Tim Cook Thanks Apple Employees for Outstanding 2012 with Extended Thanksgiving Vacation Time

[MacRumors]

Just as he did last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent an email to company employees thanking them for a successful year and letting them know that they will be receiving the entire week of Thanksgiving in the United States off in order to spend more time with their families. The extra holiday days of November 19-21 are being given with pay. 9to5Mac has the full letter.

Team,

Apple is having another incredibly successful year, thanks to all of the hard work by you and your teams. Your focus and dedication to making the best products on earth is what makes Apple such an incredible place.

In a little over six months we've launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring. The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple's unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15? MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we'll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season.

To recognize the efforts that made this amazing year possible, I'm happy to announce that we're extending the Thanksgiving holiday once again this year. We will shut down with pay on November 19, 20 and 21 so our teams can spend the whole week with their loved ones.

Retail and some other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but please check with your manager about taking time off at a later date. Our international teams will also get an extra three days off during this quarter, scheduled at a time that's best for them. Details will be available on AppleWeb.

Thank you for everything you do for Apple and please enjoy this much deserved break.

As with last year's vacation time, retail store employees will need to stagger their extra days off in order to keep stores open for the public, and international corporate employees will receive their time off at times convenient for them, as they do not necessarily need to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

Article Link: Tim Cook Thanks Apple Employees for Outstanding 2012 with Extended Thanksgiving Vacation Time

[d4rkc4sm]

thats sweet of him

[maccompatible]

Originally Posted by d4rkc4sm

thats sweet of him

Indeed.

[GenesisST]

This is awesome!

Vacation Time is better salary increase... At least, for me.

And the government can't take a cut of that...

[applefan022]

Maybe you should stay at work and work on the Maps app.

[jasonxneo]

Tim Cook is a boss!

[applesith]

Awwww you pop my heart seams.

[seniorchang]

"...in this post-PC era."

R.I.P iMac/Mini/Pro

[Macist]

The iMac and Mac Pro teams must be on a permanent holiday.

[tekno]

No new iMacs, no new Mac Pros, a terrible iPhone 5 launch, closure of Ping, launch of a very mediocre 'new' OSX, Lightning adaptors not available on iPhone launch, disastrous launch of Maps... yes, I can see it's been an outstanding year.

[futbalguy]

Originally Posted by seniorchang

"...in this post-PC era."

R.I.P iMac/Mini/Pro

I normally dont go into these debates, but Im surprised he included that in the letter. What is the point unless that really is the way they look at it. I think we all knew they stopped focusing on PC's but I hope they keep investing in that area. I really think it has paid off in the past to have such an expertise in all things computer-related.

[dv8r]

Not so fast there Maps team.

Best Regards,
Tim

[Shrink]

Steve Jobs never....well, you know.

[2SwiFt29]

Good for most of the employees. Wonder what will happen to the Map app team.

[CupertinoRat]

When's he gonna address the scratches on ip5 ?

[BC2009]

I just got his follow-up email:

--------------------------
From: Tim Cook
RE: Extended Thanksgiving Vacation Time

I forgot to mention -- I meant everybody except the Maps team and Scott Forstall. The rest of you, please enjoy your vacation.
--------------------------

Now, while I have not had any issues with Maps in my area. Just seeing that some guy in Ontario, Canada could write a simple script to verify a bunch of cities and their locations then I'd like to know why the Maps QA team could not do this.

I think the real problem is Scott Forstall. I think Scott has all the bravado of Steve Jobs but none of the brilliance. He is more concerned about saying the stuff his team is doing is "amazing" and less concerned about making it "amazing". Forstall comes off as a pure salesman and I think he has become a liability to Apple.

There was a point where I figured that Apple should have just done a public beta of iOS 6 to catch lots of this stuff, but clearly (as the Ontario, Canada example shows) there was a bunch more that they could have done in-house as well.

I'm just glad iOS 6 maps is working well for me. I would be much more upset if I lived in one of the areas where it is really weak.

[bry223]

Great move, feel sorry for the retail workers, as the corporate level employees get a week off during the holiday rush to spend time with their families that poor retail staff will be slaving away working their butts off, but then again this is the retail world we live in.

[kas23]

Originally Posted by 2SwiFt29

Good for most of the employees. Wonder what will happen to the Map app team.

Hopefully someone brings them in a turkey and some stuffing. Maybe Boston Market. That would be a nice touch.

----------

Originally Posted by CupertinoRat

When's he gonna address the scratches on ip5 ?

They did. It's normal.

[Patriot24]

Originally Posted by CupertinoRat

When's he gonna address the scratches on ip5 ?

Devices scratch. Get a case.

[ncaissie]

Doesn't everyone get the weekend and Friday off anyway? That is what happens in Canada. (Except retail but they get paid double time.)
Are TG weekend is this weekend coming. I can’t wait!

[Tsuchiya]

Originally Posted by BC2009

I think the real problem is Scott Forstall. I think Scott has all the bravado of Steve Jobs but none of the brilliance. He is more concerned about saying the stuff his team is doing is "amazing" and less concerned about making it "amazing". Forstall comes off as a pure salesman and I think he has become a liability to Apple.

This.

It's a nice gesture from Tim.

[iChrist]

.
This softness is the reason why Maps is so bad. The employees did 'good enough', so have some time off to soften your brain cells.

.

[parapup]

Is iMaps team excluded from vacation?!

[macchiato2009]

Thank you Tim but as usual, retail staff will not spend thanksgiving with family...

we will have to work...

so guys in their offices have their 3 days off, and people working their a_s_s off all year long will continue to enjoy working their a_s_s off for the company and will take these 3 days in Feb or March like past years

great

[digitalfailure]

In a little over six months we’ve launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring. The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple’s unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we’ll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season.

Seems to be a major category missing to me.

Sort it !!!!