Biographer says Steve Jobs was legitimately infuriated by Android

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


Biographer Walter Isaacson has disputed Google CEO Larry Page's assertion that Steve Jobs only said disparaging remarks about its Android mobile operating system to rally his own employees.



Page's comments came from an interview this week in which he said he believed Jobs's hatred of Android was merely "for show." The Google CEO suggested that the comments from Jobs served the best interests of Apple in giving its employees something to fight against.



Those comments were in contrast to what Jobs told Isaacson for his biography of the Apple co-founder. In their conversations, Jobs called Android a "stolen product," and vowed to use his "last dying breath" to "destroy" it.



After hearing Page's interpretation of Jobs's words, Isaacson spoke out this week in a speech at the Royal institution of Great Britain. Isaacson said he felt that Android had ripped off many of his ideas found in the iPhone and iPad, and that his ire was very real, according to Macworld.



"It's almost copied verbatim by Android," Isaacson said. "And they license it around promiscuously. And then Android starts surpassing Apple in market share, and this totally infuriated him. It wasn't a matter of money. He said, 'You can't pay me off, I'm here to destroy you.'"



The biographer also predicted that current Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will use a different approach than Jobs, who vowed to "go thermonuclear war" to stop Android. Isaacson instead believes that Cook will eventually settle Apple's Android-related lawsuits.







A similar take was offered in a recent cover story by Bloomberg Businessweek, which revealed that Apple has communicated recently with Samsung about potentially settling the multitude of lawsuits between the two companies. Author Paul M. Barrett said Cook doesn't share Jobs's desire to "(lay) all foes to waste," and that he instead views the courtroom as a "necessary evil."



Apple has not sued Google directly over Android, but has taken on a number of Google's partners who ship devices running the Android mobile operating system. In addition to Samsung, other companies involved in litigation are HTC and and Motorola Mobility, the latter of which is owned by Google.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 291
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    I'm inclined to think Larry Page is delusional to think Steve didn't mind the rip off!
  • Reply 2 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ...

    "It's almost copied verbatim by Android," Isaacson said...



    Unless Isaacson can show what exactly is copied verbatim by Android, he is full of shit.
  • Reply 3 of 291
    nobodyynobodyy Posts: 377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Unless Isaacson can show what exactly is copied verbatim by Android, he is full of shit.



    *cough



    Andriod before iPhone; Andriod after iPhone.
  • Reply 4 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nobodyy View Post


    *cough



    Andriod before iPhone; Andriod after iPhone.



    *cough



    verbatim
  • Reply 5 of 291
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Unless Isaacson can show what exactly is copied verbatim by Android, he is full of shit.



    If you look at what Google (or anybody) did pre-iPhone and post-iPhone it is hard not to agree with Isaacson. Verbatim has to be viewed as an ambiguous term, here, of course.
  • Reply 6 of 291
    isheldonisheldon Posts: 570member
    If it's so ovbious a cut and dry rip-off then why hasn't it been stopped and ordered to cease and desist already?
  • Reply 7 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    If you look at what Google (or anybody) did pre-iPhone and post-iPhone it is hard not to agree with Isaacson. Verbatim has to be viewed as an ambiguous term, here, of course.



    We've had this argument a thousand times already; just look up the "Post hoc ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy.
  • Reply 8 of 291
    originalgoriginalg Posts: 383member
    "they license it around promiscuously"



    Did he just call the Android team a bunch of sluts?
  • Reply 9 of 291
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    So mr. Page is a liar? Why am I not surprised?
  • Reply 10 of 291
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    We've had this argument a thousand times already; just look up the "Post hoc ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy.



    If you look at android before and after iPhone it looks pretty damning, prima facie.
  • Reply 11 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    Why am I not surprised?



    Because of confirmation bias.
  • Reply 12 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Doctor David View Post


    If you look at android before and after iPhone it looks pretty damning, prima facie.



    Have a second look then.
  • Reply 13 of 291
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Because of confirmation bias.



    Or because AllThingD article show you can not trust mr. Page's words?
  • Reply 14 of 291
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    *cough



    verbatim



    Are you joking? Look at the screens, and it's pretty obvious. Schmitt himself said that when they first bought Android, they were going to model it off the Blackberry, but then when Apple had the iPhone, they changed it to model that instead.



    This is an old argument. If you can't see the differences in form and function, they perhaps you aren't looking.
  • Reply 15 of 291
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Because of confirmation bias.



    Please, don't try to sound as though you know what you're talking about, because you don't.
  • Reply 16 of 291
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OriginalG View Post


    "they license it around promiscuously"



    Did he just call the Android team a bunch of sluts?



    The OS has been whoring around no doubt.
  • Reply 17 of 291
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Have a second look then.



    Prima facie indicates something is self evident at first look. My second look was damning also.
  • Reply 18 of 291
    mobilememobileme Posts: 288member
    Currently Tim Cook is ridinig the success and waves of what Steve Jobs placed in the pipeline for Apple.



    Cook though is obviously not going to have the same drive and passion about apple as steve did, and his approach to settle with google is an obvious indicator.



    i think Jobs would be dissapointed in how Cook is handling the things he fought for.



    Cook should drop the nuke on Google. I'm pretty sure scott forstall would have kept to steves vision!



    Cook in a few years will be another sculley.
  • Reply 19 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    Or because AllThingD article show you can not trust mr. Page's words?



    Does it now? Did the author claim so, or is this your imagination?
  • Reply 20 of 291
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Doctor David View Post


    ...My second look was damning also.



    Then you must be myopic. Heal thyself.
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