Apple Joins Massive Pentagon Partnership to Develop High-Tech Military Wearables

[ardent73]

Really? All this money and effort ultimately being spent to kill someone. And I'm not going to get all PC at this point and say 'feed the poor', etc. I honestly think as a species our number one goal should be space exploration.

32 astronauts/cosmonauts and about 150 other people have been killed by space exploration...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

32 astronauts/cosmonauts and about 150 other people have been killed by space exploration...

I think what we need to do is find a way to make remotely killable weapons. You know, like with Authorization lock?

So if an ISIS dude picks in t up, it won't work, AT ALL..

THAT would be AWESOME!!!

So, lets work towards that goal...

It could make its way into the retail range too, making guns safer around kids, which the NRA apparently doesn;t want to have happen? S&W had a finger/palm print gun out a few years ago, and it was killed for some insane reason...

 

[Jess13]

32 astronauts/cosmonauts and about 150 other people have been killed by space exploration...

Obama has murdered more civilians with drones than Osama had murdered with planes.

 

[Jess13]

President Eisenhower's Farewell Address​

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower's_farewell_address#The_speech​

We have a fake war on terror and illegal wars of aggression, such as Iraq, in very large part because the Military-Industrial Complex has to be fed. And it is a major reason why 9/11 successfully happened. Tim Cook should be shamed for this. Helping the Pentagon to ultimately better kill countless innocent men, women and children was not the Apple way and Steve would have never went along with this BS.

 

[Nevaborn]

Ideally i would love there to be no need for weapons in this workd but the truth is that is unlikely to ever happen. The most utopian society I can think of is the one found in Star Trek, however wven there weapons are still neccisary.

There will always be need as violence, anger, desire and ambition are all part of human nature so someone is always either going to want to harm you or take what you have.

Another part is fear our base survival instinct which we have kept as a species since we evolved from pack animals, and a primary reason we congregate in cities and groups. We will always be afraid someone may harm us and so to leave ourselves defenceless is not only unwise but unthinkable.

As I type this I am concerned. I live in the UK and right now we are friends with the USA but that could change and while our army is still better trained it is worrying the effort and resources the US puts in to weilding an ever bigger stick over the world.

I thought about this and while I applaud the saving of lives, by improving the effectivness of a soldier you are not saving their life but rather making them a better killer. I am not sure this plays to Apple's core values.

But not to be fooled this is a business decision and Apple is a big player, this is a huge project they simply can not afford to be sidelined upon. Apple for a global brand has always ALWAYS made the mistake of being too US centric and I can see them lapping at the idea of " saving US lives ".

This could backfire terribly, be a good domestic PR winner or really hurt them in the much larger global economy.

 

[CFreymarc]

A sad day for Apple and all the root principles they used to propel themselves to the top with: "Think Different" with portraits of Gandhi, being the first in line with worldwide relief in case of natural disasters and presenting themselves as a global forward thinking company that actually cares about human values.

The peacenik reputation that Apple has in their PR has always been a facade. The military was one of Apple's biggest customers from the start. This let them have a cash flow after the IBM PC launched and before the Mac launched.

When Steve Jobs was at NeXT, the biggest customer of NeXTstations was the CIA. Look at the "state department" personnel and, supposedly, you'll see almost all of them with iPhones with a custom iOS release just for Federal customers. Apple is finally taking off the tie-dye t-shirt and turning off the lava lamp completing an image makeover ever since the six colors logo was phased out for metal.

The entire "peace and love" pacifist mindset in most civilizations is a result of an enemy cultural influence play going back to the Roman Empire. It's common to culturally manipulate a society to give up their weapons if you cannot beat them in an armed conflict. Once the enemy is disarmed with false security, then you send in an invasion force.

This happened during Roman expansion, the high Middle Ages and, more recently, the Cultural Revolution where Mao slaughter millions of his countrymen a half generation after a gun ban was implemented.

 

[CFreymarc]

I am against all military development.

Then don't use the Internet. That came from a DOD project called SAGE for communication of ground radar and missle interceptors nationwide. Once that network was set up, non-combat implementions of the network created APRAnet and then the general Internet with the TCP/IP transport.

Anyone against military development is just using an age old passive aggressive technique promoted by whom cannot survive an active fight. Fallen civilizations are lead by these types as more ethical "heathens" sack there "enlightened" cultural centers.

 

[5105973]

You make some excellent points. Let's hope Apple and other companies on that list can make a positive difference. The government we've managed to elect for ourselves should be on notice by now that R&D money better *not* all be going to spy on the taxpayers. I should think there are names on that list of companies besides Apple that have CEOs thoroughly prepared to stipulate as much when they pitch in on these projects. The list of companies is long. The potential for whistleblowing is huge.

A lot of the times these R&D deals with big businesses are also fraught with waste and overcharging by the companies. In cases where budgetary oversight is lax, the government response to overcharging is nil. This is something talked about quite frequently here in the MD, DC, VA tech area, home of HQs

The peacenik reputation that Apple has in their PR has always been a facade. The military was one of Apple's biggest customers from the start. This let them have a cash flow after the IBM PC launched and before the Mac launched.

When Steve Jobs was at NeXT, the biggest customer of NeXTstations was the CIA. Look at the "state department" personnel and, supposedly, you'll see almost all of them with iPhones with a custom iOS release just for Federal customers. Apple is finally taking off the tie-dye t-shirt and turning off the lava lamp completing an image makeover ever since the six colors logo was phased out for metal.

The entire "peace and love" pacifist mindset in most civilizations is a result of an enemy cultural influence play going back to the Roman Empire. It's common to culturally manipulate a society to give up their weapons if you cannot beat them in an armed conflict. Once the enemy is disarmed with false security, then you send in an invasion force.

This happened during Roman expansion, the high Middle Ages and, more recently, the Cultural Revolution where Mao slaughter millions of his countrymen a half generation after a gun ban was implemented.

I don't doubt it. But Apple is definitely changing fast the past couple of years. To move away from the facade, as you describe it, and take on the mantle of courting fashionistas in Milan one month and now the military industrial complex is a rather bold image makeover that's going to put off a lot of their loyal customer base. However, I'm sure they don't care too much at this point.

 

[maxsix]

You need to stop using the Internet. It was developed by the US Department of Defense.


And YOU also need to stop using the Internet, for the same reason.

I'm trying to help you folks stick to your principle of disassociation from military development. No need to thank me!

And YOU are assuming...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

President Eisenhower's Farewell Address​

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower's_farewell_address#The_speech​

We have a fake war on terror and illegal wars of aggression, such as Iraq, in very large part because the Military-Industrial Complex has to be fed. And it is a major reason why 9/11 successfully happened. Tim Cook should be shamed for this. Helping the Pentagon to ultimately better kill countless innocent men, women and children was not the Apple way and Steve would have never went along with this BS.

I think what the focus is, of this project, is to help make soldiers more connected, and therefore safer. Having soldiers that survive longer is almost like having a more lethal weapon. The moment you remove the 'cost' of war, wars become 'easy'.

If only peace was more profitable, or more investors saw the benefit of peace. There will always be crazies, because that is the human nature, but what is very crazy is having a whole industry focused around fleecing the public treasury, and politicians bent on maximizing that profit.

A destructive foreign policy can only lead to one result: Destruction...

What truly frightens me is that many politicians are also using religion as cover (again) and many espouse the belief that the righteous (they and their owners) will survive a nuclear war because of some deity...

Warning to the world: Our politicians are becoming religious extremists, and we have the bomb, and people stupid enough to use it. You have been warned...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

You need to stop using the Internet. It was developed by the US Department of Defense.


And YOU also need to stop using the Internet, for the same reason.

I'm trying to help you folks stick to your principle of disassociation from military development. No need to thank me!

Well, than you need to stop driving on interstates, and using the phone, cell phone, and any other radio equipment.

DARPA was a lot like Xerox PARC in the beginning. Doing things just to see if they can be done. The early internet was more about fostering better communications between universities and scientists than it was about connecting people and running porn sites, yet the interstate highway system was all about moving munitions and equipment from point to point...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Anyone remember The Day The Earth Stood Still? The original movie?

The idea behind that is a ham handed way to get an end to war in our time.

I am leaving soon, and you will forgive me if I speak bluntly. The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all, or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves and hired policemen to enforce them. We, of the other planets, have long accepted this principle. We have an organization for the mutual protection of all planets and for the complete elimination of aggression. The test of any such higher authority is, of course, the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their function is to patrol the planets in spaceships like this one and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us. This power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk. The result is, we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war. Free to pursue more... profitable enterprises. Now, we do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a system, and it works. I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet, but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you.

Peace IS obtainable, if people want it bad enough.

 

[blackboxxx]

The Pentagon today announced a partnership with 162 companies and universities -- including Apple, Boeing, and Harvard -- to develop and produce a line of high-tech military gear designed to be flexible enough to be worn by both soldiers and even be "molded onto the outside of a jet"

Well, Apple has already entered flexible electronics market with iPhone 6 Plus.



I'll show myself out...

 

[one more]

But not to be fooled this is a business decision and Apple is a big player, this is a huge project they simply can not afford to be sidelined upon.

Apple "can not afford", really? Like Apple the richest public company on the planet with worldwide recognition? This is why the whole thing is particularly upsetting.

 

[noveneerhere]

I had the impression Apple wanted to be a more "international company" because as a non-american citizen I don't want to support this.

 

[xlii]

Designed in California, built in China.

 

[galrito]

32 astronauts/cosmonauts and about 150 other people have been killed by space exploration...

Astronauts and cosmonauts accept the risk they take and do so willingly. You can't compare it with a crowd of civilians on the market, minding their own business, being bombed.

 

[Dargoth]

Disgusting. Can't buy a US product or service anymore without becoming an accomplice to mass killing of innocent people somewhere in the world.

Volkswagon was started by the Nazis. Now tell me who's disgusting?

 

[shaunp]

32 astronauts/cosmonauts and about 150 other people have been killed by space exploration...

True, and more people die on the roads each day globally, or are you saying that we shouldn't explore because it might be a little bit dangerous? My point was it's a shame large organisations, like Apple, are putting resources into developing things for the military which ultimately is just about putting a bullet in someone's head. As a species we really need to move on from killing each other in the pursuit resources on this planet.

 

[shaunp]

Apple "can not afford", really? Like Apple the richest public company on the planet with worldwide recognition? This is why the whole thing is particularly upsetting.

Exactly. They can absolutely decide to not do this, unless agents have already had a 'chat' with Tim and told him the facts of life.

 

[Denmac1]

Captain: "Sir, the radar indicates missiles have been launched"

GeneraL: "Damn, the OTA update isn't finished yet..How long do we hav.........."

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

FIRE THE MISSILE!

I can't! All I see is a spinning beach ball!

 

[ardent73]

Astronauts and cosmonauts accept the risk they take and do so willingly. You can't compare it with a crowd of civilians on the market, minding their own business, being bombed.

Risk? I thought we were trying to do something that wouldn't kill people (with war)? Statistically speaking getting out of bed is risky.

 

[ardent73]

True, and more people die on the roads each day globally, or are you saying that we shouldn't explore because it might be a little bit dangerous? My point was it's a shame large organisations, like Apple, are putting resources into developing things for the military which ultimately is just about putting a bullet in someone's head. As a species we really need to move on from killing each other in the pursuit resources on this planet.

If you're goal is to not kill people, the exploration of space should not be your first choice for safe human activity.

 

[sir1963nz]

Agreed.


Now, you first.

New Zealand started by saying no to Nukes.