Linked List: August 25, 2011

Thursday, 25 August 2011

New Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘I’m Thinking Printers’ ★

The Onion:

“Laser, ink-jet, double-sided, color, black-and-white — the future of technology is in printers. I am absolutely convinced of that,” Cook explained to a packed auditorium as a montage of printers and people using printers played on a screen behind him.

As a 12-Year-Old Kid, Allen Paltrow Met Steve Jobs ★

Great story, great pictures.

‘I Truly Cared’ ★

Jonathan Berger, then an intern at Apple, asked Steve Jobs in 2000 why he came back to Apple. His paraphrasing of Jobs’s answer:

“When I was trying to decide whether to come back to Apple or not I struggled. I talked to a lot of people and got a lot of opinions. And then there I was, late one night, struggling with this and I called up a friend of mine at 2am. I said, ‘Should I come back, should I not?’ and the friend replied, ‘Steve, look. I don’t give a fuck about Apple. Just make up your mind,’ and hung up. And it was in that moment that I realized I truly cared about Apple.”

Has to be Ellison. (Via John Siracusa.)

‘You’re the Ones’ ★

Marc Hedlund on a 1999 internal meeting at Apple, led by Steve Jobs.

Apple’s Leadership ★

Going to take some getting used to.

‘However Vast the Darkness, We Must Supply Our Own Light.’ ★

Stanley Kubrick in his 1968 interview with Playboy:

The most terrifying fact of the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death — however mutable man may be able to make them — our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment.

However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.

Company-Wide Email From Apple CEO Tim Cook ★

Tim Cook:

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that — it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

The Last Day ★

Peter Burrows and Josh Tyrangiel, reporting for Businessweek:

On the day of the announcement, a person close to Jobs who was not authorized to speak about his health said the outgoing CEO was in Apple’s Cupertino (Calif.) office for the entire workday and attended a regularly scheduled board meeting. This person described Jobs’s condition as weak but added that his resignation was not indicative of a sudden downturn and that Jobs, while housebound in recent weeks, was up and about. Jobs gathered his senior executive team in an emotional meeting after the news broke. He also made clear he plans to be an active chairman, according to another source familiar with the transition.

What a meeting that must have been.

The market reaction was instantaneous: Apple shares fell as much as 7 percent in extended trading after the announcement.

But as of this moment, the stock is down just 1 percent, only slightly worse than the S&P 500 overall for the day.

Holding the Door ★

Great little Steve Jobs story from former Apple engineer David Cairns.

Icon Ambulance ★

Vic Gundotra on a Sunday morning phone call from Steve Jobs.