Steve Jobs

By Uptin Saiidi (@uptin)

Less than one month after Steve Jobs died of cancer, PBS premiered a documentary examining the visionary’s biggest influences on his life and career. The film spans from his early life in the 8th grade to the worldwide recognition of his innovations following his death on October 6, 2011.

In an interview never before seen, a young Jobs shares his optimistic view of the world. "When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life in the world, try not to bash in the walls to much," he said in what looks to be a self-recorded video. "That's a very limited life, life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact and that is everything around you was made up by people that were no smarter than you."

Even after his death, Jobs’ influence continues to span across even untypical industries. An autobiography has been in the works that’s now released and an off-Broadway one man show based on his life was created.

The documentary also explored Jobs' darker side. “Everyone in Steve Jobs' life went through three phases. They were either being seduced, ignored, or scourged, and it all depended upon whether he needed you or not," Robert Cringely, a technology columnist who knew him well said. "If he needed you, he was your best friend and he would seduce you. And then you would work like a dog, and then if you weren’t working hard enough he would scourge you and ultimately he would throw you away.” Read More...

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Siri iPhone 4s

Just like thousands of Apple fans across the globe, we were in line first thing this AM to get our hands on the new iPhone 4s. We couldn't wait to have our first meeting with Siri, the personal assistant that, according to Apple's Website "lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it."

Understands what you say, knows what you mean! OK, we felt confident she could help us find good Thai food or know to retrieve text messages, but would she grasp some of the most important questions in all of pop culture? We put her to the test, asking her the following:

Who Let the Dogs Out?

What's My Age Again?

What Is Love?

Where Is My Mind?

Who Are You?

Why So Serious?

Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

How's It Gonna Be?

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends?

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

What About Bob?

Who Can It Be Now?

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

The answers to most questions? "I do not understand." Apple has said that Siri will improve over time, because she can adapt to you and Apple will also upgrade her brain. We plan on putting her to the test again soon here in our Newsroom. Please leave suggestions for other pop culture mysteries we can pose to her below or on our Facebook page.

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It's a sad, sad night as we reflect on the genius of Steve Jobs, who left us today at the just-too-soon age of 56.

Many of us grew up hearing stories of the wonders of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell and wondered "what was life like before a light bulb or a telephone." But we were lucky enough to experience that change first hand as Jobs and his wizards at Apple created products that not only changed the way we lived everyday, but the way we saw the world.

As the news broke across Twitter, we stopped and realized that everyone in the newsroom had either an iPhone, iPod or iPad at the ready. White headphones were everywhere. One editor yelled "my first mixtape to a girl was actually a playlist on an iPod." Someone with a few years on him had made a mixtape on an actual cassette but admitted that the first movie he showed his young son had actually -- and fittingly -- been a Pixar film on an iPad. One actually remembered the first book report he had typed on his Apple IIe.

It's hard to think about just how much the products from this visionary seep into our lives. And we are sure they are major parts of yours. Please share with us just how Jobs and his universe play a part in yours. We'll be highlighting your thoughts in the coming days across MTV.

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It's the bane of any celebrity couple's public existence: The near-constant barrage of tabloid stories proclaiming that one or both of the famous duo are cheating, about to file for divorce, have a wandering eye, are pregnant or refuse to have children.

In the case of Coldplay singer Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who have two children together and have been married for seven years, allegations of marital strife have dogged them for years. And while neither have deemed it necessary to respond to the persistent drumbeat of break-up rumors, their silence and the rarity of paparazzi spotting them together has helped stoke the tabloid press speculation.

On Wednesday (September 1), Martin may have inadvertently (or perhaps not) done more than anyone to throw fuel on the fire by performing a new, unreleased Coldplay song called "Wedding Bells" at an Apple computers event announcing new iPods and a social networking site called Ping. Martin suggested he was playing the somber lament-for-love-lost tune for the first, and possibly last, time ever. One listen to the lyrics and anyone inclined to believe the rumors might take them as proof positive of an imminent split, or, perhaps as a wry comment on their absurdity. Or both. Or neither.

The urgent piano ballad opens with the ominous lines, "Those wedding bells are ringing up upon that hill/ And I don't want to swallow such a bitter pill/ You keep on moving, but I stay still/ But I always loved you and I always will," before diving into even deeper territory. "Days of no sleeping caked in mud/ All kinds of poison in my blood/ I lost the only thing I ever loved/ oh oh oh oh/ I heard them ringing procession by/ Umbrellas in their clear blue sky/ And saw you swimming in that sea of white/ Oh oh oh oh/ If everything that went before didn’t matter … I always loved you and I always will."

Martin described it as the beginning of a story "that starts sadly, but that's the way these things [inaudible]."

Is Martin telling us something? Is he goofing on the press? Or is this meant to be a lament on the current state of his marriage?

What do you thing "Wedding Bells" is about? Let us know in comments below!

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The technology world's eyes were focused on Apple's Steve Jobs today as he unveiled the forward-thinking computer company's latest indispensable gadget. They call it the iPad, and it splits the difference between the iPhone (portability and efficiency) and the MacBook laptop series (power and versatility). It's cheaper than anticipated (it starts at $499), but will people embrace a piece of technology they didn't think they needed yesterday?

The discussion in the MTV Newsroom today was split between people who immediately wanted one and those who think that it seems like an inessential collection of microchips. But Apple has a way of maintaining resilience, which is more that can be said for some of these personal technological boondoggles.

The Segway
Remember all the ballyhoo surrounding the Segway? We had to sit through months of buzz while inventor Dean Kamen touted "It," the technological marvel that was going to change the way we lived our lives. Speculation was rampant: Was it a different kind of food source? Had he harnessed time travel? Did he improve on the Internet? What we got was a glorified, expensive scooter that gives kids one more reason to make fun of the cops who ride them. Has anybody ever seen somebody riding a Segway and not thought, "Look at that dork riding a Segway?"

Apple Newton
Apple hasn't misfired very much, though their entry into the PDA market was never a barn-burner. Much larger but not nearly as versatile as any of Palm's products, the Newton shuffled along for years on the market without much fanfare and was constantly schooled by other PDAs. The Newton was discontinued in 1998, and the company moved on to set the standard in portable MP3 players. Which leads us to ...

Zune
Look, we know that the few people we know who own a Zune really like it, and that's great. Read More...

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Right now, Apple is unveiling their latest gadget that will redefine how we experience technology on the go. For months, the rumors about a tablet computer have been swarming, and now that thing is finally here. It's called the iPad, and it's lovely. Half way between an iPhone and a MacBook, the 10-inch iPad will offer all the mobility of a PDA with the added computing power and versatility of a laptop. (If you want all the salient details, you should check out Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick's live blog of today's Apple event.)

While the machine will be able to handle all of your business and recreational computing needs, the most exciting aspect of it may be that large touchscreen. Everything is handled via touch (just like the iPhone and iPod Touch), with pinch and flick controls that should make working with photos and design elements on the go a real pleasure.

But who will be among the first adopters of the new iPad? We imagine Lady Gaga will be first in line. She's so forward-thinking and progressive that she probably already has one on pre-order, though it's possible she'll just convert a bunch of them into a shirt (just like she did with those Kermit the Frog dolls a few months ago). So don't be surprised if you see the diva return from the European stretch of her Monster Ball tour wearing something that looks like this.

What do you think? Will you be buying an iPad, or is it just hype? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Think about this for a moment: The iPod is only eight years old. In less than a decade, Apple's portable music and media device has become an absolutely necessary part of modern life. The first iPods hit the market on this day back in 2001, with five and 10 gigabyte versions available. The first iPods were hilarious looking, especially compared to current models. They used a clunky mechanical scroll wheel and weighed about ten pounds. They were so solid you could use them for masonry. But like all technology, the iPod evolved quickly. The iPod (and by extension the iPhone) is now not only a music device but also a video player, gaming system, personal organizer, Web browser, messaging system, navigational tool and on and on. Last month, Apple introduced an iPod that has a capacity of 160 gigabytes, enough space to store over 53,000 songs. Consider that in 2000, the best option for carrying around music you liked was to burn a mix CD, which meant that you had 20 or so tunes at your disposal.

Not that it really needed it, but the iPod was also supported by a tremendous marketing campaign, and to this day, getting your song in an Apple TV spot tends to do great things for a band's business. The first batch of iPod commercials featured a track from '90s big beat enthusiasts the Propellerheads, and a number of bands have used iPod commercials as jumping off points to launch new albums (U2, Coldplay) or their entire careers (Chairlift, the Ting Tings). The first group that catapulted to superstardom care of an iPod ad was the Black Eyed Peas, whose song "Hey Mama" propelled their 2003 album Elephunk up the charts. Along the way, iPod commercials have helped give a jolt to the careers of the Caesars, the Fratellis and Chairlift and helped extend the lives of hit songs by Feist and Jack Johnson. Check out the video playlist below that takes a look back at the songs that helped make the iPod into a part of everyday life.

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Yesterday's much-buzzed-about Apple announcement delivered a few headline-grabbing developments from the personal computing company that is constantly re-shaping the way we hear and acquire music. In addition to announcing a new design for the iPod Nano, an even bigger iPod Touch and a price drop on several models, the biggest news was a somewhat backwards-looking technological development in iTunes. In short, iTunes LP hopes to revive the practice of associating album art and liner notes with full-length records, something that took a big hit when vinyl gave way to cassettes and CDs and has gone away almost completely now that music has shifted more and more to digital formats. Bands will be encouraged to create interactive experiences that go along with their music, allowing customers to scroll through photos, behind-the-scenes video, lyrics and bonus tracks while they enjoy the album.

"An album can be almost anything on iTunes," explains Apple's Eddy Cue, a VP who oversees action on iTunes and the App Store. Read More...

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The great thing about iPods is that you never have to get too attached to them, because you know Apple will roll out new ones just about every 11 months that are going to make you want to toss yours into the technology trash heap.

It was that time again today, as Apple dropped new Nanos and iPod Touches on us, as well as an update to iTunes that lets you create playlists on the fly. The fourth-generation Nano, which comes in nine colors and has an oval shape, is hyped as the thinnest iPod ever and has useless-but-fun functions such as a "built-in accelerometer" that, like the iPhone, automatically switches to Cover Flow mode when the device is rotated and Shuffle mode when the player is lightly shaken. The new models have up to 24 hours of music playback or four hours of video playback in the 8GB and 16GB models, with a 2-inch screen. Read More...

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By Andrew Ross Rowe

I've been waiting since the first iPhone to own one. I even made the iPhone commercial-song ringtone to put on my normal phone! Having a drop in price made the deal sweeter. But would standing in line Friday morning secure me the next model?

Read More...

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