Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Angela Ahrendts Climbs to Thirteenth Spot in Fortune's 'Most Powerful Women' List for 2017
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Thankfully, execs like Federighi, Riccio, Srouji, Schiller, Williams, etc. still seem to have their feet firmly on the ground.
My local Apple store is one of the oldest ones and has been under refurbishment since April, not due to reopen until late this year or early next. They better be doing something awesome to it.
apple was never ever for the average consumer.
the term 'apple tax' has existed for a long long time. the average consumer was never meant to pay that tax. only the high end.
an ibook and the powerbook were always the niche in a sea of toshiba satellites and ibm thinkpads. and they were more expensive.
the macbooks and the macbook pros continued that trend.
it was only in recent years with $999 macbook airs and the cheaper iPhone 5C did apple then shift its attention to the average consumer.
Dont like the new store look , more style over substance but thats the way Apple are going these days.
In the weeks running up to the iPhone presentation a few different feminist groups had been talking about having protests about Apple using men - i.e. the ones who actually build, market and design the devices - at such speeches. We'll never know but I was surprised that all such talk fizzled out in the days running up to it, I assume Cook or someone at the top had let them know there would be a token woman there to speak.
If a woman actually studied engineering, designed some amazing products and worked her way up to the top - or better yet founded her own company - nobody here would be complaining. But to have someone like Angela brought to apple just because they wanted to have a woman on the board who then says "how about we add some more glass panels and a lighter colour wood to the stores and increase prices by 15% across the board" and then have these sorts of nonsensical lists publicised on this website saying how amazing she is (similar things have happened to Sandberg who has accomplished nothing of note in her career except moaning about how tough it is being a multimillionaire woman), well it is bound to raise a few eyebrows.
E-X-A-C-T-L-Y! Her target audience is not going to drop $1500 on a MB Pro while they're "Hanging Out". I won't go into a crowded store to but something from Apple. Haven't been in 1 of its stores in years for that very reason.
I'm nervous that someone who goes on stage wearing a $20,000 ensemble is making these kinds of decisions.
We need more CEOs like the guy from Tmobile. That guy is shaking things up and its working for them.
It's like night and day between her and that Dixon CEO. Still can't believe that dud was signed on Tim's watch.
Lot's of kudos and congratulations, but honestly - what has she accomplished at Apple?
Overrated fashionista who probably should be paid about $75K for what she does.
Overrated fashionista who probably should be paid about $75K for what she does.
That fancy coat she was wearing on stage sure helped her out
She was brave as hell for wearing those heels on stage. Looked fantastic but I was just waiting for a mishap.
They all were reading off the teleprompter. Every one of them. And in a hurry. IN. THEIR. OWN. THEATER.
I can understand being in a rush on someone else's stage they're renting from, but if that's in their own Steve Jobs theater, then something's not right. They should be super relaxed and taking their time to go over every product up to the HomePod which they didn't even bother to bring up.
I can see that in their eyes and body language. I may be deaf, but I'm NOT that blind to see what's wrong with them.
I wanted to say something like this.
Also, I don't know why so many of you are shocked an offended by a woman with an upscale taste in clothing.
Actually, I do know why.
Steve wore dad jeans and grandpa sneakers.
I care about great products and don’t care if the brains behind it dress like homeless people.
Also, I personally don’t think she would be a good choice to head Apple. It should be someone whose been around, worked with Steve Jobs, and puts an emphasis on products first. She’s a very new executive and passing over the people that built Apple would be a mistake.
If you think she's a great hire, I got a bridge to sell you. The truth is he went after and RECRUITED her. She didn't go to Apple asking to work for them. He offered her money and benefits...AND she admitted to him that she didn't think she was right for the job. He insisted because he had to replace John Browett, the idiot, who got fired quickly.
She decided to take the offer and jump ship from Burberry.
And if you think she's doing a brilliant job with the stores, I'm not seeing that at all. Turning it into a 'hang out' place is her lame attempt into converting them into a 'third place' ( a la Starbucks Coffee ). How do I know this? Because I used to work as a barista with the coffee chain. I know the BS lingo and marketing garbage they spew out of their mouths. People who worked under Starbucks will see similarities with Apple's BS marketing.
And if she wanted to turn the stores into hang outs, then I got one question for her: Where's my coffee and snacks? Not there? See you later!
Apple LOST the plot when they went the fashion route. Steve was NEVER about that which where Tim screwed the pooch on. I don't think they're going to remain on the high end forever because it will bite them in the a$$ long term. Remember Sony? The Apple DNA is damaged and rotten to the core.
Apple was never about the 'hip' and fashionable in the 80s and 90s. It was about excellent product design and service into an art form, not what looks good on the catwalk and focusing on the money. Jobs warned against that line of thinking.
If the new initiatives she presented in the keynote were her ideas, I have to say I am unimpressed by her. Whatever though, I only care about the products. The shops exist only for repairs as far as I am concerned. If they can see me quickly they are a success, if they make me wait, they are a failure.
This hits the nail on the head. Steve himself was quite obsessed with studying corporate history and in particular there are a few videos floating around of him talking about Xerox and how they had such tremendous success that within the company it became sales and marketing people who made the money and got promoted and product people got pushed aside. I think that dynamic is part and parcel of successful companies, it's why they ALL rise and fall.
The funny thing about the history of Apple is people look back and they see success under Jobs and failure in between. Well, the reality was quite different. Apple made huge profits after Steve left the first time for quite a few years - bigger profits than they had when Jobs was there. And they have made even bigger profits after his death.
Steve was an obsessive perfectionist not a normal businessman. Cook is far more pragmatic. Cook makes a lot more money than Steve did. I'll give two contrasting examples. Mere weeks before the launch of the iPhone Jobs decided the screen had to change from plastic to glass. This was obviously a huge change and cost a fortune but he realised it was necessary. You can read more here: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-new-iphone-screen-2012-1?IR=T
No way that Cook - or almost any other business leader - would have taken such a risk so late in the day.
Cook is I suspect a great guy for squeezing money out of supply chains. He is less good when it comes to vision but he really grasps the costs of factories and the use of economies of scale. Making the iPhone SE from the 5 body was a very shrewd move. But, honestly, would Steve have been happy to re-use old technology that way? I doubt it - he would have pushed relentlessly for improvement. But he would have made less money than Cook. Many people were perplexed that the red iPhone 7 had a silver ring around the home button and not a matching colour. The rumour is that they had an excess supply of silver ones so used that. Who knows how many cents that saved per unit but when you're shipping millions that all adds up. Again, something that Jobs wouldn't have even considered. Another example was Cook allowing U2 to pay a large amount of money and then putting that album of theirs onto every iPhone - year after year Jobs refused such offers no matter how much money was dangled in front of him.
Ultimately I don't have a lot of hate for Cook as many do - he is doing what any accountant would do in his position and milking the Apple brand for everything it is worth. Jobs was a once in a generation type. Many of us dislike Bill Gates but it was the same story there - he was the driving force of the company and left and put Ballmer in charge. Ballmer and Cook are both intelligent men, different characters, but money men who are hard headed and exploit every penny they can. We can't expect to have a new Jobs every single time sadly. Ultimately it will probably hollow out some of the Apple magic, they are clearly these days driven mostly by money and becoming more of a luxury brand and no longer quite what they were, as you describe, a company dedicated to great products and design with no compromise. Being optimistic I hope that at lest Cook has managed to build up a lot of money and this gives Apple a lot of breathing space and there might yet be someone more visionary to take over one day.
“Powerful” in what sense for heavens sake? Earnings potential? It certainly isn’t in terms of intellect, ability to influence the course of history, cure cancer, solve the problem of poverty......... I do wish this website would stop reporting such drivel....why are people lucky enough to have landed well paid jobs held in such high regard? Those who agree with a view that such individuals are “powerful” need a reality check. She is nothing more or less (and I do not mean this in a derogatory sense) than a glorified shopkeeper.