of it. Cramming all that hardware into the iMac design is just insane.

    I have no idea why Tim Cook, a logistics guy, still haven't pushed for a handful of motherboards to be re-used into multiple products. Make a low-end motherboard that you can use in the Mac mini, MacBook Air and a low-end 17~19" iMac. You lower your costs, your development costs, your inventory costs and you can update three lines at the same time.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  23. Re:Tim Cook can take a swipe by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    Quit your whining you two, all you're doing is making me crave an apple-flavoured latte.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  24. Re:Tim Cook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I think parent AC is right, Tim Cook is a lesbian trapped inside a man's body.

    That might explain the lack of input ports (i.e. holes) on the Macs.

  25. Re:The CEO of the worlds biggest tech company by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    You mean the same start button that needs to be used to stop the computer? Or the Windows button that does something else entirely on Windows 10?

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    #DeleteFacebook
  26. Re:The CEO of the worlds biggest tech company by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    The real battle of that era was Atari ST vs Amiga. The Mac was an expensive black and white computer with a miniature monitor and the PC was... well, a slow, beeping, low-resolution 4-colours piece of crap.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  27. Re:Total asshat. by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    You've never tried Windows 10.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  28. Re:What Windows PC? by acoustix · · Score: 1

    That sounds like fake news. I'm sure CNN will be all over it in 5...4...3...

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
  29. Really? by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I guess the time has come that every bad Windows joke is now 'news for nerds, stuff that matters. Sad.

  30. Re:So... the time has come... by sound+vision · · Score: 1

    What I was getting at was "Yes, he's overreacting to a joke, but Apple's glory days are also probably over."
    Now that the cell phone market is saturated, and their spinoffs like tablets and smart watches have failed to capture the same success, the shareholders are going to get antsy. In the long term, focus could shift away from real innovation to "innovation" in the financial sense, that is, squeezing every last drop out of what they already have. And I think that would work wonderfully for the shareholders. Apple could avoid that future, sure. I'm just not confident they will. Now that they've made it to the big leagues and the founder is gone, pressure will build heavily for them to make money in more guaranteed ways. Once you have a war chest like Apple does, you don't need to innovate anymore. The safer option is actually to monetize everything within your grasp. No R&D needed, just the stroke of a pen. Using money and market position to make more money. That keeps the company's valuation growing, even if its product lines stagnate. You can already see their transition to this phase beginning. Their acquisition of Beats (by Dre) fits the strategy to a T. Get the branding right. Get the celebrity endorsement. Jack the price up. The value of the product is a secondary concern. Real innovation isn't even on the menu with that acquisition.

    To be fair, Apple does still have huge, new products being developed. The Apple car, for one. (Have they killed that yet? I recall reading something to that effect, but IIRC it was never officially announced in the first place, so take it with a shaker of salt.) But, it takes more than expertise and willpower to make it to where Apple is. It takes all of that, plus luck. I think Apple's products get a bit more credit than they deserve for innovating. They didn't make the first MP3 player, or even the first smartphone. What they did was to incrementally improve on those things and more importantly popularize them. The electronics had become miniaturized enough so that you could do those sort of computery things in your hand instead of at a desk. If Apple didn't put a touch screen in a phone, someone else would have done it within a couple of years. That owes as much to timing and being in the right industry as it does to any innate capacity to invent.

    Maybe Apple's luck hasn't run out and they still have some aces up their sleeves. But they are certainly hedging their bets and exploring a future as a luxury brand for consumer gadgets.

  31. Re: So... the time has come... by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

    Apple's whole culture is based in being a minority player. A company with products more expensive than the market average. In personal computers they have never wanted to be the majority player. They foster an elite customer base by intent. That way they can charge significantly more with higher margins.

  32. Re:So... the time has come... by phayes · · Score: 1

    All that supposedly implied in 5 words over what is clearly a joke? I think not.

    The OP & you somehow invent a story of gloom and doom from a harmless joke. Michael Dell advised that Apple be split up, shut down, sold off and the value returned to the shareholders because they were clearly finished as a company. I doubt your crystal balls are any better than his was & again, it was a joke .

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    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  33. Re:So... the time has come... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Since they're designing their own motherboards I really don't see any problem with this idea. If you're thinking about ports vs internal connections, that's a small "price to pay" compared to designing three different motherboards and letting sales drop because you're not updating the product lines.

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  34. Re:The CEO of the worlds biggest tech company by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Eject a disc? You simply click on the "eject" button next to the drive name.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  35. Re:So... the time has come... by sound+vision · · Score: 1

    I don't see Apple as being doomed, I actually see them as being guaranteed survival. Hell, even if they were to go insolvent from gross mismanagement, there's a good chance the government would step in to bail them out like they did the auto companies. Apple's future has become an issue of national pride, just as much as GM's.
    But Apple isn't in any financial trouble, nor do I expect them to be. What I expect is that they won't be able to put out blockbuster products every couple of years into perpetuity. They move from underdog, imaginative innovators to something much less special (but no less successful monetarily). In other words, the glory days are over.

  36. Re:So... the time has come... by phayes · · Score: 1

    What?!! The USG would be as likely to step in & save a mismanaged Apple as they did Yahoo.

    Pride has almost nothing to do with either of the USG's recent interventions (The Auto industry & the Banks). JOBS and knock on JOBS are the reason for both and Apple doesn't have a comparable footprint in jobs disruption in the U.S.

    Apples' underdog days are over true, but only the Apple haters are looking into their crystal balls and concluding that "the glory days are over". Given how poorly you understand why the USG intervened, your prognostics are certainly just as unreliable.

    --
    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue