[Rob van dam]

http://money.cnn.com/2005/07/06/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

Now that's class.You have to admire the man.

[brapper]

A very nice gesture indeed.

[mitchell_pgh]

A true class act.

[KeriVit]

[d.fine]

good guy

[typoon]

I agree I just read the article on CNN. I thought that was classy of him to do.

[buggsuperstar]

[spatterson]

Two Thumbs up!!!

[stevesnj]

Class act for sure....maybe this game maker should call the parents of this kid??

Link

[Millennium]

Certainly this was a nice thing of Jobs to do, but I hope it doesn't lead to people holding the iPod responsible for the killings.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by Millennium

Certainly this was a nice thing of Jobs to do, but I hope it doesn't lead to people holding the iPod responsible for the killings.

hmmm...dunno if the iPod could be responsible seems that the motive was robbery and pure bloodthirstyness. Good point though. It may come down to debates lik 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' could the 'gun' be replaced with an iPod. 'iPods don't kill people, people kill people' sounds horrific to me. I feel so sad for the kid

[JoshuaZ]

I love you Steve. You're my dream CEO.

[Millennium]

Originally Posted by stevesnj

hmmm...dunno if the iPod could be responsible seems that the motive was robbery and pure bloodthirstyness. Good point though. It may come down to debates lik 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' could the 'gun' be replaced with an iPod. 'iPods don't kill people, people kill people' sounds horrific to me. I feel so sad for the kid

Actually, there was one case a while back where an iPod was actually used as a murder weapon. However, my worries about this stem more from what happened with the original Air Jordan line of shoes. Back in the early 1990s they became so fashionable among youths that there was supposedly a wave of killings by people who wanted to get their hands on them by any means necessary.

How much of this was actually true versus mere urban legend isn't really well-known, but it was a very big deal at the time, and there were people who blamed the shoes for the killings.

[andreas_g4]

I guess the toughest part is to ignore the people that say the call was for publicity. Of course, this puts Jobs in an even brighter light, but I really believe that he meant what he did and said.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by Millennium

However, my worries about this stem more from what happened with the original Air Jordan line of shoes. Back in the early 1990s they became so fashionable among youths that there was supposedly a wave of killings by people who wanted to get their hands on them by any means necessary.

How much of this was actually true versus mere urban legend isn't really well-known, but it was a very big deal at the time, and there were people who blamed the shoes for the killings.

Yeah this is the reason the school I work at went to dress code....fights over shoes, jewlery, jackets, shirts, pants etc.. Dress code stopped a lot of troubles at our school.

[selowitch]

This is a very touching story. For all of the talk about how arrogant Jobs is (and after all, what true visionary isn't at least a little full of himself or herself?), here at least is some evidence that he has some depth and heart. I think his experience with pancreatic cancer has probably humbled him a bit and made him reassess to some degree the priorities in his life.

I admire Steve Jobs a great deal. He's a brilliant businessman and innovator. I don't think I'd want to be his wife or his children (two CEO positions?? Erm, does he actually have kids? I don't know myself), who may or may not recognize him when he comes home. Still, I have him to thank for creating the greatest computer maker in history and the best operating system ever created.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by andreas_g4

I guess the toughest part is to ignore the people that say the call was for publicity.

I suppose I'd be one of those people. I just can't see any other logical reason for Steve Jobs to do that. It seems a very strange thing to do to me, publicity stunt or not. You don't see the CEO of General Motors calling up every time someone dies in a car crash, do you?

(Yes, I know GM don't make all cars, I'm simplifying for effect, a'ight?)

[selowitch]

Far from being a carefully planned and cynical exercise in corporate publicity-seeking, I think it was more likely done on Jobs' personal initiative in an emotional reaction to the news. It seems genuine to me for that reason.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by selowitch

Far from being a carefully planned and cynical exercise in corporate publicity-seeking, I think it was more likely done on Jobs' personal initiative in an emotional reaction to the news. It seems genuine to me for that reason.

It might be, I don't know. But I still find it weird. Even if there wasn't (or perhaps rather weren't) an ounce of publicity-seeking in this, the first thought I had when reading this was still, “Why? What business does Steve Jobs have doing this?”. In a way, it seems almost rude to me that he did it, but that might possibly be a cultural difference playing in. Had my kid been killed over an iPod, and the CEO of the company that makes the iPod called me and offered his condolences, I would have found it absolutely bizarre. I would probably have mumbled something like, “Err... thanks... I guess...”, and then have said something like, “What the hell was that?” afterwards, with a highly puzzled look on my face.

From the responses in this thread, it seems that none of the people here (who are, as far as I can remember without going back to look at locations, all Americans) find this an odd or unnatural gesture, just a very generous and kind-hearted one. While I can agree it's kind-hearted, I also think it's very odd. Not necessarily in a negative way, just in the same way that you find it odd (or bizarre) when you see a six pound pickled curry herring soaring gently through the air across the room and out into the corridor...

[selowitch]

Sure, it's odd and awkward. A condolence call doesn't usually go smoothly. I imagine that Steve Jobs was thinking to myself, "My God, I did everything I could to make people covet the iPod so we'd have good sales. Could we have hyped the product to such a ridiculous extent that people are actually killing eachother over it?" No, it's not his fault. But I wouldn't be surprised if thoughts like that were in his head when he placed that call.

[selowitch]

Originally Posted by Millennium

Actually, there was one case a while back where an iPod was actually used as a murder weapon.

If you re-read the very end of the article, you'll discover that the iPod murder "story" originated on a parody website. It therefore probably is fictional.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by Millennium

However, my worries about this stem more from what happened with the original Air Jordan line of shoes. Back in the early 1990s they became so fashionable among youths that there was supposedly a wave of killings by people who wanted to get their hands on them by any means necessary.

How much of this was actually true versus mere urban legend isn't really well-known, but it was a very big deal at the time, and there were people who blamed the shoes for the killings.

I'd say it's true and still happens today. Check out this part of the CNN article:

"Apart from the iPod, the boys who attacked stole tennis shoes and a cell phone, the report said, citing police statements."

http://money.cnn.com/2005/07/06/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by stevesnj

hmmm...dunno if the iPod could be responsible seems that the motive was robbery and pure bloodthirstyness. Good point though. It may come down to debates lik 'guns don't kill people, people kill people' could the 'gun' be replaced with an iPod. 'iPods don't kill people, people kill people' sounds horrific to me. I feel so sad for the kid

Guns for iPods.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by selowitch

Erm, does he actually have kids?.

Guess where he got the name for the 'Lisa' computer? hmmmm

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Guns for iPods.

Actually not a bad idea

[el chupacabra]

great for marketing

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Oisín

It might be, I don't know. But I still find it weird. Even if there wasn't (or perhaps rather weren't) an ounce of publicity-seeking in this, the first thought I had when reading this was still, “Why? What business does Steve Jobs have doing this?”. In a way, it seems almost rude to me that he did it, but that might possibly be a cultural difference playing in. Had my kid been killed over an iPod, and the CEO of the company that makes the iPod called me and offered his condolences, I would have found it absolutely bizarre. I would probably have mumbled something like, “Err... thanks... I guess...”, and then have said something like, “What the hell was that?” afterwards, with a highly puzzled look on my face.

From the responses in this thread, it seems that none of the people here (who are, as far as I can remember without going back to look at locations, all Americans) find this an odd or unnatural gesture, just a very generous and kind-hearted one. While I can agree it's kind-hearted, I also think it's very odd. Not necessarily in a negative way, just in the same way that you find it odd (or bizarre) when you see a six pound pickled curry herring soaring gently through the air across the room and out into the corridor...

I had the same reaction as you, and I'm American. I mean it's nice and all, but huh?

[moonmonkey]

Wow, he called the Times too to let them know he was calling the Father, he really cares!

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

Wow, he called the Times too to let them know he was calling the Father, he really cares!

The New York Times reported that Jobs and the victim's father, Errol Rose, spoke for a few minutes earlier this week after Jobs' assistant called the paper asking for Rose's telephone number.

RTFA

[funkboy]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

I had the same reaction as you, and I'm American. I mean it's nice and all, but huh?

Thirded.

[nredman]

way to go steve! no wonder we love the guy

[olePigeon]

I wonder if Bill Gates called that guy that was killed over his XBox.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

RTFA

It ammounts to exactly the same thing.