Apple Honors Mandela on Home Page | Hacker News Reader

Apple Honors Mandela on Home Page

apple.com

43 pointsaashaykumar9229 comments

Reminds me of the "Think different" campaign when they tried to peddle off electronics by coopting public domain images of famous people --- making it look like that they would be consumers of overpriced shiny gadgets.

Ghandi totally would have had an iPad air.

Google: "Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: 1918-2013" on homepage. Reaction: Little fanfare.

Apple: "Nelson Mandela: 1918-2013" on homepage with b/w photo. Reaction: OH MY GOD. APPLE IS NOW HONORING A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS. LET'S ALL ORGANIZE A LYNCH MOB AND CONDEMN THIS INHUMAN BEHAVIOR!!!1

Google has a pretty large news presence, and a history of both remarking on notable anniversaries via doodles, and posting relevant news in small text on its home page. It's much more in line with Google's history.

Apple was honoring people like Mandela since before Google was a company.

Okay I'll bite since I don't know this. Like who?

  In 2001, when George Harrison died
  In 2002, when Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize
  In 2003, when Gregory Hines died
  In 2005, when Rosa Parks died
  In 2007, when Al Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize
  In 2011, when Steve Jobs died

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Different

Google was founded in 1998?

Oops.

  "Think different" was an advertising slogan
  for Apple Inc (formerly Apple Computer Inc)
  in 1997 created by the Los Angeles office
  of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Different

Steve Jobs, of course.

ducks

It's about taste. You're comparing a likely barely noticeable line on Google's homepage to a near shill tactic in your face 'look at us we've got Mandela on our homepage'.

If Coca-cola started putting Mandela on it's cans, would you be as supportive? They are using the death of an incredible figure as a promotional tool.

Well if nothing else, one is a small line of text, the other is a full page photo. You did notice that right?

Why this cynicism? Do you think that Apple is going to sell a single extra iPad because of this?

As far as I know, the only time they've had a person on their homepage was when Jobs passed away. Is it that hard to imagine that it might just be that the company admires Nelson Mandela?

Maybe not directly but it sure does feel like they are 'whoring out' his image in order to build up their brand.

I specifically remember George Harrison and Rosa Parks in addition to Steve Jobs.

Thanks for the correction, I didn't realize that was the case. That being said, I just don't see how this is "whoring out" (as adamnemecek points out), when the simpler explanation is that this is their way of paying an homage to a great man.

See pedalpete's comment below

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6865812

Yes.

If an Apple comment contains the words "overpriced" and "shiny", you can safely ignore it.

More like "Apple markets on website by appealing to public figure".

I don't see how this is relevant? Can we link to the public figure rather than apple? :/

Keep in mind that we saw similar advertising from 1997 - 2002.

It's designed to create controversy, by filling the minds of potential customers with thoughts of becoming something greater than they are, and leaves the question open-ended.

Yet, they never answer the question of how the product or brand will do that.

Hmmmm....

>>More like "Apple markets on website by appealing to public figure".

Apple doesn't need to appeal to any public figures to do their marketing.

Cough, cough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwXdGm89Tk

Corporations are sociopathic entities; it's a given that everything they do serves their self-interest in some way or another. Knowing this, all that's worth remarking on is what they do (and whether that action is, in all consequence, a good thing for the world), not the motivations behind it.

I think splashing Mandella's face on one more screen is probably (some puny amount of) net positive, if it by chance gets a few more people to read up on what he was about. Of course there's something in it for Apple; otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. Otherwise no corporation would do it. The point is what's in it for everyone else.

Sometimes you just have to take things at face value. Maybe, just maybe Apple and Google are trying to honor a great man.

They're not "honoring" him, and they're not trying either.

Mandela stood against inequality and injustice, which these corporate giants are massive facilitators of. Apple in particular exploit the very people who produce their products in China, while sitting on vast wealth. As global inequality is on the rise, record profits are announced, and despite their position to make a real positive effect on humanity, increasing shareholders profits comes first.

While they stick up a nice picture or some text of a great man on their webpages, they stand for completely the opposite. They've completely failed to honor anything about the man, or his ideals.

If they wanted to honor him, they could for example, boycott Israel, or doing at least make an effort to actually put an end apartheid.

While Apple is a great company and I do appreciate their taste and positive influence on quality of everyday gadgets.

A multinational corporation who has a very dark history of underpaid and to a point almost slave workers, abuse of patent and legal system, participation with illegal government projects at the cost of their customers privacy and freedom around the world stands in direct contrast to what Mr. Mandela had dedicated his life for: Equality and Freedom.

I can ignore the fact that Apple like any other for profit corporation will not do jack shit that does not inline with their main interest [profit] directly or indirectly. I would still find this a little disturbing and ironic like seeing Snowden 'Honoured' with a full page image on GCHQ or NSA homepage.

personally, i was quite offended by the campaign for the new d.v.d. coming out for "the fast and furious", which promises to donate "a portion of the proceeds", _if_ you buy it, to the charity founded by paul walker.

that seemed really sleazy to me.

i mean, they could have just went and made a donation, instead of pimping out the just-inflamed memory of fans, and -- considering the money that franchise has made -- it would've been no sweat off their coke-filled noses.

and the fans _still_ would've went out and bought it...

or they could've said "we're gonna lower the price of this d.v.d. by 10 bucks, so you can give 10 dollars to his charity, under your name, so you get the feel-good."

but no, they had to tie their donation to your purchase.

offensive, big-time.

and, compared to _that_ recent example, the act of apple in putting up a simple photograph, in tribute, seems quite innocent, and maybe even downright honest.

-bowerbird

So much cynicism. Oh well, this is Apple news so that's to be expected.

Apple has a history of doing this. You might say (and certainly most here have) that they are attempting to promote the brand through use of Mandela's image but it's an image on their homepage. They didn't advertise the fact with newsletter or social media fanfare.

Maybe some people just really admired Nelson Mandela. Some people that have the power to decide what goes on Apple's homepage.

Apple honoring someone on their home page?

Google should sue them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com