Steve Jobs to Be Posthumously Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

[Mazda 3s]

Happens all the time and still qualifies as nonsense!

I'm not speaking to the merits of honoring Steve Jobs here, but to the basis of this comment and a previous commenter who balked at awarding medals to dead people.

Soldiers who perform heroically on the battlefield are often posthumously awarded medals. Do you have a problem with that too? Is that nonsense?

 

[Wildkraut]

Woz would have had a long boring career at HP if not for Jobs.

Woz himself would be the first to say as much.

Or the CEO of HP…

 

[Jack Neill]

This makes me think of Bill Burrs bit on Steve Jobs.

 

[nwcs]

I always wondered about what the purpose is in doing this posthumously. They certainly are past caring about it.

 

[ackmondual]

didn't he steal money from Woz? If not, his leaving Tim Cook in charge should disqualify him.

In this whole saga, I feel like Woz should be the hero, not Jobs. However, I can see that if the "Steve Jobs distortion field" was that good, it would capture the masses. Hell, I've known people who knew who Jobs was, but had no clue who Woz nor any of the other big players at Apple!

Woz would have had a long boring career at HP if not for Jobs.

Woz himself would be the first to say as much.

He ended up leaving Apple in short time anyways [shrug]

 

[Nilhum]

As much as I love Apple and the things Steve strived for, not sure how I feel about this one. I feel these types of honors should go to people who have contributed to the good of humanity, it is arguable whether all this tech that we are surrounded by is actually for the good of humanity. Does it make life easier? To a point, but it also can make life, particularly societal values, more difficult.

Even the poorest in this country now have access to more knowledge and books than the great libraries of the world. You now have all the music possible in the palm of your hands. The iPhone contributed to the Information Age we are living in so yes it has helped humanity far more than you say.

 

[ghanwani]

They missed me again this year.

 

[fenderbass146]

I mean it's an awesome device and changed the world. It has some good aspects, but overall modern tech, especially the 24/7 andwhere on the planet connection to the internet is a bad thing for society.

 

[H2SO4]

Considering the last clown gave one to Rush Limbaugh, Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes, giving one to Jobs is fine.

No. It's not. Doing something else wrong doesn't make the first acceptable.

 

[aidler]

Possibly the most brilliant man I witnessed during my life (besides Stephen Hawking). Well deserved…

 

[FactVsOpinion]

I'm sorry but does he really deserve this? I feel like we've learned from the various books and movies that he was a visionary, sure, but he wasn't actually the best person...

it says it's for exemplary contributions. I think that's appropriate. Only one person could win a "best person" award, and that award doesn't exist...

 

[I7guy]

One branch awards the founder while another branch works to dismantle the company he founded…

Oh, the irony.

 

[lamerica80]

I'm sorry but does he really deserve this? I feel like we've learned from the various books and movies that he was a visionary, sure, but he wasn't actually the best person...

Ellen got it...fruckin Ellen...so the bar ain't exactly high.

 

[gugy]

I'm sorry but does he really deserve this? I feel like we've learned from the various books and movies that he was a visionary, sure, but he wasn't actually the best person...

Yes, Steve wasn't the best guy out there but his vision and contributions to society and the world are undeniable. I think this is what the medal is about. Many people that received this medal in the past were not the kindest or friendliest folks out there.

 

[kycophpd]

I always wondered about what the purpose is in doing this posthumously. They certainly are past caring about it.

Family, friends, and others impacted.

It could also be for Hunter’s benefit, showing him Mac’s are much more secure and less likely to break down. Less chance his smut could be found.

 

[PeterKG]

How much has Steve's billionaire widow donated to Biden and socialist causes? Follow the money.

 

[nexusrule]

Even the poorest in this country now have access to more knowledge and books than the great libraries of the world. You now have all the music possible in the palm of your hands. The iPhone contributed to the Information Age we are living in so yes it has helped humanity far more than you say.

Do the poorest own 1000-1500$ devices?

 

[TheDailyApple]

It’s one thing to give an award posthumously to people who died in performing the act they are awarded for, (like soldiers, firefighters, and policemen who fell in line of duty,) but I find most other posthumous awards to be meaningless at best. They typically do more for the one giving the awards than anything else.

I feel like better ways to honor the deceased are naming buildings, roads, and parks after them, or placing plaques or monuments.

(Obviously exceptions can be made when the recipient dies before being presented with the awards they’d already been chosen for)

 

[coolfactor]

As much as I love Apple ....

You just answered your own question. Apple is who they are today BECAUSE of the values instilled by Steve. Being fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to him, because it forced him to reflect on himself and the world. He came back a better, more enriched man.

We all make dumb choices when we are young. What matters is that we learn, grow and become better. Steve did. He was always a visionary, but died a greater man.

 

[Lioness~]

For those who need a little background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_recipients

I skimmed that list, and 2/3 of it I had probably no idea who they were. I’m not American.
I also had some laughs, and got a hint of who these awards are for.
I’m not gonna make anyone unclassified or more classified then someone else on that list for this….
But considering, comparing, I think definitely Steve Jobs classifies for it.

Unfortunately we come further and further away from what Apple was then.
With all pros and cons, perhaps.

 

[psac]

Ellen got it...fruckin Ellen...so the bar ain't exactly high.

You underestimate the societal impact (and personal risk) of Ellen coming out when she was the lead in a network sitcom. It was groundbreaking at the time.

 

[sw1tcher]

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States' highest civilian honor, presented to individuals "who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors."

Elon Musk is probably fuming that he didn't get one and that Biden has ignored him and his contributions to the world yet again 🤣

 

[coolfactor]

He drove a level of excellence that brought insanely great things to the world. The vast majority of other people would likely have just settled with the second or maybe third version of whatever they were targeting and called it a day (as is the case with just so very many meh products these days). I for one appreciate all the perfectionism and beauty that he ensured in Apple's products. To a large extent, that has been lost in the Apple of recent years...

I agreed with everything, but the last sentence. Yes, Apple did have a period of lower quality, but I think they've now overcome that. We must also factor in that software and hardware are 100 TIMES more complex than they were a decade ago. The beauty that Apple has achieved is in the pure simplicity on the surface, and I think users all too often forget that they are holding a massively complex device in their hands.

Steve instilled values and principles into Apple's DNA that hold true today, thanks to Tim Cook. He frequently reminds us about about values and principles with each speech. Things will really change when a new CEO takes over.

 

[Lioness~]

How much has Steve's billionaire widow donated to Biden and socialist causes? Follow the money.

She do something worthwhile here and there from what I heard.

For instance: http://emersoncollective.com/

 

[Realityck]

I'm sorry but does he really deserve this? I feel like we've learned from the various books and movies that he was a visionary, sure, but he wasn't actually the best person...

If you look at his contributions he been involved and all the things he championed, it's a lot. He was really involved in a lot of things we take for granted now. From Investors Business Daily.

Top 10 Steve Jobs Achievements

• 1. Igniting the personal computer revolution - With the Apple II and the Macintosh, Jobs and the then-named Apple Computer (AAPL) helped to launch the PC revolution. The Apple II, released in 1977, was one of the first highly successful mass-produced personal computers. The Macintosh, introduced in 1984, was the first commercially successful PC to use a mouse and graphical user interface.
• 2. Introducing the mouse and graphical user interface. - Jobs changed how people interact with personal computers by replacing the text-based command-line interface with a mouse-driven graphical user interface. Instead of typing in commands with a keyboard, users could click on on-screen icons using a mouse controller. Jobs borrowed the idea for the new interface from Xerox 's (XRX) Palo Alto Research Center, which failed to see its potential.
• 3. Bringing portable music players to the masses. - Others had come out with portable digital music players before Apple debuted the iPod in 2001. But Apple made the device a fun, simple and fashionable way to store thousands of songs. Jobs' creation soon dominated the market.
• 4. Revolutionizing the sale of music. - Jobs turned music distribution on its head with the iTunes store by offering consumers an easy and affordable way to download songs to their computers and iPods. The iTunes store offered people an alternative to buying music CDs or illegally downloading songs from online sharing services.
• 5. Shepherding the age of computer animation. - Jobs ushered in the age of feature-length computer-animated movies by funding and leading Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs bought an unproven animation studio from George Lucas in 1986 and turned it into a maker of blockbuster films, starting with "Toy Story" in 1995. Walt Disney(DIS) purchased Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion
• 6. Opening Apple stores. - proved to be a huge success, not only in selling products but also extending the Apple brand and cachet worldwide. Apple now operates more than 350 stores.
• 7. Making personal computers stylish. - From the start, Apple computers have stood out as stylish. From the candy-colored original iMacs to the superthin MacBook Air, Apple has made products that consumers crave. When it came to Apple's products, Jobs sweated the details of fit and finish.
• 8. Launching the smartphone revolution. - When Jobs got Apple into the mobile phone business with the iPhone in 2007, he didn't just add cellular phone capabilities to an iPod or vice versa, as some expected. He came out with a landmark device that merged an iPod, full Internet browser and mobile phone into a beautiful gadget with a multitouch-screen interface. The iPhone was an instant hit and begat a thousand copycats.
• 9. Changing how software applications are distributed. - Jobs changed how software applications are distributed when he opened the App Store for downloading applications to the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2008. He gave developers a way to write and sell mobile programs to consumers online. Its success created a vibrant ecosystem that has boosted demand for Apple's mobile devices.
• 10. Kicking off the tablet trend. - Apple faced a lot of doubters when Jobs debuted the iPad tablet in April 2010. But the media tablet soon became another hit product.