You may not like Apple CEO Steve Jobs for cheerleading for Al Gore, but there's no denying he's a successful businessman.
Time Magazine will announce its 2007 "Person of the Year" in its December 31 issue and Jobs is listed as one of the candidates. According to Time.com, he has several things going for him, but one glaring thing working against him:
"Pro: The iPhone is a triumph while iTunes expanded its reach as the dominant source of online music. Oh, and Apple stock is up a mere 100% in 2007.
Con: Not exactly a figure of global change. He's a businessman, albeit a great one." (emphasis added)
"The criteria for the choice, someone that, quote, ‘for better or for worse, has done the most to influence the events of the year,'" said NBC "Today" co-anchor Meredith Vieira on December 17. "And this year, the field is wide open."
But Jobs' business-savvy influences on the U.S. economy are working against him in this race, it would appear. Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has more than 18,000 employees. He is a self-made billionaire and is the largest shareholder of Disney (NYSE:DIS). In April 2007, Jobs announced 100 million units of Apple's iPod had been sold.
Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time, appeared on "Today" and told viewers what he was looking for in a "Person of the Year."
"I think you heard more about person of the year last year than any time in history but I want to get back to that, kind of, core idea of choosing one individual who makes a difference," Stengel said. "And that is what Time has talked about for years and years, how individuals change history."
Time's handicapping of Jobs for being a businessman in its "Person of the Year" considerations comes as the media have increasingly attacked businessmen, despite the hard work and big risks they have taken to build successful companies that provide jobs, products and services that drive the U.S. economy.
A study by the Business & Media Institute found this attitude toward businesspeople widespread in the media. Businessmen and women were little represented on network news, even in stories about business. When they did appear, it was often in tales of "another corporate crook" or a CEO's "stratospheric sums" of money.
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Last year they threw in the
December 17, 2007 - 18:44 ET by GregELast year they threw in the towel and chose all of us, so no copping out this year.
I'm looking for it to be Al Gore, and of course he's on the list. Nobel Peace Prize (not sure where "peace" is involved, but oh well). Then Person of the Year.....then last-second Presidential candidate.
The big question is, what's more irrelevant? Time's Person of the Year, or Nobel Peace Prize?
Both are irrelevant! Algore
December 18, 2007 - 11:48 ET by Senior ChiefBoth are irrelevant! Algore is a "businessman". How many ghostly carbon footprints he bought and sold and how many companies has his name on their payroll?
I'd be shocked if it wasn't Gore
December 17, 2007 - 18:42 ET by timotheBut Petraeus is the right choice. He's turned Iraq from a dark cloud to a non-story inside 6 months. But there is no chance...not one ounce...that he will be chosen.
Time's "Person of the Year" is a worthless exercise and it has been getting more credence than it deserves for a long time. Maybe Drudge will come out with a competing award. I hope so.
timothe
December 17, 2007 - 18:49 ET by MrShyWow, you're totally right! Patraeus, man, he's been a real hero in 2007, and all he's gotten for it is that vile, disgusting, politically-motivated grandstanding speech from Ms. Scary at the hearing.
Unbelievable.
We bid a fond farewell to Professor Talking Points & Cheetos
Why isn't making Dick Tracey neato watches global
December 17, 2007 - 19:20 ET by Lame CherryWhat kind of "global change" does Time equate with invention changing the globe?
Was Leif Erikson just a sailor in colonizing America.
Was Nobel just a powder maker.
Was Edison just a guy playing with electricity.
Just what "global change" does Time need?
Perhaps Stalin starving to death 40 million Ukrainians is a global change or perhaps........gee wasn't Khomeini their man of the year a few years back changing the world for Islamocommunist terrorist world war.
It is beyond understanding liberals........and that includes Jobs.
For the record Steve Jobs is a business retard. Because of liberalism he stayed in his little hole while that even bigger pirate Bill Gates took over the computer world. If one person in 1984 with 10 million dollars had taken on both these liberal putz they both now would be washing dishes for a living.
Jobs refused Rush Limbaugh's offer to pedal Apple........and yet Rush kept on plugging that kiddie computer as his fave which kept Apple from going bust.
Limbaugh his simple mentioning of blackberry made those sales go through the roof.
It was not until the past year that jobs got an inkling of how to wipe out Windows and is doing it in commercials. Gates is furious as his sales are being cut into and Apple is running his current pirate program Vista better than Gates can run it if you believe the infor.
For the facts:
I wrote a business program, but do not have the intimate programming raw codes know how to build the program to back it up, BUT..........
Mozilla currently has Firefox and Thunderbird which I heartily ask people to try and use. If you shut java script down, the hackers and virus makers do not attack Mozilla as it runs on a different base less likely to get infected.
I have tested Mozilla as an alternative to Internet Explorer and Outlook and they perform better as they are smaller operating programs more user friendly.
In that if I had a million to spare, I would simply hire a group of programmers to create an open source operating system to rival Windows and Apple. ALL FREE for download.
There are Office alternatives already in open source code, so all one would require is an OS.
Hackers would leave it alone if you simple explained the company was giving it away, but in order to maintain site upkeep and literally buy groceries and pay rent ads would load as Excite currently runs ads.
In one year, Windows and Apple would plunge as all people need is a simple OS to function. Other programs as Mozilla has proven will plug in and update with features we all love in spellcheck and auto finish typing.
So if someone with programming know how steals this idea just remember in your millions to share some green, because I have a need for a surf fishing pole, a Winchester 1886 in 45/75 and whatever else adult children think they need.
It is Christmas after all, but it would be so cherry to emulate Rupert Murdoch in what he is doing to the NYT's and do it to Apple and Microsoft. They are ripe for the picking and have no defense to stop the right take over.
Eat that Apple Time.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
I think something else is going on here...
December 17, 2007 - 19:27 ET by sarcasmo(Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of Apple and their products. This is being written on a MacBook Pro, which I love!)
Anyway, while lots of lefties, along with Rush Limbaugh & sarcasmo, love Macs, the lefties don't love Apple's environmental policies. Their subcontractors are said to pollute a lot, as if Apple can control much of that. Also, Apple's marketing wants to make it "an experience," so you'll get lots of nice packaging when you buy one of these. I like it. I guess the greenies hate that, too, but I tend to keep all the packaging for resale-value. I heartily suggest trying them.
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul. (All purpose anti-slander-link, sadly-needed these days...)
Not only is Jobs a
December 17, 2007 - 19:37 ET by Roger the ShrubberNot only is Jobs a businessman, but his cultural heritage is in question, since his mother just might be Jewish. We cannot be having a Joo as Man of the Year, can we, Time?
I don't care what anybody
December 17, 2007 - 21:36 ET by mostlymoderateI don't care what anybody else thinks about Jobs. The man is amazing. Ten years ago, if you mentioned the name Steve Jobs, people thought "loser". The guy made one of the greatest comebacks I have ever seen.
Not quite that easy
December 18, 2007 - 00:12 ET by SeanStThere is already an open source alternative to Windows. It's called Linux, and it does the job nicely. It takes more than something just being free to download to make it take over the market. It takes a very high quality program.
You're wrong to trivialize Gates and Jobs, as they are both outstanding businessmen. Gates has kept Microsoft in front time and time again for over two decades, which is an eternity in computer time. As for Jobs, it was only a few short years ago that Apple computer was about to shut it's doors forever. Apple brought Jobs back and he now has made them one of the most successful tech companies in America.
As a past winner of Time's
December 18, 2007 - 04:27 ET by fitzfongAs a past winner of Time's Person of the Year (Person of the Year 2006), I believe Al Gore's selection would cheapen the award. Painful as it might be I'll have to consider renouncing my victory.
Businessman?
December 18, 2007 - 09:13 ET by fosstenIsn't TIME magazine a business? Or are they an agent for global change? Don't they want people to buy their stupid rag? If so, then they are continually exploiting the GW scam for profit. That is known as fraud. I wouldn't label Steve Jobs as such, so if I were him I wouldn't give a rat's behind about being on its cover.
Forget 911, I dial 10MM.