Apple Honors Robin Williams With iTunes Store Section Featuring More than 40 Movies, Comedy Routines [Updated]

[Ethosik]

So can somebody explain the what is going on here? The movies were already on iTunes days, months and years ago. All they did was show a collection of these movies.

What is the issue here? How is it them being greedy? They offered these movies before his death. Again, they offered these movies before his death. Do you need it said one more time? They did not make the movies $30 each. They did not release any special editions.

You do realize that Apple does not control the prices right? That is the movie industry. Just like how when movies get removed from the store, it is not Apple's fault. Apple cannot just offer a movie for free, it is not their business. It is the movie industry that handles that.

Also, you guys do realize that a company cannot just do whatever they want right? They need to talk to their lawyers, financial employees, shareholders, board of directors and more.

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My response was, would you, as the boss of Apple, one of the richest companies that many millions watch, allow your web designer to just do something for the world to see, before you had decided as a company how you were going to handle it?

Um, it is much faster for the CEO to see the design and say Yes than it would for lawyers, CFO and other financial employees, shareholders, and more to discuss setting up a charity/donation. The web developers have a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss, ...

Tim probably requested that the web developers spend a few minutes making this page, saw the design and said okay. MUCH faster than setting up a charity.

 

[Monique1]

So can somebody explain the what is going on here? The movies were already on iTunes days, months and years ago. All they did was show a collection of these movies.

What is the issue here? How is it them being greedy?

Because anything Apple puts in the spotlight results in increased sales. I'm sure the profit motive is not the intent here but the perception is. Somebody wasn't thinking. And even if Apple were to donate their share of the sales to a Williams' charity, the rest would still go into someone's pocket. i.e., either way, just bringing Williams' "products" to the forefront on a "retail" site is just plain stupid.

Also, you guys do realize that a company cannot just do whatever they want right? They need to talk to their lawyers, financial employees, shareholders, board of directors and more.

Apple is not a democracy. Cook can do just about anything he wants and deal with any board fallout later if that's an issue.

 

[dec.]

So can somebody explain the what is going on here? The movies were already on iTunes days, months and years ago. All they did was show a collection of these movies.

You're missing the big picture. Unsuspecting iTunes customers are being brainwashed into buying Robin Williams content when the specific store section is being shoved down their throats. They will subconsciously decide to buy this content even if they weren't interested in it in first place. Apple will make money - this would have not happened if Robin Williams were still alive. Generating this artificial demand for content based on a persons death is despicable, evil, satan himself and whatever else people can come up with to describe this abyss of misanthropy.

Alternatively, at Apple they really just thought it'd be nice to honour Robin Williams by creating an overview of the content that was there already.

 

[Z400Racer37]

Did what, exactly?

Show you where to give them more money?

No, show you the place where all of Robin Williams' work was collected. Stop being ridiculous...

 

[derek4484]

Totally disagree.

Perhaps if those around him, who you feel are going to have issue with his sad death gave more of a **** before he felt this was his only way out, then it would not of happened.

It's very sad and takes great courage to do what he did.
It's so sad those around him did not make him feel like this was not his only final option.

Perhaps they now will realize how much better they could of been, and I hope some of them feel responsible for what has happened.

HUNH!?

It takes great courage to end your life rather than facing your problems head on? What world are you living in?

I have first hand knowledge of this. One of my closest friends from high school offed himself 4 yrs ago. Just out of the blue took out his pistol and blew his brains out, right in front of his wife. He left behind a wife and three kids who have struggled to put the pieces back together ever since. That took absolutely no courage at all. It's a cowardly move.

 

[hoits2000]

Its a sad time in our history. The more I look at Apple and there use of this event it makes me upset. Look at the quote that talks about how Robin Williams did a lot for that charity. It almost is like they are mentioning that to get the word charity in your head so they can trick people into thinking if they buy one of the movies a portion of the sales will go to some sort of a charity.

This is disrespectful. It is absolutley making money off of his death. Terrible and Greedy. At minimum give a portion of the proceeds to the charity they mentioned or at least a mental health organization.

It sickens me the way they are trying to act like they care so much but in reality they just want to mooch off of all our sadness and say, hey, buy all his movies from us. Here they all are.

 

[Trapezoid]

HUNH!?

It takes great courage to end your life rather than facing your problems head on? What world are you living in?

I have first hand knowledge of this. One of my closest friends from high school offed himself 4 yrs ago. Just out of the blue took out his pistol and blew his brains out, right in front of his wife. He left behind a wife and three kids who have struggled to put the pieces back together ever since. That took absolutely no courage at all. It's a cowardly move.

While I disagree with the previous poster that committing suicide is courageous, I highly doubt your friend "offed himself out of the blue"...poor mental health and depression are real things even if you think from the outside looking in that he just said "today's a good day to shoot myself"

 

[GeneralChang]

Alternatively, at Apple they really just thought it'd be nice to honour Robin Williams by creating an overview of the content that was there already.

This is a great sentence. I’m just going to pretend that that whole first paragraph didn’t exist.

 

[Tech198]

lol...


I can't even image the only thing that will go down in history, as a tragedy by his death would be "Thanks for all the pirated movies."

I have pretty much most if them i think. But still... he was good what he did, nothing like Steve Jobs in any shape, or form.

But still good..

 

[dec.]

It's a cowardly move.

I disagree. Suicide often is described as "cowardly" or "easy way out" but really I think it takes an extremely desperate mindset to decide that "suicide" is the better choice than 'life" (leaving motivations like euthanasia or """religion""" aside). A rational thinking person would suggest that a suicide never can be a solution but mental illnesses affect the decisions a person makes in a way where rationality is blown out of the window and therefore I don't think that terms like "cowardly" can apply at all in these situations - which of course consequentially means that it doesn't take courage either as it's part of the mental illness.

 

[Tech198]

Usually people would do if they they couldn't take life anymore.

That's understandable, not coward...

You really expect people to try and suck it up all the way though...??


There are limits you know.

 

[Soba]

Don't forget Gregory Hines

In addition to the listed individuals so honored on Apple's web site, don't forget Gregory Hines. He was featured for several days in August 2003 after his death from liver cancer.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/34883/

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/arti...With_Think_Different_Home_Page_With_Screen_Sh

 

[bawbac]

So basically Apple made it easy to find Robin Williams content on iTunes knowing that people would probably be searching for it. I'm struggling understand what the issue is.

Because searching for Robin Williams movies is tough or the iTunes search must be very bad.

Apple is trying to cash in. No if and or buts.
I don't see Netflix or Amazon doing this even though they have several RW movies available.
Apple is hoping people will buy/rent from iTunes instead of watching for free on their Netflix/Amazon Prime account.

 

[Dilster3k]

That video was chilling.

 

[D.T.]

I don't see Netflix or Amazon doing this even though they have several RW movies available.

Amazon in their movie section has basically the same thing, a Remembering Robin Williams panel in the promoted material section, and then a pre-filtered list of all his content (FWIW, several of the titles I clicked are pay-rentals/purchase, not Prime).

 

[sammaffei]

To those of you who accuse Apple of profiteering, perhaps Apple believes that many would now like to see movies in which Robin Williams performed, and Apple is merely filling a need.

It's profiteering pure and simple. People can easily search the store for "Robin Williams" if they want.

And, if Apple actually cared, they would know that Robin Williams was totally against this type of marketing on his name. Hell, there was a whole blowup with him and Disney over "Aladdin" with the use of his voice for merchandise marketing without his permission. That's how he wound up with a Picasso from Disney. They tried to smooth it over with him.

 

[Trapezoid]

Amazon in their movie section has basically the same thing, a Remembering Robin Williams panel in the promoted material section, and then a pre-filtered list of all his content (FWIW, several of the titles I clicked are pay-rentals/purchase, not Prime).

As does Google and netflix. It is simply a way for people to find what they're already gonna be searching for.

If apple had not done this, we'd hear about how their disloyal to someone who championed their products. People need to relax and stop thinking companies have ulterior motives for everything.

There nothing wrong with what Google, apple, netflix and Amazon are doing

 

[Solomani]

Apple is not a democracy. Cook can do just about anything he wants and deal with any board fallout later if that's an issue.

It's not a democracy. It's not a dictatorship either. It's worse than a democracy or dictatorship!

It's a corporate oligarchy! An oligarchy that has long sold its soul to the investors since it became a publicly owned company. And the shareholders elect their representatives in the Board of Directors. And what the Board and the common shareholders have in common is one thing: the pursuit of profit and growth. Giving away free money is anathema to them.

Any Wall Street publicly owned corporation, is by default, an oligarchy beholden to the investors.

Steve Jobs tried his best to run it like an authoritarian dictatorship. Mixed results. Sure, he got things done. Like Benito Mussolini he made the trains run on time. He got things done. He also had lots of execs and employees leave with quick turnovers like a revolving door, and many wrote books and articles that badmouthed him later on. Several of them ended up in other rival companies (oh hello Rubenstein!) To this day, there is daily blog news of the "fear" and dread under Steve Jobs Apple.

The media will continue to badmouth him long after he is dead. But here is a brand new "fresh" one for this week!

Judge (Koh) in Collusion Case: Silicon Valley Was Afraid of Steve Jobs

If you want Apple to be decisive and be run like an efficient autocracy that doesn't have to listen to the shareholders or anyone, then you also should support the notion of Apple giving up its billions giving back ALL that money to the people that own it: the AAPL shareholders. It's their money.

The biggest corporation in the world (in net worth) cannot afford to make "cowboy" decisions. The leader has to make informed and calculated decisions, surrounded by advisors. And that takes time.

 

[mw360]

It's profiteering pure and simple. People can easily search the store for "Robin Williams" if they want.

And, if Apple actually cared, they would know that Robin Williams was totally against this type of marketing on his name. Hell, there was a whole blowup with him and Disney over "Aladdin" with the use of his voice for merchandise marketing without his permission. That's how he wound up with a Picasso from Disney. They tried to smooth it over with him.

That might be overstating things a little...

That was because Williams had a new feature being released about the same time from another studio, Toys, and he didn’t want to compete with his own work, especially as one film would be “his” while the other was a glorified cameo.

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...oster/?action=subscribe&email=asda@ssfdsd.com

 

[dvoros]

RIP Robin

Very sad and disturbing news about a man that meant so much to so many. How can this happen? No one will know for sure. I hope that in his next life, he will be happy and look around to see all that he created and all the people that love and miss him.

 

[octothorpe8]

A dedicated section, but no discounts. Looks like Apple is just trying to cash in on this marketing "opportunity". Makes me feel kind of off about it...

"Honoring". Right. And definitely making a bunch of money in the process.

 

[jonbravo77]

To those who are talking profiteering and Apple's big conspiracy. Way to take a tragic event, losing one of the greatest people this world has ever known and twisting it to fit your own pathetic life. Who gives a damn why Apple has done this. The fact is they have dedicated a section of the store so people can easily find what they love.

Go put your tinfoil hat back on, flip on good ole Rush and shut up!

 

[Trapezoid]

To those who are talking profiteering and Apple's big conspiracy. Way to take a tragic event, losing one of the greatest people this world has ever known and twisting it to fit your own pathetic life. Who gives a damn why Apple has done this. The fact is they have dedicated a section of the store so people can easily find what they love.

Go put your tinfoil hat back on, flip on good ole Rush and shut up!

Cynical people like that are the most annoying people. Really makes you wonder who screwed them over so badly that they distrust everyone

 

[benjitek]

Celebrity Death: Buy Now!

Hardly an honor. A full page RIP photo in the NY Times & Wall Street Journal -- maybe. A huge donation to the National Institute of Mental Health, better still. Clickable purchase links...? -- hardly :-(

 

[jonbravo77]

Oh, and just so you very cynical people know. Apple never said they are honoring Robin Williams. That was the OP saying that. It says "Remembering Robin Williams". So go ahead and keep twisting this until you get what you want out of it..