This was nothing more than a hoax: don't believe everything you read.

Even TUAW posted a retractment.

The Apple Gazette person made me do some research, and it resulted in an important addition to the original post. Read it with links and pictures here:

----------------------------
UPDATE - 10/19/06
Observe this discussion on TUAW.com (the unofficial Apple blog)

Muslim community offended by Apple's Fifth Avenue NYC Cube?

The original title was changed in an Orwellian way from [PARTY-CENSORED] to what it is now - under the pressure of the progressive unwashed intelligentsia which shines at its best here. Comrade O'Brien must feel very proud.

One of the agendas in that discussion is to debunk the perceived right-wing logic (which they think affects all right-wingers): "SOME Muslims do it, therefore ALL Muslims do it." How do they debunk it? By confronting it with their own, "very different" logic: "SOME Muslims didn't do it, therefore NO Muslims have ever done it."

Such logic must be the most immediate result of the "Think different" dogma. So useful in class struggle.

Using this principle, the progressive posters quickly uncover the main culprit: the Jew and his tool, MEMRI . They expose MEMRI as a biased Zionist source, quoting CAIR which is, of course, an absolutely unbiased and unaffiliated group.

Then there's the official Apple Gazette that basically follows the same guidelines.

Muslim Community Responds: We Love the Apple NYC Cube

The title, the article, and the comments imply that, just like the progressive community in the West is unified under the Party banners of uniformed diversity, so is the Muslim community worldwide is unified into a solid block under the banner of the progressive Muslim Politburo.

Quite a projection.

Which only proves the point of the story above.

One detail that they all have avoided is rather fiery comments and threats posted by SOME Muslims underneath this SFGate.com story below. Apparently, one of the sub-dogmas under the "Think different" dogma is, "if it can't be explained, it means it never happened."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=3&entry_id=4203

Quote
"Americans can not get enough of offending Muslims, can they? Imagine them(Muslims) building a gas station in the shape of a church or a public restroom! and yeah, dont mind new bombings as a result of ticking off the extresmists, ya guys had it coming all the way!"

Quote
"This is really asking for trouble! Muslim extremists can see a very good reason for moving in now. You are really provoking and offending Muslims all over the world and hurting their feelings. You are also putting innocent peoples lives at risk. Why not have a different design say like a huge apple?! why does it have to be something to do with Muslims and Islam? May Allah Guide you to the right path."

That's the spirit!

But the most important (and unmentioned) part of the story is that the MEMRI article appeared on October 11, 2006, while the offended rhetoric by SOME Muslims started appearing under the SFGate.com story since May, 2006.

The point of this posting is not to instigate a fight between Apple and Muslims, nor to promote hate. It is to show the mechanics of how the world is becoming an uncomfortable place because SOME "Muslims" and SOME "progressives" live with their heads permanently implanted in their asses. What exactly they see there we don't know, but it certainly creates within them the illusion that they can impose their will on the rest of us.

I love your "Think Different" image, Red Square. It had me chuckling for quite a while.

Here's Ranting of a Sandmonkey, an Egyptian blogger, on the whole Islam/Apple imbroglio.