Apple is paying tribute to Nelson Mandela by dedicating its home page to the man who symbolized the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. Mr. Mandela passed away on Thursday, and in addition to the home page tribute shown below, Apple executives offered comments about him through Twitter.
Apple's Home Page
Apple's home page is one of the most valuable properties on the Internet, and Apple's website regularly ranks in the top ten most-visited. The company usually uses it to promote a limited range of its products, but on rare occasions has paid tribute to individuals, such as when cofounder Steve Jobs passed away in November of 2011.
Other tributes include Beatles guitarist George Harrison, famed civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Carter after he received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Indian Ocean tsunamis of 2004 and the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were also marked.
Nelson Mandela was one of many South Africans who fought the Afrikaner-imposed system of strict racial segregation in that country called Apartheid. He was jailed for decades until his release in 1990, and made history in that country as the first black president in 1994. For the last several years of his life, Mr. Mandela battled illness, and he died at the age of 95 on December 5th, 2013.
Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted:
Amazing human being. Champion of freedom and human dignity. He set an example for all of the world. RIP Nelson Mandela. We miss you already.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 6, 2013
MacRumors also noted that Phil Schiller, senior vice president of marketing at the company, offered up a Nelson mandela quote to mark his passing.
"Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement." His Excellancy Nelson Mandela, 1918 - 2013 #NelsonMandela
— Philip Schiller (@pschiller) December 6, 2013