Steve Jobs Hated Android So Much He Vowed to Destroy It

[dgstorm]

Regardless of how influential or inspirational a person can be, sometimes it's easy to forget that a person is "only human" too. This article is not meant to speak ill of the dead, nor encourage it in the forums, but it is interesting information into the inner feelings of one of the most prolific technological innovators in the world.

According to a new biography on Steve Jobs from Walter Isaacson, apparently, Steve Jobs really hated Android. And, from Mr. Jobs' own words, it wasn't the kind of hate in which you feel a bit uncomfortable and want to leave the room. No, it was the kind if visceral loathing that makes a person seek out a weapon. Here's the quote straight from Steve Jobs' mouth,

“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.”

In fact, the biography also highlights a meeting between Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt, then CEO of Google. In the meeting, Mr. Schmidt was trying to hash out a deal to settle the Apple lawsuits, and this was Mr. Jobs' response,

"I don't want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want."

These strong reactions from Steve Jobs shouldn't really come as a surprise, as over the years he had become known for his emotional passion in his business dealings, especially when it came to Apple. And really, although it's easy to see this from multiple angles and perhaps chastise an uncompromising attitude, it's also admirable to see someone with this much passion in life. That is a rare thing indeed, especially in the business world.

Knowing this about him somehow reminds us that it's just as important not to put someone too high up on a pedestal as it is not to demonize them. After all, we are all only human.

Source: DroidMatters

 

[MyJewishSoul]

I had a feeling that Mr. Jobs may have disliked Android, but wow.

 

[AndroidIsTheTruth]

I can't help but find this funny.

RIP

#teamdroid
#iCS

 

[WVUTampaAlum]

Lol. He was delusional his entire life. Before it was ms now android and yet apple follows the same software/hardware path. Did apple invent anything? Surely not the gui, OS, smartphone, tablet or mouse.

Sent from my MID7016 using Android Tablet Forum

 

[robop]

People should watch "Pirates of silicon valley" and remember what kind of man Jobs was and how he became what he was, steel from others and avoid shareing anything with any one way!!!

 

[OffWorld]

Here's what I don't get. According to what I've read Android development started in 2003 and the company was officially acquired by Google in 2005. Apple's iOS wasn't available until 2007 (though we have no idea how long it was actually in R&D). Seems like Jobs was putting the cart before the horse on his accusations of theft.

Also, never mind that touch-screen interfaces date back to the mid-1960's and IBM launched the first cell phone with a LCD touch-screen interface in 1993 called "Simon." Apple is just more brilliant at design and marketing than most companies. At best everything them make is a "re-imagining" of someone else's idea. Apple even begrudgingly acknowledged the iPod was invented (not just an idea, he actually built one) in 1979 by a guy named Kane Kramer in the UK - but Apple wouldn't give him anything for it because they conveniently waited for his patent to expire and then a couple years later launched the iPod.

Which is why I admire Apple for their design and marketing sense, but not for their inventiveness nor business practices.

 

[jonbon]

looking at the history of ibm, apple, microsoft and others there many ghosts in the closet But without these individuals and there piratical characters we would not be where we are now, we owe them all a debt of gratitude. I really believe in a strong future forn android but if the android industry and community do not learn one lesson (particularly from apple) we will go the way of so many 'great ideas' - we need Platform Stability and a set of standards (connectors ,etc) on which the secondary support market of periferals , cases, etc can be built. Joe public will Not wade thru thousands of forum entries just to go shopping for an app or type in lines of code to set a register. Maybe we need someone like Mark Shuttleworth and Ubuntu to provide us with an android 'product' that truely is standard. Hell just look how difficult it is for us to actually identify our tablets (redlight, bluelight, blackjack rom version....) before we even think of altering them . Remember the chinese just sell boxs , the west just sells air time and contracts but who will hold it together and give us the 'product' a product that can be sold as easily and purchased as comfortably as ,say an ipod? Personally I have never liked the monopolistic , vertical markets of apple,hp,blackberry etc but we will be failing ourselves and our system of choice by ignoring the lessons those companies have provided. So RIP steve jobs thanks for showing us the road but we will take it from .

 

[jonbon]

....... here .

 

[Spacemaker]

People say and do things. Jobs was no different. He was great man but had flaws. Overall his contributions greatly outweigh his transgressions.

 

[weezyrider]

I think Apple ripped off the concept from Palm. I had a Sony UX-50. It had wifi and a decent browser, plenty of apps. Then Palm put out the Treo phone which had the same capabilities. In the heyday of PDAs, Apple's Newton flopped.

 

[dkpickard]

This is who and what he was. Those on the inside knew this. Fan boys making him seem like the Second Coming now that he is dead didn't have to put up with him in real life.

Sent from my Xoom using Android Tablet Forum

 

[redcloud]

Steve Jobs was a great man, and moved the computer and electronics industry in a great direction. But he was also a Control Freak who hated any kind of competition. Unfortunately competition brings new ideas and helps to greatly improve the technology. Without competitors, we would be stuck paying extremely high prices for our tablets and smartphones. By the way, didn't he steal the GUI from Xerox!!!???? In any case, RIP Steve Jobs, and may the competition and innovation continue.

 

[pcflip]

I like how he says he wants him to stop stealing his or rather Apples ideas... this is coming from a band whos entire company is based on stealing other peoples hardware and software lol...

 

[Nichy]

all i can say is wow im shocked.

 

[redcloud]

The band of theives, Jobs robbed the GUI from Xerox. Then Gates robbed it from apple, hence we have windows. Just a bunch of crooks stealing from each other, and crying all the way to the bank. I think at this point Jobs had become dellusional, thinking that all technology revolved around him. Steve Jobs was a bit full of himself, kinda like Jim Jones was in a sense. He had Billions of dollars and was still behaving like a spoiled child. Guess there is a very fine line between genius and insanity.