ONE of our readers sent us some interesting reports about Steve Jobs' rudeness [1], determination to attack Android/Linux with patents [2], and a lawsuit [3] over DRM [4] where Steve Jobs' ghost is back to haunt digital freedom.
"He also started a wave of patent abuses, ranging from threats (like those veiled threats against Palm) to lawsuits that would last several years and drain budgets, remove features, etc."Over the years we have criticised Steve Jobs (before and after his death) because his contribution to DRM -- contrary to what Apple fans care to admit -- has been great. He also started a wave of patent abuses, ranging from threats (like those veiled threats against Palm) to lawsuits that would last several years and drain budgets, remove features, etc. So much for innovation, eh?
We continue to reject the notion that just because someone is dead it should be impossible to criticise him or her, especially if that person is a public figure (like a politician). Sadly, however, some people disagree and want to treat any criticism of Jobs like blasphemy or "speaking ill of the dead" (inducing censorship). As the reports below serve to show, Jobs does not deserve to be treated as though he was a hero, except perhaps by those who cherish corporate control over people, using digital means (that's why the corporate press loves to idolise Jobs so much). ⬆
Related/contextual items from the news:
Emails sent by Jobs have surfaced once again in a class action lawsuit brought against Apple (AAPL, Tech30) for making iTunes the exclusive store for iPod music. Jobs' emails are characteristically frank, which could hurt Apple.
Jobs' famous candor wasn't limited to face-to-face encounters. His brusque manner translated to email as well. That's unusual for modern CEOs, who are trained to exercise restraint in emails. Those words can easily be entered as evidence in a trial.
Either Jobs didn't get that message -- or he didn't care. These 10 emails from Apple's co-founder reveal the stern, outspoken and often witty personality that made him one of the most charismatic CEOs of his era.
Anyone who follows the smartphone and tablet market knows that Android has become the No. 1 mobile operating system in the world. They also know that, prior to his death in 2011, Steve Jobs was not very happy about Google's mobile operating system. In fact, he made a rather bold threat when he talked about his dislike of this competing mobile OS.
"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this," the late CEO famously said.
This morning, Apple will begin a duel over claims that it used copy-protection schemes known as "digital rights management," or DRM, to illegally manipulate the market for iPods. The lawsuit, filed nearly 10 years ago, puts some legal firepower behind activists' claims that the copy-protection DRM is "defective by design."