Rotten Apple

“Sense of sadness at the death of a stranger is a sign of our humanity” writes doe-eyed Stephen McGinty (8 October). What utter twaddle.

I am becoming fed up with the beatification of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs even more quickly than I became fed up with that of Diana, Princess of Wales. I abhor the development of ad hoc public shrines and public hand-wringing, which benefits no-one except Interflora and the outpouring of inappropriate media-driven ersatz grief. Jobs was neither a saint nor a genius. His company has a genius for one thing, and one thing only: marketing. Apple products are over-engineered, over-complicated and over-priced.

DAVID FIDDIMORE

Nether Craigwell Calton Road, Edinburgh