The big question that should be asked by freedom lovers around the world.
by Rob Argento
Freedom Friends
I can still remember that ominous 1984 Super Bowl half-time ad. It was Apple Corporation introducing the chosen One to liberate us from Big Brother: Macintosh was the David that would slay Goliath IBM.
“It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers initially welcoming IBM with open arms now fear an IBM dominated-and-controlled future. They are increasingly turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom. IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire Information Age? Was George Orwell right?” commented Apple founder Steve Jobs in his 1983 preview of the commercial.
Fast forward several decades to year 2010 and you can almost replace “IBM” with “Microsoft” and “Macintosh” with “iPad” and still get the same meaning. Only this time it’s no longer just Apple hype; it’s real. “As of Wednesday, Wall Street valued Apple at $222.12 billion and Microsoft at $219.18 billion. The only American company valued higher is Exxon Mobil, with a market capitalization of $278.64 billion,” wrote the New York Times on May 26, 2010.
Steve Jobs has scored and he’s scored big time. So much so that noted venture capitalist Jim Breyer was quoted by the Times as saying, “It is the single most important turnaround that I have seen in Silicon Valley.” In technological terms that turnaround signals a seismic shift away from the desktop to mobile computing and from the keyboard to a swipe of the finger across a touch screen. We are entering a new era of computing power. “The most important technology product no longer sits on your desk but rather fits in your hand,” declared the Times.
What will this mean for freedom lovers around the world? Well, if Jobs and Apple still hold the same ambition that once drove them to the 1984 Super Bowl half-time, the hand-held device could just become the sling shot that knocks out Goliath Microsoft.
But, this only raises a more disturbing question: Is it IBM or Microsoft — or even Apple — who is the “true” Big Brother that we should all be worried about, or is it, ultimately, something or someone yet more ominous? I think a lot is riding on who controls the technology — and maybe worse yet whether anybody is controlling the technology.