One bad apple...tragic!
920781
This story is tragic as well as descriptive of the terrible pressures war places on young men & women.  The fear & irrationality of war kills people & those that survive, it kills their souls. Movies like this depict the military as evil.  I hate that this happened!  When instances like this occur, it reminds us why the US is despised. Not ALL military are like this & not ALL Americans are either!  Those men are despicable!
3246748
Great movie!
Unfortunately, as always, a few top rotten apples is all it takes to contaminate the whole basket. And the solution is simple: all the bottom ones must be discarded...first.
School book formula is a true bible to modern businesses,
CTB = DWIT*(U + C))/Z,
Whereas,
DoWhatEverItTakes denotes DWIT.
Unethical is U.
Cheating is C.
Lastly Zero is, of course, Z.
And all lead to Cook The Book.
It is frightening to see how far one would go to such a great length to apply the C and U in their business models!
But it happens over and over again when those with over 20 years died off, and/or fade out of existence.
My generation was 2001, witnessed and experienced first hand fresh out of college--followed by a painful 2006.
When will that next generation come.
So who can say money is just a piece of paper.
Certainly not to those guys with $150k convertible, a fancy home and irresistible paychecks.
Surprising to see those two brilliant engineers would forsaken their Code of Ethics Oath, and succumbed to the final conniving scheme.
Highly recommended!!!
4747860
This is the story of the founder of Apple computers written by Walter Isaacson. This review is of the book - and NOT ruminations of Jobs, devices or pomes. I am unfamiliar with Walter Isaacson's other works but given his prose and the web he weaves I plan on reading his other biographies (think Tracy Kidder).
I am disappointed that Amazon couldn't ship the books (hard copies) to be delivered today. Downloaded it onto the kindle for the same price as the hardcopy - quite a premium but still worth it! I might even keep the preordered hard copy when it gets here.
Isaacson's work is a window into the life (and mind) of an intensely private man and despite his bouts of callousness - a sensitive man. The description of Silicon valley by Jobs, harks back to an era before outsourcing - a time of true American exceptionalism. In many ways looking back, Jobs and Isaacson do a masterful job of connecting the dots. The brief musings about iTVs and textbooks may form the bedrock for Apples future market cap and Jony Ives' genius. This is a book about more than Steve though - it reflects a time in America when we actually made things - great things were happening and there was an innocence about how even the very wealthy operated. Imagine being able to cold call the CEO of HP (get his home # from the phonebook) and have him actually talk to you for 20 minutes.

Let's begin with the cover - Steve Jobs saw the cover art proposed by Simon & Schuster and disliked it so much and asked the author to be allowed input in the design. The end result - a cover, testament to his impeccable sense of design - sans serif Helvetica. The cover picture is the one used by apple announcing his death taken by Albert Watson. The back has him cradling the Mac in a lotus position.
The story starts at the very beginning, as a very personal narrative - told by Steve and his childhood friends, through Isaacson's remarkable narrative - the schooling, upbringing - who his parents were - the sperm donors and the real ones are ok but the fascinating stuff - are the relationships that were so formative for Steve and all of computing really! Atari's CEO and his tutelage "Pretend to be completely in control and people will assume that you are." The honesty of Woz and how all those years ago he felt Steve had been less than honest with him. Ever wonder how the cover of Popular Mechanics 1975 could possibly be part of this story?
826379
(Warning: Rant, but apple Co. sucks.)

I HATE YOU APPLE.  YOU ARE AS CROOKED AS A POLITICIAN.  I REGRET EVER PURCHASING THIS, AND BELIEVING YOUR DESIGNS AND THE QUALITY OF YOUR PRODUCTS WERE BETTER THAN THE "OTHERS."  The devices are, but the company isn't.  After recent updates and experiencing the world you've created, I'm taking the next bullet train back to "others."  At least they don't change their spots into strips.

Battery life is excellent if you only use it as a MP3 player.  All other uses with drain the battery very quickly.  They say 7 hours of video, but they forgot to mention that to actually achieve that you must lower and turn off everything else.  No WiFi, dim the light and no sound unless its coming from the ear buds.

This device was a very great purchase.  It had a lot of wonderful things it can do.  The OS used to be quick and effortless.  The only problem was iTunes, but it was manageable.  NOW, its luster is quickly gone.  The new 4.0.2 firmware has slowed its reaction time significantly.  Just going on the settings takes about 7 seconds.  Most apps are useless now due to the update.

You used to be able to downgrade to a previous firmware, but Apple won't allow that anymore.  Call them up and they will tell you that its better this way, and that the customer doesn't need to.

1984, remember the ad.  I guess apple was actually "Big Brother."

It's pretty much like a cult locking a fleeing new member and forcing them to comply to their system.
I never came across a company that wanted to control the way their products were being used so much until I bought an iPod Touch.  I don't see Heinz telling us how to use their ketchup.  I don't see Chevy, Ford, Toyota and other car companies telling their consumers where to drive and when.  But apple(intentionally) does.

Again, great durable product.  On its own, it will be one of the best products in the world today.

but the company... let's just say the device and itunes quickly became instruments you'd find in Room 101.

(Don't bother fanboys, you're not worth it.)
2301998
My daughter's MacBook Air battery bulged deforming the keyboard couple days ago. It took 3 days to make an appointment at the local Apple store. I'm not sure what happened next but she came back home crying with a piece of paper in her hand that showed $129 for new battery, $39 to replace it and $139 for a new keyboard. I could not believe they did not consider the battery as defective so I went to the Apple store myself and asked for a manager.  He explained to me the battery expansion is "normal".  Apple doesn't cover battery expansion under any circumstances not even under the Apple Care.  The battery is simply considered "consumable" and NOT covered.

I asked the manager if he feels comfortable with me posting the picture of the MacBook Air on the internet with the description that Apple doesn't consider the product defective.  His reply astonished me, looking down at me from behind his thick glasses he said: "Make sure you have your facts straight before you smear! They will contact you."  He didn't specify who are "they" but from the tone of his voice and his 6'5" posture it indicated something between the SWAT team and a bunch of LAWYERS.

Here is my take on all of this, the business model Apple pushes right now is to get some cheap junk from China, hire a bunch of cheerleaders straight out of high school, call them geniuses, and bully everybody who complains about their product.  Steve Jobs is dead, so is Apple.
No more Apple devices in my household.  Please Google "MacBook battery bulging exploding" before you buy your next Apple toy.
1342416
For those of you who aren't already aware, the battery life of the IPod is its most serious drawback.  Were it not for this failing, I would be generally happy.  However, as it stands, my IPod just died.  It lasted 18 months (of light to moderate usage).  It can't hold a charge any longer, even if it isn't in use.  What's more, it never lasted more than 5-6 hours on one charge, no matter what energy settings were used.  Moreover, I mailed it back to Apple three times for replacement - three times! - and it *never* improved; all three had the *same* problem.

Granted, the IPod is asthetically pleasing and its user interface is nice - they have great marketing; were it not for their marketing, the IPod would probably be viewed as a 2nd-rate device in the market.

For my part, I will never buy another Apple device like this one.  In addition, I will always be dubious of any device that doesn't allow you to remove the battery, like the IPod (You cannot just replace the battery).
2814151
I've been a mac user for two years now and couldn't be happier with my macbook pro, mac mini, ipod touch, and shuffle.

iLife was a huge letdown. I'm sooooooooooo ticked off.

First the good:
Since I didn't try Garage Band, I haven't found anything good about this product.

Now the bad:
iPhoto face recognition does not work. Period. I had to go through ALL of my photos to correct or add names to every single face. Zero recognition.

iMovie was a disaster. Completely corrupted my current video of my wife's baby shower. It caused the video to play in gray scale and static. Not sure what that's about. I will have to start all over with the video capture to see if it fixes it.

But the worst, by far, is iWeb.
FTP to my provider worked twice. That's it. No more. Nada, zip, zilch!
After that, it wouldn't connect anymore.  It's a know problem, but I've yet to see any info on whether Apple is actually working on this or not.
Now the Show-Stopper,
Internet Explorer won't view iWeb created sites.
Wow.
80% of the people (including my family, friends, and co-workers) can't see my new web site.

All in all, a complete waste of money and a horrible disappointment.

Updates had better be on the way because this is completely unacceptable!

All I'm getting are suggestions like:
Move to a new provider.
You should be using Safari.
How dare you insult Apple, you Mac hater!
And so on...

This has got to be the biggest waste of $80 I've ever experienced.
Wish I could change my rating to one star.
4126829
I can't call this music but I guess it is.

F. Apple shows ANYBODY with a computer these days can pump out some basic songs, getting them out there is the hard part. F. Apple's fame is the mystery.

There are no songs on this album. Just noodlings. Not even clever or original noodlings. This album was released in the 21st century but sounds like half the bad pop you can find in any used CD bin at the local record store. The nineties never died, it appears.

An embarrassing reminder of how low music has fallen over the years...
3716119
Horribly disappointing version of Jobs' story, since it focuses only on his flaws and not on his brilliance or what Apple actually achieved. If you don't already know details of his family life, you can't follow it as presented. There is almost nothing included after his return to Apple. I thought we were getting the Aaron Sorkin movie, but this was not it.
1125648
The loss of Christina Grimmie to a deranged assassin is a tragedy for everyone who loves music. The former The Voice contestant had an amazlng voice. I am so saddened that this future light was prematurely snuffed out.
2832254
Ever since Apple pioneered the personal computer, first with the Apple I in 1979 and then with the Macintosh in 1984, Steve Jobs has been the computer guy for everyone. With his hip understanding of what computers mean to the people who use them, Jobs has always been the anti-nerd (unlike Bill Gates, who is the Nerd King.) Then in 1985 Jobs was fired from the company he created, and for the next ten years little was heard about Jobs and his vision.
The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutachman is a sequel of sorts not to a book Deutachman had written but to Jobs himself. Deutachman's book starts where Jobs' life seemed to be ending when he was fired from Apple. What now? Jobs was determined that if he could do it once with Apple, he could do it again. Next Computing, his answer to Apple, seemed to be a perfect dream. No one else was in control except Jobs himself. He could design anything he wanted and no one would tell him what to do again.
At the same time, Jobs acquired a 3-D animation studio from movie pioneer George Lucas. Renaming it Pixar, Jobs thought of it as nothing more than a hobby to mess around with while he was trying to get Next off the ground. After several years where he didn't even have a computer yet built, in 1988 he finally had one to sell for a measly $6,500 (over $10,000 with a laser printer.) The problem was he expected college students to buy them, and obviously it didn't happen. The machine itself was beautiful (and a precursor to Apple's own Cube by over ten years), but beauty wasn't enough. It didn't sell, and things got worse from there. The only saving grace was in Pixar and in a little animated film called Toy Story...
Deutachman's book is a fascinating read and it gives the reader a honest view of the "two Steves": the Good Steve who wanted everything with his products to be perfect, and the Bad Steve who treated people like dirt. Throughout the entire book , the Good Steve was so convincing that almost everybody bought into whatever scheme Jobs was selling. The Bad Steve was so bad that even his charm to reporters (which was legendary) almost didn't save him when Next was failing.
Deutachman, an editor for Vanity Fair's technology section for twelve years, really did his homework, and his book backs up other things written about Jobs over the years and in the TNT movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. There are two things he left out, though. One is any highlight of Jobs' life before he got fired from Apple. This didn't have to be much, but to people who didn't know about Apple and Jobs a little history would help. Instead, Deutachman's Preface repeated things that appeared later on in the book.
The other very obvious thing missing is almost any mention of Steve Wozniak, the other partner and parent of Apple computers. While Jobs may have had the vision and the business sense (and the guts) to make Apple fly, it was Wozniak who really knew how computers work from the inside out. Wozniak is only mentioned in passing on two pages, and there is no mention about his previous partnership with Jobs at all. This is especially weird because at one time Wozniak and Jobs were inseparable, and it was Wozniak's leaving Apple that really signaled the end was near for Jobs.
Overall, though, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs is a must-read for any computer, business, or biography fans. If you know about Jobs life before leaving Apple, then this book gives a great history of what happened next.
2574557
Apple needs to understand that their iPods' designs are flawed.  If you want to spend this much money, get a different brand altogether. **BUGS** The Windows version of MusicMatch Jukebox that comes with the iPod is loaded with bugs.  In fact, one in particular is really irritating-- the program will actually "chop off" a character from the tag of the mp3 name.  In short, your song by "Madonna" will become "Madonn" on the iPod.  It will cut off additional characters after you synchronize again, so then it may become "Madon" then "Mado", etc.  MANY PEOPLE have this problem-- read the postings on various online sites if you don't believe me.  PLUS, it doesn't just send the new songs to the iPod when it synchronizes, but it selectively deletes songs from the iPod and RECOPIES them.  What good is having an ultra-fast FireWire connection when it wants to copy 7 or 8 gigabytes to your iPod when all you have is one more song that you want to add to it?  The bugs in MusicMatch are intolerable, but MusicMatch has fixed them and posted a free upgrade to their website.  BUT, Apple uses some kind of proprietary version of MusicMatch, so if you use the update to fix the bug then it WILL NOT WORK WITH YOUR iPOD, and you have to reinstall all the software that came with the iPod again!  **POOR DISPLAY**  The iPod's illuminated display makes the text almost impossible to see if it comes on during the day.  To turn the light off, you have to go through a bunch of options on the iPod to turn it off and on each time.  Plus, if it's cold outside and you use this in your car, then the display is especially difficult to see when the light is on even at night.  **BATTERY LIFE**  Apple claims 10 hours.  If you're lucky, you'll get 5 or 6.  And, if you don't use the unit overnight (i.e. leave it in your car), then it loses a lot of charge.  I would typically get only 2 hours of use out of it, only because I wasn't using it for 12 hours.  I've read postings that it is because of Apple's new firmware upgrade that forces the battery to constantly drain, even when not in use.  OH, and by the way, you cannot change the battery, so if the battery goes dead, you'll have to pay Apple a bunch of money to replace it.  To sum it all up, the Apple iPod has many design flaws, simple as that.  design flaws in their previous versions in an attempt to get people to waste their money on more of their products and hope that they don't wise up and take them back to the store.  Admittedly, it would be a great device if the battery life was better, and if Apple actually bothered to test the software before selling it to the unsuspecting consumer.
632424
I purchased an Apple Watch in December from an online reseller. The watch was great unless I recently broke the glass by bumping it into something...nothing really that dramatic but disappointingly enough to break the glass. Oh well, I thought, I'll just replace the glass at the local Apple Store or iFix place where replacing my iphone glass was as low as $70.  How much could it be...it's only a small piece of glass, definitely not as much as an iphone glass.  $260!!!!!!!!  More than the $219 it would take me to replace the whole watch!!!  Is this the ultimate design flaw or what? Who in Apple's R&D thought,"Hey let's put an expensive device on someone's wrist that gets slung around a lot, put a cheap piece of glass on it, and make it completely impractical to replace the glass. Never again. This is a blatant example of Apple's growing disregard of the consumers' perspective and needs. They should only sell these watches requiring AppleCare+. Maybe then Apple will pay attention.
4094003
Just finished reading Cupcake Brown's memoir, "A Piece of Cake."  Dizzy mom named her after a favorite crave.  After that, it was all downhill.....

 Don't get me wrong, it was a scary, funny, mostly tragic story of gangsta hood queen making it into the world.  Cupcake's childhood trauma would've rendered the mostly saintly of humans into a train wreck.  No child should have EVER went through what she suffered.  But first, our protagonist must overcome, drugs, alcohol and her big mouth to get over the hump.  Some of it seems like hyperbolic oatmeal with a smidgen of bull, but this lady has lead a pretty hard life.  A book like this deserves to be a rather cautionary tale of "Just Say No" and for kids not to get hooked on cough syrup!

Which brings us to the website, which is based upon the aforementioned memoir.  But it ends there, there's just a few pictures (the nicer ones) and a few bon mots with an addendum, "I'll give your organization a pep talk for $5,000!"  Excuse me for being a bit of a cynic, but Cupcake only wrote ONE BOOK and she's an expert on life???  Again, she has had a hard life.  But, I've worked with quite a few folks (an elementary school principal, for one), and a few relatives could give Ms. Cupcake a run for her money, in regards to substance abuse.

 What really chapped my britches, was a passage that stated she knows there are schools that are financially challenged.  But these fine institutions and fledgling adults could benefit from her wisdom, just by reading her book.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not playa hatin', but in her book she practically boasts about rippin' folks off and gives detailed accounts of her time as a gang member!  What about the victims???  She was one of the 'finanically challenged', doesn't charity begin at home?
4840519
Dis so horrible! So BAD! umph! Bloody thing sickens me!  I damn near threw up because of this ruddy object.

1) The Bluetooth feature is very appealing, being a homeless man on the road.  Too bad the Bluetooth doesn't work at all, and now my phone won't turn on! Umph! Thanks, Pharos!
2) The touchscreen is a nice feature... too bad it broke my fingers! -- Because it sucked!  Umph! I have relatively pudgy fingers (my fingertips are about 10 inches in diameter) and every time I try to press 'on', I feel a shooting pain in my abdomen.  Think my spleen's busted. Umph! The Pharos Navigation system gave me a spinal cord injury, Thanks, Pharos!
3) The built-in conversation that the Pharos offers is a nice feature.  Unfortunately, it's abysmal! Umph! Number one, it threatens my family daily with words like, "I will eat your family, you dirty disease-ridden cabron!" Secondly, it keeps trying to send me to Mexico.  If I put in 834 Pennsylvania Blvd, it tells me to go to I-95 and head south for the border. Thanks, Pharos!

Because of my experiences with this device, I have comdemned all electronics and am now an Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my family.  Thanks, Pharos!

Overall, it's a good buy.  I may purchase one for my nephew (I really hate him). :)
3958048
Could have been SO MUCH MORE!!!!!!

2 be honest i brought this for the memory space. I have tons of DVDs that i copied onto my iPod so i already at this point exceeded the 80GB threshold. So i decided to sell my 80GB and shell out an extra 100.00 for the 160GB. I brought the black model & was soooo disappointed. The quality has really GONE DONE HILL!! Apple cuts corners in the WORST way. The black looks so CHEAP & POORLY made. The silver looks nice & that's what i should have gone with. I didn't encounter iTunes issues like everyone else did, i had a breeze with mine. But selecting a song can take 2 seconds longer then it normally does. Fast forwarding a movie can take a few seconds longer then it normally does compared with the previous iPod video. Just feels like a step down. The funny thing is this isn't Apple's 1st iPod. When you make a device, you learn its flaws & fix it for the newer model. That isn't the case here. Overall it is a good device but it hasn't EVOLVED. If they had created an iPod Touch with 160GB memory that would have been nice & i wouldn't be as disappointed as i am. That's the evolution i was looking for, but it didn't happen here. So I'm cutting back on memory and moving onto the Zune 80GB with a bigger LCD screen. The iPod screen is getting so OLD & small looking. The sound quality is also a bit on the LOW SIDE. Why have a volume setting feature when it doesn't even work. Apple READ & EVOLVE properly. For now goodbye from me (Former iPod Nation Member)
2376444
I thought at some point I would purchase an apple computer, and stop wasting my money on dell's....thinking of it as an investment. But after my experience with the ipod, i don't think I possibly can ever purchase another apple product.

I've only filled this 60G ipod up to half capacity, and it crashes every single time I use it. It looses all of my music at least once a week, often on roadtrips, crashes 4-5 times while I'm on my morning commute to work. Doesn't sync well even though it's updated, and my itunes are updated. I've had it worked on, had it replaced with a new one. It doesn't matter. This is a piece of junk. It's just infuriating! What a silly thing, to think that I could actually organize all of my music in one place. silly me.

I've read reviews that some of the cheaper devices aren't that great, but if they have the same problems as the ipod, you might as well get the cheaper version.