Angela was brought in at a time when Apple store foot traffic was declining and suffering from a lack of leadership overall. Under her tenure, the number of Apple retail staff increased and she also introduced a slew of new initiatives such as combining both offline and online shopping experiences, redesigning the retail stores and positioning the retail employees as the most crucial ingredient for retail success.
It appears that Deirdre O'Brien has no retail experience which makes this promotion a little bit strange.
Curious if you have references for your first statement? Not because I doubt you but I would like to see what someone thinks the issue was as well as why the importance to raise back traffic. With Apple products increasingly available at resellers like Best Buy and many online venues, with improvements in online ordering, and with Apple being nearly a decade past being the curious underdog for which one had to visit a store in order to experience things, I don’t see why it should be a surprise that foot traffic decreased.
I agree cooks promotion was common, however cook is as every bit unconventional as jobs.
Jobs may not have been able to lead Apple to the juggernaut it is today and cook may not have been able to rescue apple. However each did what they were supposed to do.
Excellent points. You're right that Jobs wasn't a lousy CEO. That was my adjective and I was considering the textbook expectations of CEOs. I changed my post to say unconventional CEO.
There's something common about Cook's promotion. Have you noticed that Presidents and charismatic CEOs often select unlike and unremarkable second-in-commands? I wonder if they are subconsciously—or consciously—trying to ensure their legacy is not easily repeated?
yes she does. She’s only been doing the HR stuff for the last couple years.
My wife is the perfect example. She is a GREAT VP for her company. She's organized, detailed and works incessantly to make sure that stuff gets done to help accomplish the purpose and vision of her company.
She would make a lousy CEO.
Is company a metaphor for your household?
• Centralized register - I hate having to pool around a special table to get someone to take my damn money or try and make eye contract and get someone to pull out their POS hand-held at some random location in the storeA welcome change. Apple stores have not changed for the better during her leadership.
A mistake reviewing an app is different than a strategy mistake at the top. But Tim Cook espousing the company’s tag line I don’t view as arrogant. YMMV."People come to Apple to do the best work of their lives"... How arrogant. I guess the idiot who rejected a submitted GPS app because they had no clue what the review notes meant (describing the GPS features and testing on GPS and non-GPS equipped hardware) was doing the best work of their lives. Or the idiot that rejected an app that properly notified the user that an internet connection was required (the reviewer actually sent me a screen shot with the error message AND admitted the device was NOT connected to the internet) was also doing the best work of their lives....
That’s one way to spin itSo in this case, "People come to Apple to do the best work of their lives" means Apple's best days are behind it.
I would like to get paid like that for a seemingly simple change of art on a website.Well, Upgrading the on-line store shopping 'cart' to the 'stylish' shopping 'bag' will certainly be the best work of Ahrendts' life.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even the free labor involved in anti-Apple dissertations.And, Rene Ritchie is on the case: https://m.imore.com/angela-ahrendts-leaving-apple-whats-going-and-why
If Apple is not paying him for PR work, they are getting free labor.
He’s a propagandist.
Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion.A mistake reviewing an app is different than a strategy mistake at the top. But Tim Cook espousing the company’s tag line I don’t view as arrogant. YMMV.
That’s one way to spin it
I would like to get paid like that for a seemingly simple change of art on a website.
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Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even the free labor involved in anti-Apple dissertations.
Correct. And I understand you paint him as the latter. Different subjective opinions about subjective opinions. There are shades of grey in many of these “discussions”, not black and white.Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
It's always interesting when there is a pundit who defends Apple even harder than Apple seems to defend itself and continuously makes excuses for the company.
There is a difference between being an honest player making a good faith argument and a shill or hack. Ritchie is the latter, although I understand you'd prefer to paint him as the former.
Sure. I'm happy to read any examples of Rene Ritchie criticizing Apple without excusing them at the same time. That's about as close as he ever gets.Correct. And I understand you paint him as the latter. Different subjective opinions about subjective opinions. There are shades of grey in many of these “discussions”, not black and white.
That’s his take. Again his opinion. Calling him a shill doesn’t make it so because it’s fair to criticize and excuse at the same time. (See much of the commentary about jobs, for example) there is always positive and negative in these high mgmt positions. Depends on if you view the negatives as failures or there were mitigating circumstances. Much is subjective.Sure. I'm happy to read any examples of Rene Ritchie criticizing Apple without excusing them at the same time. That's about as close as he ever gets.
Example: Here's what he says, after explaining all the great things Ahrendts has done:
"some (problems) have been exacerbated under her watch (the criticism) AS APPLE HAS CONTINUED TO SCALE AT A RATE THAT CAN ONLY BE PROPERLY DESCRIBED BY A MADE UP WORD...RIDONCULOUS" (the excuse). This is about the 5:50 mark of the latest YouTube video.
Seemingly a nice guy. For sure a shill.
I consider myself an apple apologist and dare I say a sheep but he's something else.And, Rene Ritchie is on the case: https://m.imore.com/angela-ahrendts-leaving-apple-whats-going-and-why
If Apple is not paying him for PR work, they are getting free labor.
He’s a propagandist.
A mistake reviewing an app is different than a strategy mistake at the top. But Tim Cook espousing the company’s tag line I don’t view as arrogant. YMMV.
What countless mistakes? What strategy from the top? Seems like all this post is is some straw-man. And how exactly is apple paying the price?I don't think you understand. The countless mistakes made by clearly incompetent app reviewers IS the result of a strategy mistake made from "the top". Apple has clearly forgot who enabled the success of the iPhone, and now they are paying the price.
And obviously she said "People", not "People at the top...".
The App Store has effectively commoditised apps. If one developer leaves, there are 10 waiting to take his place. I don't think you understand who holds the power in this relationship. It's certainly not the developers.I don't think you understand. The countless mistakes made by clearly incompetent app reviewers IS the result of a strategy mistake made from "the top". Apple has clearly forgot who enabled the success of the iPhone, and now they are paying the price.
And obviously she said "People", not "People at the top...".