From Mark Gurman and Daryna Krasnolutska's "Ukraine Urges Apple to Halt Russian Product Sales, App Store" posted late Friday by Bloomberg:
Mykhailo Fedorov, who serves as Ukraine’s vice prime minister and oversees digital operations, urged Apple Inc. to halt product sales in Russia and shut down its App Store in the country.
The government official made the request in a letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook that he posted on Twitter. Fedorov also said Apple should support the U.S. sanctions placed on Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I appeal to you and I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe, and, finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression -- to stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to App Store,” Fedorov said in the letter...
In his letter, Fedorov argues that cutting off access to Apple products could motivate young people in Russia to oppose military aggression.
My take: I missed Tim Cook tweet two days ago expressing his "deep... concern"...
I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine. We’re doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm’s way and joining all those calling for peace.
is deafening. Even Beethoven managed to compose masterpieces after losing his hearing. What happened to TC? He’s seemingly lost his geopolitical-locator-sensor as well as his hearing.
Off to the Apple Store to get yet another product failed under warrant replaced thanks to documented shoddy components used.
Disgruntled and increasingly annoyed with Apple Corporate which is turning into a top heavy leaning Tower of Pisa.
But I suspect Apple is on the edge of the ‘electronics’ sanctions from the administration, and there’s nothing to prevent the administration from broadening their tech restrictions.
That’s the sum total of support for your contention that Tim Cook has “…seemingly lost his geopolitical-locator-sensor as well as his hearing”? Stop doing business with Russians?
We get that you are not happy with Apple’s declining quality control (which, taking into account the sheer volume of high quality products Apple now makes seems pretty fraught). We get that you don’t like the price you pay (a big chunk of which is out of Apple’s control). But to become so unhinged that you attack our leaders from deep in the peanut gallery, with facile “solutions” that completely ignore the huge role that Apple already plays in democratizing folks all over the world, is far more tone deaf than your own glib reference to Beethoven’s later years.
If we need one thing right now, it’s unity if purpose, not more devisiveness.
Sorry for the tone, but enough is enough.
Equally, France and Germany and Russia have all tried to conquer and keep Europ, and failed (although the USSR managed to cling on for a few decades).
Putin will fail here and lose support at home. Once he’s revealed to be a failure he will be disgraced and retire to his billionaire’s villa, where someone will hopefully slip polonium into his tea.
There may be another revolution in Russia. His officials are not supportive of this but had to be frogmarched into showing their allegiance. Putin is on his last shout in my opinion. Ukraine defeating him, by simply failing to be conquered, will end up destroying his credibility at home. Even the Chinese get it and are keeping their distance from him.
Interesting times. I give him 2-3 years max. Time to go shopping for Russian assets on fire sale.
“Putin just made one of the biggest strategic errors in European history. “
Sadly, Putin is laughing all the way to the bank, as he burns the Russian and Ukranian people’s fortunes and lives to fund a crass adventure to gain more territory and wealth, at the same time he moves the world ever more towards an irreversible climate change that will free up huge swaths of literally frozen Russian assets.
This is a ruthless and intelligent adversary, and it’s time we stopped underestimating him.
To the degree that we truly understand and correctly react to his end game, then yes, he msy have made a strategic error in his greed and arrogance. But that’s unknown.
I know why Apple was called out by Zelensky. Apple is the biggest company in the world and it will bring more pressure on Russia. But it is really just symbolic and I would think that there are other companies that do business in Russia that are more vital to Russia’s overall economy and how they interact with the world that would have a more significant effect on Russia’s war effort.
Just thinking off the top of my head, maybe calling for all phone manufacturers/tech companies to refuse to sell product in Russia would be a better strategy. If just Apple refuses to sell stuff, I am sure Samsung would be very happy to pick up the slack, even though South Korea could be in a similar position to the Ukraine if China decides on a similar strategy to Russia.
When will it be that we rid the world of the narcissistic alpha-male power mindset? Ever?
The amazing clear thing about this is how — by head count — the people that are in control to throw their weight around and create the combative dangers in this world are collectively tiny compared to the remaining population of this world who want to simply work, create, have family and enjoy their bounty.
Pretty frickin’ simple.
…and to those who declare it’s not as simple as that…YES, it IS as simple as that. Sad that the powerful few can’t realize the most simple of perpetual truths.
the people that are in control…are collectively tiny…”
Just read an article that the Russian uber-rich, including Putin, are able to avoid sanctions. And the EU is mincing about because of being so dependent on Russia for income.
On the other hand, the free world sycophants to Putin have been caught with their pants down (now there’s an image!)….
The West may approve more Iranian energy exports to counter Russia. It’s a mad, mad world.
That reminds me:
The US Senate needs to get off the dime and stop dithering over backing major efforts to impact global warming. To the degree that global warming moves the globe towards irreversible climate change, it is benefitting Putin’s antics, who is smacking his lips at the possibility of unfreezing all those northern assets….
And to lose sight of that basic calculus, whether through willful or actual ignorance, is no longer acceptable, especially coming from one of the two major political forces in the US.
We need to put the “us” back in the US, and unite both parties behind both cutting our dependence on hydrocarbons, and helping the rest of the world to do so as well. That’s the trough that’s feeding Putin and his fellow oligarchs. Cut that off, and their days are numbered.
And I’m half- amused watching the remnants of the GOP twist and turn while being asked to comment on TFG’s praise of Putin, who has always been a thug and killer. The GOP I grew up with is no more.
“The GOP I grew up with is no more.“
They were called “the loyal opposition” back then. From share dot america dot gov:
“The idea of a “loyal opposition” began in 18th-century England to let the out-of-power party express its views without fear of being charged with treason. The “loyal” part means that a party in opposition is loyal to the same fundamental interests and principles as the party in power. A loyal opposition is legitimate, constructive and responsible.“
These days, it appears nothing matters but “winning”.
What’s happening in the Ukraine shows you where that gets the world….