Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Technology Can Change the World for Better in Open Letter

[Thebrochure]

Can is the key word here.

 

[jonnyb098]

I'm so tired of Apple pretending they are the protector of human rights and savior of climate change and support of all that is good in the world - I swear Apple wants you to believe that every time you buy an iPhone, less plastics end up in the ocean and a baby kitten gets an extra chin rub. They literally treat people like they are absolute morons - treating people like they are clueless robots even filters down to how they handle you when you visit an Apple store - it's downright patronizing.

Of course the CEO of a technology company thinks their technology can be used for the betterment of society - and they absolutely want to convince you of that as well - so you buy more of it and feel warm and fuzzy about the thousands of dollars jumping out of your bank account (or accumulating on your credit card)

If Tim Apple really cared about human rights abuses and making the world a better place, they would refuse to operate in countries that time and time again abuse their own citizens, recklessly contribute to climate change and infringe on their citizens "human rights" on a daily basis.

Or - you could just knock off the "I'm here to save the world act" and just be honest - you care about making money and reducing any potential risk to impact making money. You care about showing shareholder value and increasing profits quarter over quarter. If what you do in the process of making more money adds meaningful value in someone's life, then great - but quit pretending to be something you aren't.

Tim has become the ultimate woke troll unfortunately. Your points are completely valid especially regarding Apple not refusing to operate in countries known for ongoing human rights issues. But money is king always. It’s ironic and kind of hilarious that corporate america adopted the talking points and stance of so many millions who were against corporate America for the last decade. The flip side is that those same people now idolize big pharma for the obvious reason. Indeed the world is VERY VERY backwards right now.

 

[I7guy]

[...]

If Tim Apple really cared about human rights abuses and making the world a better place, they would refuse to operate in countries that time and time again abuse their own citizens, recklessly contribute to climate change and infringe on their citizens "human rights" on a daily basis.
[...]

Like the good ole USA? Problem is our society is not perfect either. And I would like to see people put their money with their collective mouths are in terms of practice what they preach. But that just doesn't happen.

 

[mikethemartian]

He must have the cushiest job in the world. His sole job seems to be to speak platitudes.

 

[mikethemartian]

This is horse hockey. Apple just opened their "representative office" under Russian demands for more control (ie - arresting Apple employees), and they curate the Apple Stores in authoritarian countries to serve the oppression demands of their Russian and Chinese overlords. As long as there is a buck to be made, they pay lip service to personal freedoms and toe the line for those overlords.

Even “evil” big oil is pulling out of Russia after the Ukrainian invasion but I haven’t heard anything from Apple yet.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I don't think he wrote that piece though.

I think he did?

But even if he didn't, he says the same thing so often I could give his standard stump speech by now.

 

[MacBH928]

Really? I thought technology makes our life harder this is why we pay a lot of money for them./s

 

[supercoolmanchu]

I'm so tired of Apple pretending they are the protector of human rights and savior of climate change and support of all that is good in the world - I swear Apple wants you to believe that every time you buy an iPhone, less plastics end up in the ocean and a baby kitten gets an extra chin rub. They literally treat people like they are absolute morons - treating people like they are clueless robots even filters down to how they handle you when you visit an Apple store - it's downright patronizing.

Of course the CEO of a technology company thinks their technology can be used for the betterment of society - and they absolutely want to convince you of that as well - so you buy more of it and feel warm and fuzzy about the thousands of dollars jumping out of your bank account (or accumulating on your credit card)

If Tim Apple really cared about human rights abuses and making the world a better place, they would refuse to operate in countries that time and time again abuse their own citizens, recklessly contribute to climate change and infringe on their citizens "human rights" on a daily basis.

Or - you could just knock off the "I'm here to save the world act" and just be honest - you care about making money and reducing any potential risk to impact making money. You care about showing shareholder value and increasing profits quarter over quarter. If what you do in the process of making more money adds meaningful value in someone's life, then great - but quit pretending to be something you aren't.

Tim Cook's virtue is little more than fashion and highly partisan, which is also as shallow as fashion.

Climate change is scientifically illiterate fear porn, a Ponzi scheme with a fashion virtue veneer, but Tim does seem to have a special proclivity for those. Its just secular prayer, ritual and superstitions to feign pseudo divinity. He's just slapping green leaf stickers on webpages while dumping the same trash that everyone else does.

 

[wanha]

Just like anything it can be used for good or bad. Right now it’s being weaponized by governments around the world against their own citizens.

“Privacy is a fundamental right but we’d like to use the hardware you just purchased to check for data on your phone that we think makes you a criminal.”

I know the "governments against citizens" narrative is as addictive as meth, but let's not forget that tech is also being weaponized by all sorts of interest groups against governments, consumers, and society at large.

 

[wanha]

Tim Cook's virtue is little more than fashion and highly partisan, which is also as shallow as fashion.

Climate change is scientifically illiterate fear porn, a Ponzi scheme with a fashion virtue veneer, but Tim does seem to have a special proclivity for those. Its just secular prayer, ritual and superstitions to feign pseudo divinity. He's just slapping green leaf stickers on webpages while dumping the same trash that everyone else does.

The confidence with which you assert this nonsense... it's really quite astounding.

 

[wanha]

Really? I thought technology makes our life harder this is why we pay a lot of money for them./s

We pay for "progress", but we forget that progress just means exchanging our current problems for a whole new set of problems

Said another way, technology isn't getting us out of problems... it's just getting us to new ones.

 

[wanha]

What an incredibly generic press release. Back this up with your actions. You want to help fight climate change? Make your devices more repairable and upgradable. You believe the best tech should be for everyone? Make your stuff more affordable. Open iMessage or adopt RCS so everyone can communicate securely and on a level playing field. You want to help developers make a living from their apps? Clear out the scams from the App Store, then give devs actual ownership over their customers and their relationship.

Talk is cheap, let's see Apple actually address these things on all fronts rather than just the ones that sell more devices and services.

"Talk is cheap" said a guy on an Internet forum

 

[iHorseHead]

Tim has become the ultimate woke troll unfortunately. Your points are completely valid especially regarding Apple not refusing to operate in countries known for ongoing human rights issues. But money is king always. It’s ironic and kind of hilarious that corporate america adopted the talking points and stance of so many millions who were against corporate America for the last decade. The flip side is that those same people now idolize big pharma for the obvious reason. Indeed the world is VERY VERY backwards right now.

Yes, I am pissed and disappointed at Apple as well. All the other companies are helping Ukraine at the moment for example, but not Apple. Even Elon Musk (whom I disliked a lot) helped Ukraine.
He stands up for Black Lives Matters (which is fine) and such things, but not Ukrainians. Even Google helped Ukraine. I sent an email to MacRumors to write about it, but for whatever reason they didn't. I am so sad and devastated now. I'm thinking about leaving Apple ecosystem.

 

[wanha]

Ok then Apple:
Be environmentally friendly and move to USB-C for all devices.
Do NOT bring wasteful wireless charging to any more devices.

LEAD by example

I know it's a popular thing to say, but switching to USB-C is not more environmentally friendly.

There are at a couple billion lightning cables and chargers already out there in use, not to mention whatever lightning accessories people have already purchased.

You are suggesting people throw those all out and buy USB-C which is ALREADY 10 YEARS OLD?

There's just no way that doing all that is going to be better for the environment - or do you know different?

Now, when the time comes for whatever standard comes next... then it may make sense for Apple to adopt whatever standard is created for interoperability, but for lightning/USB-C, that ship sailed a looooooooong time ago.

 

[the8thark]

Well of cause Tim would brag about Apple's successes (new tech changing the world) in an open letter. He would not admit to his failings as CEO. Braggarts do not get any respect from me. Those who admit their mistakes and how they will fix them is who gains respect from me.

If Tim starts to admit his mistakes as CEO then we can talk about respect.

 

[sudo-sandwich]

Tim Cook talks like he's running for president of the world's most boring country.

That's Yawnistan. It's somewhere in central Asia. Main export is courage.

 

[supercoolmanchu]

I know it's a popular thing to say, but switching to USB-C is not more environmentally friendly.

There are at a couple billion lightning cables and chargers already out there in use, not to mention whatever lightning accessories people have already purchased.

You are suggesting people throw those all out and buy USB-C which is ALREADY 10 YEARS OLD?

There's just no way that doing all that is going to be better for the environment - or do you know different?

Now, when the time comes for whatever standard comes next... then it may make sense for Apple to adopt whatever standard is created for interoperability, but for lightning/USB-C, that ship sailed a looooooooong time ago.

Friendly isn't really science measurement, it is human emotion. Please explain why the "environment" prefers lightning over switching to usb-c cables?

And by "friendly" do you mean the environment is openly hostile/warlike acting towards usb-c or more like teens at a party giving these uncool cables the cold shoulder?

And by environment, please define as well. Does the dirt get upset too? Are rocks pissed off about the cable connector end types? Have you considered how light particles feel about dongles and adapters? Do you know for a fact that ionizing radiation is more comfortable with lightning cables, and would prefer not to have any usb-c types hanging around?

Is there some electromagnetic earth force or deity that would be upset about changing cable types? Would this force be upset if existing cables are eventually upgraded? Were you planning on keeping your existing cables forever? Please explain the method you devised to preserve cabling indefinitely? Have you discovered a solution for corrosion?

Environment is an unspecific and imprecise term. Unspecific terminology is the domain of pseudo-science and religion.
I think by environment you really meant a very limited range of living things, rather than the predominantly inert material and most life that is entirely indifferent to humans.

But first... who gave you, or any human, authority and dominion over what type of cabling the environment prefers? Or are you just falsely attributing things that bother you personally for some weird reason, to some imaginary specified preference of this environment?

 

[wanha]

Friendly isn't really science measurement, it is human emotion. Please explain why the "environment" prefers lightning over switching to usb-c cables?

And by "friendly" do you mean the environment is openly hostile/warlike acting towards usb-c or more like teens at a party giving these uncool cables the cold shoulder?

And by environment, please define as well. Does the dirt get upset too? Are rocks pissed off about the cable connector end types? Have you considered how light particles feel about dongles and adapters? Do you know for a fact that ionizing radiation is more comfortable with lightning cables, and would prefer not to have any usb-c types hanging around?

Is there some electromagnetic earth force or deity that would be upset about changing cable types? Would this force be upset if existing cables are eventually upgraded? Were you planning on keeping your existing cables forever? Please explain the method you devised to preserve cabling indefinitely? Have you discovered a solution for corrosion?

Environment is an unspecific and imprecise term. Unspecific terminology is the domain of pseudo-science and religion.
I think by environment you really meant a very limited range of living things, rather than the predominantly inert material and most life that is entirely indifferent to humans.

But first... who gave you, or any human, authority and dominion over what type of cabling the environment prefers? Or are you just falsely attributing things that bother you personally for some weird reason, to some imaginary specified preference of this environment?

Yo my friend, you didn't understand a single word of my comment.

That may be my fault, so allow me to restate my point in more general terms:

Changing from one well-established standard to another one in the middle or late in its life cycle is HIGHLY wasteful because it will require billions of cables to be discarded and replaced with new ones for no practical gain.

This is NOT about a specific cable, technology or brand over another.

It's about the insanity of throwing out a couple of BILLION perfectly functional cables and accessories into the rubbish and calling that an environmentally friendly act.

The current USB-C/lightning standards only have a limited time left in them before they are replaced by something new. Forcing everyone to replace all their cables at this stage is madness and the opposite of environmentally friendly.

 

[amartinez1660]

I know it's a popular thing to say, but switching to USB-C is not more environmentally friendly.

There are at a couple billion lightning cables and chargers already out there in use, not to mention whatever lightning accessories people have already purchased.

You are suggesting people throw those all out and buy USB-C which is ALREADY 10 YEARS OLD?

There's just no way that doing all that is going to be better for the environment - or do you know different?

Now, when the time comes for whatever standard comes next... then it may make sense for Apple to adopt whatever standard is created for interoperability, but for lightning/USB-C, that ship sailed a looooooooong time ago.

Interesting remark, for accuracy purposes, according to Wikipedia USB-C specifications were released and published in 2014, don’t know about the lightning ones as it is proprietary but it was released ready to plug in 2012 .

If the excuse is that lightning is old news then USB-C isn’t that new either like you mention.

 

[CosmoCopus]

Hey Tim if you and you’re climate buddies are so committed to “climate change” then set an example and stop flying around the world in jets.

 

[I7guy]

Hey Tim if you and you’re climate buddies are so committed to “climate change” then set an example and stop flying around the world in jets.

Do you want to him get around the world in a row boat? Or maybe walk the Talk as well?

 

[reyesmac]

I see technology more and more being used to get people to conform to the dictates of whatever taskmaster is in charge in ways they never thought possible.

 

[Bluetoot-]

Is Apple still selling goods in Russia? Or China for that matter?

 

[ponzicoinbro]

Tim Cook is wrong.

Technology isn’t neutral. Technology can be bad from day one if it created for nefarious and criminal reasons.

Nuclear bombs are bad.

Facebook’s business model is bad.

Social media is designed to be addictive and divisive.

Bitcoin mining and unregulated crypto Ponzi schemes are bad and make the worst people on the planet wealthier than they already are.

NFTs are bad and gamers hate them more than anything they ever hated.

Loot boxes were bad and those companies like EA were trying to get kids into gambling.

Lots of vehicles are designed badly with no regard for public safety, especially when they rush to market.

Intel chips are bad and they are a scam company.

Theranos was a scam tech company.

The list goes on for days and days.

 

[I7guy]

Tim Cook is wrong.

Technology isn’t neutral. Technology can be bad from day one if it created for nefarious and criminal reasons.

Nuclear bombs are bad.

Facebook’s business model is bad.

Social media is designed to be addictive and divisive.

Bitcoin mining and unregulated crypto Ponzi schemes are bad and make the worst people on the planet wealthier than they already are.

NFTs are bad and gamers hate them more than anything they ever hated.

Loot boxes were bad and those companies like EA were trying to get kids into gambling.

Lots of vehicles are designed badly with no regard for public safety, especially when they rush to market.

Intel chips are bad and they are a scam company.

Theranos was a scam tech company.

The list goes on for days and days.

You’re understanding the point wrong. I don’t thing there is a dispute that tech can be used wrong, but also can be used to advance society and humanity.