A key figure in the US civil rights movement died on October 24th…her name was Rosa Parks. I confess to be only vaguely aware of her name in the past, but I knew she was involved in the famous bus segregation incident. Apple showed that they really do ‘think different’ by turning their home page into a memorial. The image is one that they used before in their ‘Think Different’ campaign.
Apple’s Home Page Honors Rosa Parks
This simple tribute had two effects on me: first, it caused me to do a bit of Googling to learn more about her, and second it made me reflect on the very real ways that Apple differs from other large companies. This made me curious if any high profile sites may have similar tributes, so I started jumping to the home pages of all the ‘big’ web sites I could think of. Not too surprisingly, except for the news sites, there was no mention to be found anywhere of Rosa’s passing.
What does this mean? Does it mean anything? Well for me it continues to demonstrate that Apple, more than any other company I know of, has a heart. And more importantly, it lets its heart participate in the operation of the company. Sure, they are a publicly held company and are concerned with all the usual stuff: sales, profit, shareholder value, etc. But that’s not all there is to it. If you get anything out of reading this book, I hope it will be some understanding that Apple is defined by its people and the things they create; not by ROI and EBITDA.
Deja Vu
This is not the first time Apple’s has turned their home page into a tribute. Back on November 2001, something similar happened much ‘closer to home’.
It was early on November 30th, and I was sitting at my desk in 1 Infinite Loop reading the news. I was stunned when I saw a headline saying the George Harrison had died. As with many others of my generation, his music had been an important part of my life for many years. It really hit me hard. I sat there in a dark contemplative mood for quite awhile, feeling quite alone in my grief. But then I realized I wasn’t alone; many of my colleagues at Apple were Harrison fans, and I was sure they’d also feel the need express some of their feelings at this moment. This gave me an idea…one that took considerable courage on my part: I would suggest to Steve that Apple put some sort of tribute on the home page. Up to this point, all my dealings with Steve had been strictly business, and I was afraid he’d think I was some kind of sentimental looney. But my feelings pushed me forward…I sent Steve this note:
Then I waited nervously.
Several hours passed with no response, so I concluded that he wasn’t interested and sort of put it out of my mind. But that wasn’t the end of it. Later that evening, I’m back at my desk and get a call from Tom M (the Final Cut Pro product manager) who tells me he had just come from a meeting with the web group and they were all working overtime tonight because of me. ‘What? What do you mean?’ I asked. Turns out that Steve did not think it was a stupid idea, as I feared, but instead had put the web team to work on coming up with something suitable.
So, late that night, after a couple rounds back and forth with Steve to choose the best photos, the Apple home page became this:
There were three different photos of George Harrison shown in rotation.
It was one of my proudest moments at Apple; not just because I made the suggestion that prompted this memorial, but because I was honored to be part of a company that lets its heart guide its actions.
It’s tasteless. The logo is the key – what’s the connection between Apple and the civil rights movement? Why should Apple be allowed to get away with this sort of cheesy marketing?
I can sort of understand it if Apple pay a tribute to George Harrison – Apple are associated with producing music, and heh! he’s a dead hippy and can’t complain! Using Johnny Cash is sacriligeous, offensive – the man wore black to mourn for the poor and dispossesed, not the urban yuppie who can afford an iBook. But what has Rosa Parks got to do with Apple? Even if we accept that Apple merely wants to tell us something, what right has it got to take on the role of ‘educator’?
[...] aced a simple picture commemorating the life of Rosa Parks on its front page. This is very reminiscent of Apple’s rembrance of Beatle George Harrison upon his death in 2001. [...]
I certainly have nothing against Rosa Parks, but I find it interesting that the only people that Apple pays these tributes to are those that have the same politics as Mr Jobs…
I chucked my HP and switched to Mac not because Apple is “Different”, not because Macs are supposed to be beautifully designed and not because of any cult status, but because I was fed up! However, I understand all this zealotry a little more now, I certainly did not see any of this admiration with HP users, nor with Windows users. I respect a fanboy’s right to admire this company and what it might stand for, and I am glad I learned a little more about Rosa Parks because of Apple’s website. For me its just a computer, one that works well mind you! I guess this is where I will park it, to learn more about Apple. Who knows, me becoming fanboy? Naaaah.
Wow you were the one to get ol George Harrison on the homepage?
what an honor that must have felt, to have in some way shown respect to a great human being(george is my favorite beatle), this is something i really like about Apple, it has respect for the arts, it puts a smile on my face that APPLE is full of beatle freaks!, heres hopeing one day the beatles music will find a home on itunes……do you think that will ever happen?
I’m just wondering what “generation” you’re from if George Harrison was so pivotal to you and yet you had only cursory understanding of Rosa Parks prior to her death last week.
Hi Craig – I was born in 1954, so I was only one year old when Rosa did her thing.
Apple also posted a memorial message after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the 2004 tsunami and the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle explosion IIRC. The Internet Archive has one memorial home page saved:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010916222653/http://www.apple.com/