Netgear CEO Patrick Lo is attempting to take back his words via an email sent to media outlets. Here it is, verbatim:
Hi. As many of you know I spoke in Sydney on Monday, at a lunch with more than a half dozen of Australia’s leading technology and business journalists. We covered a wide range of topics including the emergence of new IP protocols, cloud computing, wireless routers/repeaters in the home, the National Broadband Network (a current major Government project in Australia) and much more. During the course of the discussion, I shared my views about the future of Apple and Microsoft, as well as the surge of Android. Some of my comments were covered by the media who attended, and were reported more broadly outside Australia by media and bloggers who picked up on the story.
I stand by the opinions I stated on the business issues. Supporting open standards and environments in order to ease seamless networking integration of multimedia content is good for the consumer and good for content providers.
However, I deeply regret the choice of words I used in relation to business decisions Apple must grapple with in the future in relation to open vs. closed systems, which have been construed by some to be references to Steve Jobs’ health and which was never my intention. I sincerely apologize that what I said was interpreted this way, and I wish Steve only the very best.
Patrick Lo,
NETGEAR
Chairman and CEO
MacDailyNews Take: Now, let’s compare that to what the nasty little weasel really said. The Daily Telegraph’s Maureen Shelley was at the lunch and the paper has published a transcript of Lo’s comments that included Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Note where Patrick Lo laughs:
Now we’ve seen this movie many a time, eventually – it wouldn’t work. Right. We’ve seen Beta versus you know VHS, we have seen Windows versus Mac and now we’re gradually seeing it you know on this Apple versus everybody else. And, and, you’ve got Google, you know, gradually, you’ve probably tracked the story that as big as iPhone is, the Android platform has already overtaken the iPhone platform in the US.
So, it’s critical for Apple to make a decision how to go forward.
And I think, as long as Steve Jobs lives, all right, so there’s no way they are going to open it up.
Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not going to be that far away (laughs), then Apple probably would have to make a very strategic decision to really open up their platform.
I personally think if they open up the platform and let more people jump on it, they are going to dominate. Basically, they are going to dominate. Certainly, you run certain risks. That’s where the software is going to come in. How they could they make the software open yet not giving away the usability, the user experience.
The problem with Android so far and with Microsoft all along is that the user experience is terrible, it’s lousy. So, then Apple because of the closed environment they have been able to make the user experience superb. Ultimately, a closed system you know just can’t go that far. So, we believe that ultimately there will be an open platform it will be compatible and all that.
MacDailyNews Take: So, let’s see, did the damage control work? No way in hell (where Lo may have already made a large down payment on his future residence):
We are advising our millions of unique visitors worldwide to boycott Netgear products. Not only are they junk, but their CEO is a nasty piece of work. Do not buy Netgear products. Do not waste your money.
Apple Retail and Online Stores should pull Netgear products off their shelves immediately and ship them back to Mr. Lo.
We’ll consider ending our boycott as soon as Netgear gets a new CEO and starts making quality products for once.
We highly recommend Apple Airport Express (US$99) and Apple Airport Extreme Base Station (US$179). The cost in a product is not just the total on the price tag.
And, for the record, in regard to iOS’ future, Lo is, unsurprisingly, wrong. Here’s why from someone who basically predicted the iPhone over 4 years before Steve Jobs unveiled it.
Contact Netgear CEO Patrick Lo at
This just smacks of the desperation of a small little man who knows where his company is headed
To be fair, he only laughed one time.
Whenever I comment on NetGear’s future I cackle my head off!
Net without gear will do just fine.
Publicity stunt. Both the comments and the apology.
Will do. No Lo down Netgear feces for me!
Read this article on MDN yesterday and brushed it off as another moron CEO beating his chest. I must have missed the part about him laughing regarding Steve’s future. Now I’m kinda pissed about it.
Big time sob! Not even worth the time, money, ink and whatever to write what he says. May you live long as CEO…..NOT!
Go eff yourself Lo.
Lo must not understand how fanatical Apple fans can be. I guess he’s getting ready to find out
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Weasel. With a capital “W.”
Ho Lo can you get?
A new definition of Lo Life!
“I sincerely apologize that what I said was interpreted this way, “
Lo is not an apologizing for his thoughtless actions.
Lo is attempting to blame people’s “interpretation” of what he said.
This is worse than a true apology.
A real apology communicates acceptance, responsibility, and remorse for the perpetrator’s action(s).
Lo would do well in politics, where the ‘art of the apology’ has been refined so that most apologies ring something like this;
“I am sorry if some have taken offence with what I said.”
– Note the lack of responsibility, and instead, an attempt to blame the offended, as if the offended are the ones to blame because they didn’t interpret the offender’s actions correctly.
What Lo is really saying in this follow-up;
“I’m not sorry for what I said.
I’m sorry that some people criticized me for what I said, and that it went public.”
Goodbye, NETGEAR.
Simply. Sad. Even as a competitor, his words are simply hateful. Who shys away from competition? It’s what makes things better. For him to make a personal jab at one of the most important thought leaders in this industry at the start of this century has clearly identified him as a small man. If Netgear is worth anything, he will be unemployed by Friday. He has to be. This is simply not why people go to work every day. He’s a weed. Yank him, Netgear. Yank him now.
People don’t understand why every other “CEO” hates Steve, because Steve is their WORST nightmare, (Muahahaha) because he always pushes the envelope by always striving to make products 10 STEPS BEYOND AND he puts together teams that can actually pull his “mad scientist” visions off!
That “madness” (Thank God Steve has it) hurts every CEO in the tech industry because he actually must get of his ass and INNOVATE and get out of his comfort zone and put together teams that can actually innovate, share the vision and create superb value products or else Apple will eat them alive (it’s happening as I write this).
That’s why “poison” comes out every time another CEO talks about Steve and Apple because Apple drives them NUTS!
Whoohooo, keep following you f0cking wannabes you’ll be following Apple’s “rear” for the years to come…..
Long live Steve and Apple!
Does anybody have Patrick Lo’s email?
Seriously.
fuckin’ d0uche.
guess what ‘dude we never heard of’.. you make routers for a living. go back to your cave, you piece of sh|t.
I have actually had good experiences with Netgear routers, only replacing them when I upgraded for WiFi speed boosts.
That said, the one I have now is the last one I will ever buy.
Long live Steve!
One word: Moron.
Enough said.
bad form!
Lo life
…’which have been construed by some to be references to Steve Jobs’ health and which was never my intention…
Absolute the worst line of bullshit in the history of bullshit. How stupid do you think people are? Well it must be pretty stupid if you think people will still buy your crap.
Not me……
I don’t know what that a__hole is talking about. Apple supports open standards and is the easiest platform to connect to wireless. I used to have to call in an IT expert to get my old Windows machines to connect.
Crap! I have two Netgear, dual-band routers that I like. Now, I’ll have to replace em.
Despicable. I usually don’t boycott products over this but I won’t be buying anything with Netgear on it ever again.