Email to Steve Jobs - Sent 5pm EST 11/19/02
Nov. 19, 2002
Dear Steve,
Hi there. You don?t know me, but I?m a customer and a small business owner. I use your company?s products everyday. Thought I would send you an email. Hope you might take sometime to read it and perhaps respond to some thoughts of mine about Apple and its place in history.
I, like you, would love to see Apple grow its market share with respect to the computer industry and with other industries.
My thoughts:
Question: Why not just give away Mac OS X, or at least at a very modest cost?
I simply illustrate: Linux, Sun Solaris, SGI Irix, HP-UX and IBM AIX as proof of concept. There are multiple competitive reasons why you should do this and I believe you know why it is an interesting and brave idea. You?ve probably already have given some thought to this, hence the new Mac OS X Family License, which is a good thing.
Question: Why doesn?t Apple introduce a Macintosh in the sub $500 space?
At one time in history, color television were so expensive, that a lot of do-it yourself (usually dads) hobbyist built there own color television. There was a thriving kit market because a color TV cost well over $3,000. No, it?s not even a consideration. It is just something to think about.
Question: Why hasn?t Apple introduce a digital camera or digital camcorder?
I point to iTunes. We all know where you are going, what are you waiting for? Hard drive space, battery life, optics would be my guess as to why not yet introduced.
Question: X86?
This one scares me. I?m not sure you or the shareholders would be willing to do this. Unless?unless? unless you have a magic answer.
Question: What are you waiting for?
Are you going to make pretty plastics for the rest of your life or are you going to change the world again? Steve, what are you waiting for? This cannot be the legacy of Apple. First personal computer. First the laser printer. First digital camera. First plug and play. First multimedia software. First GUI. First mouse. First 3.5? floppy drive. First drag and drop. First floppy less computer. First truly object oriented consumer OS from the ground up. First at so many wonderful inventions.
This cannot be Apple?s legacy. Make the greatest things on earth, impact more lives, influence the world and get feed your ass on a silver plate with f*cking 3% market share? What are you waiting for? When will you introduce the next greatest thing? You cannot simply stop here at computers, can you?
Thank you for your time in reading this. Honestly, thank you sincerely. I want you to know, it?s been an honor working with your Apple systems.
-Jonathan (JPF)
CC: Appleinsider.com's Future Hardware Forum
Dear Steve,
Hi there. You don?t know me, but I?m a customer and a small business owner. I use your company?s products everyday. Thought I would send you an email. Hope you might take sometime to read it and perhaps respond to some thoughts of mine about Apple and its place in history.
I, like you, would love to see Apple grow its market share with respect to the computer industry and with other industries.
My thoughts:
Question: Why not just give away Mac OS X, or at least at a very modest cost?
I simply illustrate: Linux, Sun Solaris, SGI Irix, HP-UX and IBM AIX as proof of concept. There are multiple competitive reasons why you should do this and I believe you know why it is an interesting and brave idea. You?ve probably already have given some thought to this, hence the new Mac OS X Family License, which is a good thing.
Question: Why doesn?t Apple introduce a Macintosh in the sub $500 space?
At one time in history, color television were so expensive, that a lot of do-it yourself (usually dads) hobbyist built there own color television. There was a thriving kit market because a color TV cost well over $3,000. No, it?s not even a consideration. It is just something to think about.
Question: Why hasn?t Apple introduce a digital camera or digital camcorder?
I point to iTunes. We all know where you are going, what are you waiting for? Hard drive space, battery life, optics would be my guess as to why not yet introduced.
Question: X86?
This one scares me. I?m not sure you or the shareholders would be willing to do this. Unless?unless? unless you have a magic answer.
Question: What are you waiting for?
Are you going to make pretty plastics for the rest of your life or are you going to change the world again? Steve, what are you waiting for? This cannot be the legacy of Apple. First personal computer. First the laser printer. First digital camera. First plug and play. First multimedia software. First GUI. First mouse. First 3.5? floppy drive. First drag and drop. First floppy less computer. First truly object oriented consumer OS from the ground up. First at so many wonderful inventions.
This cannot be Apple?s legacy. Make the greatest things on earth, impact more lives, influence the world and get feed your ass on a silver plate with f*cking 3% market share? What are you waiting for? When will you introduce the next greatest thing? You cannot simply stop here at computers, can you?
Thank you for your time in reading this. Honestly, thank you sincerely. I want you to know, it?s been an honor working with your Apple systems.
-Jonathan (JPF)
CC: Appleinsider.com's Future Hardware Forum
Comments
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
If you do happen to know it, just send me a private message. Cool?
<strong>Too funny, it just bounced. I just assumed that steve@apple.com would be his email. I'll try and find his real email address.
If you do happen to know it, just send me a private message. Cool?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Try steve@mac.com. I thought that he had that one too.
"Hey Steve, please tell me everything your doing at Apple, so I can tell everyone not to buy any macs right know and wait three years until übermac comes out because it has this and that!"
Instead, if you really just want a chance to get an answer, ask why Apple isnt up to date with everything! I mean, ATA-133 for example, just to give you an example! I can understand why we arent at 200 Mhz bus, or 1080 RDRAM (Or whatever its number is), but simple things like that... Especially this: VIDEOCARDS that doesnt suck BIG!
[ 11-19-2002: Message edited by: T'hain Esh Kelch ]</p>
<strong>I think the answer is obvious, he's going to milk pretty plastic untill either Apple is dead or platforms become largely irrelevant, which-ever comes first.
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
Funny, I guessed that this was a Matsu quote before actually checking to see that it was. How one's reputation precedes oneself...
It is getting old.
(edit, i'm a bad speller)
[ 11-19-2002: Message edited by: JPF ]</p>
<strong>sj@pixar.com</strong><hr></blockquote>
I can confirm that is valid.
But don't abuse it please.
As your e-mail contains "f*cking", I doubt he's going to respond.
<strong>sj@pixar.com</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hitting the nail on the head, this one: mister Jobs, as a captain with real captain's pride, has already swapped the sinking Apple ship for his new pet Pixar. He is only nominally present at Apple these days.
<strong>sjobs@apple.com
As your e-mail contains "f*cking", I doubt he's going to respond.</strong><hr></blockquote>
True, he'll probably not respond. I'm just really pissed off when I wrote it. EVERY computer GUI metaphor and even down to the icons, has been "lifted", "stolen", "robbed" by Microsoft that I felt I should use "f*cking 3% market share"
it sounds like part of an Adam Sandler movie where he's all quiet and then goes into his patented freak out over-reacting stage where he starts breaking s#¡?.
Everyone reread the email and pretend it's Adam Sandler.. it's a fairly funny visual.
if I were Steve jpnbs I'd doubt that I'd respond to such an e-interrogation.
What I'd like to see is this response from "SJ"... "hey you're that punk admin that's been closing my threads and banning me on AI!"
MSKR
[ 11-19-2002: Message edited by: Masker ]</p>
Anyway...moving to General Discussion
{mentioning AI will REALLY get you a response!} <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
<strong>Too funny, it just bounced. I just assumed that steve@apple.com would be his email. I'll try and find his real email address.
If you do happen to know it, just send me a private message. Cool?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm not a betting man ... but I'm pretty sure he hates getting stuff like that.
infact not too long ago it think someone on these forums got a reply.. there were even times when he had a new mac sent out to this guy along with an apple tech to install it.... haha