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What Steve Jobs’ Giant Spaceship Reveals About Apple

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spaceshipapple

We Apple watchers are forever reading whatever tea leaves are available to divine Apple’s intentions, vision and plans for the future. This is increasingly important because Apple’s products are not only growing across the board in market share, but those products are arguably the most influential in shaping the direction of the entire industry.

Steve Jobs’ presentation to the Cupertino City Council this week looked like a company CEO requesting approval for a construction project. But for Apple watchers, it was Christmas.

In Apple’s breathtaking plans for a spectacular new campus was revealed everything you really need to know about Apple – and the Apple-dominated future of consumer technology.

Here’s what Apple’s plans to build a giant spaceship campus tell us.

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59 responses to “What Steve Jobs’ Giant Spaceship Reveals About Apple”

  1. DanyO says:

    Looks like you’ve been baited. The link you are linking to in this article takes me to what looks like a link farm page…

  2. mr_etweet says:

    Now we know what all those curved glass machines are for.

  3. forsterite says:

    Cathedral synchrotron.

  4. qoqo says:

    Ditto.  cultofmac pwned.

  5. davidvkimball says:

    “The project is huge, visionary, impractical, expensive and beautiful. In other words, it’s an Apple product.”

    Very, very true. Somehow, however, Apple still manages to sell them to millions of Apple devotees….

  6. BeachWar says:

    What an annoying article. Every sentence states “AT GREAT COST” or “EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE”.

  7. Hampus says:

    Looks like a proper site to me…

  8. Mike says:

    I’m the author of the article linked, and also a Cult of Mac contributor.

    Datamation is one of the original computer magazines, and has been published since 1957: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D

    It’s been an online-only publication since 1955 and an online-only magazine since 1998. 

    It’s not a “farm page.” It’s the original computer magazine, the first-ever all online computer magazine.

  9. Mike says:

    Sorry, online-only publication since 1995.

  10. Leibster says:

    First, Cult of Mac’s “exclusive” pre-WWDC report that iCloud was going to run off of our own Time Capsules instead of Apple’s new data center. Now this absurd article that basically just blasts Apple for not acting like most companies. Methinks you guys are seriously slipping in the quality control department.

  11. ejg2 says:

    Talk about 1 Infinite Loop. I want to live in there. I wonder if there will be people movers inside? Prototypes for the 2020 iCar perhaps?

  12. Aarchit says:

    Let me get this right, the only reason that Apple is putting their garages underground is for vanity? because it is more sustainable? Clearly you haven’t seen well designed parking garages that look “prettier” than houses. If Apple wanted pretty and in fact hired the best architect, they would have no problem dressing up a simple garage.  You also forget to mention they are still going to have some above ground parking. So it is OK to live in another companies shadow ( HP ) and try and define your identity each day? Your article basically takes all decisions made and found a negative. Would be nice if there were facts to keeping the current HP buildings as  being sustainable. Some of your examples were a bit far reaching. The other thing you fail to mention is that any Successful tech company with that kind of opportunity would be doing the same. Unless you have proof otherwise? Curious what is the size of googleplex? I think you are reading too much into this, good conspiracy article though

  13. Aarchit says:

    hmm those same words, minus “Its an apple product.” can be applied to Any tech company HQ. Do you really need segways and a game room at your office…Google. with a first class chef serving lunch, again… Google. hmm.
    So buying an Iphone, is impractical? I fail to see how impractical all apple products are. Windows makes the premier word editing software, yet cant provide simple cut and paste to their “smart phone” hmm how impractical is that!

  14. DanyO says:

    Alright, sorry, I’m not accusing you of anything, but the link does redirect to a linkfarm for at least some users…

    When I click the link in the article, I get redirected to http://redir.internet.com/mobi… 

    And that page is just a very long list of links to other shady domain names, like 11-hotspots.com or 1imageatatime.com  

    I’m sure it’s not my computer or ISP, so you might want to look into it. Maybe you were hacked without knowing?

  15. davidvkimball says:

    Sure, my point wasn’t really about the HQ…they can do whatever they want…but think about the iPad. Didn’t have any USB ports, camera, etc, and they could get away will selling that and then just releasing the iPad 2 later…they released the new Nano, which is a touch screen (pretty pointless on something that small) and has no video support. What? Honestly, Apple is SO successful, its followers are SO devoted, that they’d basically buy anything made by Apple, even if it was a pretty subpar device. 

    I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s actually very impressive. And the Windows Phone is just fine. They’re implementing over 500 new features in their new Mango update, and Apple even borrowed several of the features on Windows Phone and implemented them in their new iOS 5. 

  16. EmloFUD says:

    What’s not to like about this? A company wants to stay put, asks for nothing special, offers what will likely be an architectural landmark, turns a dreary patch of ticky tacky into a lovely campus… How many companies have we seen use a deal like this to attract ridiculous bids, tax and development concessions, and political groveling from dozens of communities before settling on the lowest groveler?

  17. Jeff.L says:

    I would love to hear the inside story on how and why the owners of the rental apartment complex called “The Hamptons” would not sell to Apple, which is the reason for the big notch in the property.

  18. rafyta says:

    i made a negative but respectful comment on your article, do you ban people disagreeing with you from commenting?

  19. Mike says:

    I wonder if the price of those apartments will triple. Every Apple employee will want one, and even some extreme fanboys.

  20. Mike says:

    Hmmm. No idea. That’s weird. Thank you for the clarification.

  21. chromey says:

    I am also being redirected to the link farm as well. Wasn’t earlier.

  22. John Marshall says:

    I thought that too. Who speculated that the next iphone would be curved? Like a banana?

  23. Wayne_Luke says:

    It should have been a large open apple with a park in the middle. Sheesh.

  24. Wayne_Luke says:

    Internet.com‘s network is a link farm?

  25. Aarchit says:

    so in your reckoning it is ok for Microsoft to Leave things that are inherent to a smart phone out of their released product, but not Ok for Apple to do the same. 
    You fail to mention that People use the ipad and nano in a way that works for them, that is why it is selling. The only reason i ever use usb is to sync my phone and ipad to my computer and that is soon to disappear, so why should i want it if i don’t need one. It may seem pointless to you, but you cannot state it as a fact to the masses and me that find it useful. I am an architect and i like the fact i can carry my files with me, and be able to sketch on the spot and take site notes. After a year i have NOT at one time wished i had a usb port or camera ( which i find a silly add on and actually wished Apple had kept it off the ipad2) when i have a good camera on my phone. People cry features, but you forget not everyone “needs” what you consider must have’s. My boss bought an ipad for the office for the convenience it offered after using mine. It is not meant to be a compute, but a supplement. I know some that use it just for articles and presentations, it just works and the masses are happy with that.

  26. Aarchit says:

    I did too and for some reason my comments were not posted. Interesting……

  27. Aarchit says:

    Mike, for some reason comments are not showing  on the linked article

  28. Aarchit says:

    Mike, for some reason comments are not showing  on the linked article

  29. DLC says:

    When you used the word “crammed”, it immediately told me all I needed to know about your credibility, and that’s when I quit reading your link bait.

  30. Charel says:

    The article mentions the “great cost and extremely expensive” proposed campus. Did the writer forget about the billions of cash on Apple’s balance sheet? Apple can afford to splash on their new building so they do.

    Without knowing the internal layout and the probable new ways of communicating how can you criticise  the design?

    Rest assured, it will turn out to be a magnificent landmark worthy of the most profitable supplier of consumer products.

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