Apple has devoted its entire homepage to pay respects to Muhammad Ali with a full-page tribute to the deceased boxing legend.
Muhammad Ali was the “greatest”
There are few events that bring the whole world to a collective standstill. The deaths of Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana, the Berlin Wall being pulled down, are perhaps three recent(ish) events that really effected the international psyche. And we can now add to that the sad death of Muhammad Ali, who died on Friday after his longstanding battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Muhammad Ali touched many people’s lives, with his ferocious fighting combined with sharp tongue, which meant he became so much more that just a boxer. His condemnation of the Vietnam War and willingness to discuss the controversial race issues in the United States elevated him above being solely a talented sportsman.
This was a man who was happy to change his ‘slave’ name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali in 1964 to signify his conversion to Islam, at the height of racial tensions in the United States. “I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when people speak to me.”
Muhammad Ali was aged 74 when he sadly passed. He was a three-time world champion, 1964, 1974 and 1978 and involved in some of boxing’s most celebrated bouts, including the ‘Thriller in Manila‘ when he fought and defeated his great rival, Joe Frazier.
Apple Tribute to “The Man who has no imagination has no wings”
Other than the standard links at the top and bottom of the page, apple.com is dedicated to the great man with a youthful Ali in a black and white picture, punching the screen. The image is accompanied with one of his memorable quotes, “The Man who has no imagination has no wings.”
It is an interesting choice of image, as it was actually this image that Apple used in an earlier advertising campaign. In 1997, Apple launched the ‘Think Differently’ slogan, and accompanied this with a sixty second television commercial featuring ‘heavyweights’ from the twentieth century including Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bob Dylan. Muhammad Ali appeared in that advertisement with the same picture.
Senior Apple figures also tweeted their personal messages of condolence. Tim Cook, CEO, posted on Twitter on Friday another quote, “he who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
It is not difficult to see why Apple chose to associate itself with such an inspirational man.
Ali is survived by nine children and will be sorely missed.
