Apple.com hosts tribute to late boxer Muhammad Ali
Apple on Sunday joined in the trend of public tributes to Muhammad Ali, updating its website with an image and epitaph for the famous boxer, who died on Friday at the age of 74.
The front page of apple.com now hosts a black-and-white photo of Ali in a boxing pose, with the quote "The man who has no imagination has no wings." The splash doesn't contain links to any other content.
Although Apple appears to have been slow to post a tribute on its website, Apple CEO Tim Cook and worldwide marketing head Phil Schiller each posted their own Twitter tributes to Ali on Friday.
In life Ali was a controversial figure, alternately praised and vilified for his positions on religion, racial politics, and the Vietnam War. He was considered one of the best heavyweight boxers in the history of the sport however, famous for his unusual style that focused on speed and agility.
Apple has used Ali's image in the past, featuring him in its "Think Different" ad campaign alongside other famous icons like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi. The current apple.com image is in fact a direct reference to the campaign.
The front page of apple.com now hosts a black-and-white photo of Ali in a boxing pose, with the quote "The man who has no imagination has no wings." The splash doesn't contain links to any other content.
Although Apple appears to have been slow to post a tribute on its website, Apple CEO Tim Cook and worldwide marketing head Phil Schiller each posted their own Twitter tributes to Ali on Friday.
In life Ali was a controversial figure, alternately praised and vilified for his positions on religion, racial politics, and the Vietnam War. He was considered one of the best heavyweight boxers in the history of the sport however, famous for his unusual style that focused on speed and agility.
Apple has used Ali's image in the past, featuring him in its "Think Different" ad campaign alongside other famous icons like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi. The current apple.com image is in fact a direct reference to the campaign.
Comments
We really admire Ali -- he's the greatest.
We never got to meet him or see him in a live fight, but we did get to see him close up.
It was at O'Hare airport circa 1970.
We were waiting for someone to arrive, and almost all passengers had deplaned. The gate was empty -- and in those days you could go right up to the gate ...
We were about 10 feet away, when Ali came out and stood alone, with a smile on his face (almost posing) for a couple of moments. Ali was dressed in a sport coat and slacks, in shades of brown (beige, palomino) that complemented his skin color. It was a beautiful image!
I remember it as if it happened yesterday! It reminds me of the way Cleavon Little looked as the Sheriff in Blazing Saddles.
It's amazing that someone that boxed as much as Ali could look that great!
Apple.com hosts tribute to late boxer Muhammad Ali
No he's not.
Ali was racist. There is no dispute. But he wasn't in your face about it.
There the was nothing good about Nation of Islam either.
And cheating on your wife is bad. Ali did that too.
As as a person, everything be has good and bad. Ali had a lot of his good and bad known because he was a public figure.
To to me he was a man fortunate to make a name for himself and a lot of money in sports. I can't think of anything he did to actually help people at large.
But it he was larger than life, was not free funny and provided people with tremendous entertainment.
Hes left behind a family, some of whom ARE trying to help people at large and
hes he's now gone. And it's polite to pay respect. But he was simply a man, faults and all. No reason to pretend otherwise.
That said, I see no reason for anyone to point out his faults at this time as its very sensitive to his family and loved ones. No more than we'd like folks to do it to our family members when they pass on.
As an aside: he was brilliant in many other ways however. Not just boxing—"If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, then they can sure make something out of you."
RIP
BUT, could someone please explain to me what a fella who made his money by punching other people (mostly black people) in the face has to do with a company that sells mobile phones and computers?
There are far more people worthy of this kind of attention and respect than Ali, surely.
Tim Cook and Phil Schiller, you guys are are just too PC. Stick to what you do best!
I'm all for a hardened look at someone's legacy. But I've been on the internet for over half my life and have seen the destructive discourse that has amplified over the past decade, and refuse to believe anyone who insists their critical opinions that conveniently show up when a famous minority dies are based purely on intellectual motives.
Fuck off.
After all isn't that all racism really is: ignorance. What I'm current less clear of is whether his views on this matter changes as he got older—did he still believe this?
Before we idolise and sanctify people it's important we are honest about them.
The people who are attacking Muhammad Ali right now aren't factually wrong, of course. But all of them would get very angry if people were just as "honest" about John Wayne.
I don't get why you bring politics into it? I'm up for talking about anyone who's being idolised and examining them when they are put on a pedestal. John Wayne was a coward, Obama is a coward, I don't care what party they are in.