Apple Announces Management Changes: Scott Forstall and John Browett Out, Ive and Others Add Responsibilities

[HiRez]

that Apple fans had so much resentment towards Apple management. Is it because you hate latest Apple products? And if not then Why?

1. Because they are concerned about the future direction of those products they have come to rely on for their daily existence (sometimes literally, when your job revolves around using and/or producing something for Apple's products). A lot of people on MacRumors forums aren't simply fans, they use Apple products professionally, or write software for Apple products. There's a vested interest there.

2. Many Apple "fans", myself included are also AAPL shareholders and there is money on the line here. Is is a complete disaster right now? No. But you always have to be looking at least a few years out to see where they're going. There's been a number of troubling issues for Apple recently that have had a tangible effect on the stock price -- maps, Siri, retail and labor issues, iTunes bloat, the funky UIs, the "meh" OS X updates, the pricing strategy of the iPad Mini, etc. Certainly not everything is the crisis it's made out to be (although perception affects the stock price anyway) and certainly not everything can be blamed on Browett and Forstall, but they had influence.

 

[nanotlj]

Let summarize: geek = jerk + nerd

I couldn't agree more. What's more unbearable is that these are the same people who spend time in so-called technology forums as fashion themselves as geeks, they should know that Forstall's work goes far above "skeuomorphic" (which has become one of more annoying memes on the internet in recent months) and give him respect for what he's achieved. Instead we get a circlejerk of anti-skeuomorphism everywhere without looking back on his career at Apple.

 

[daneoni]

So.....who picks up the vengeful Forstall?

Google/Android, Microsoft/Windows/Bing, blackberry, Marrissa Mayer and Yahoo...Who? Everybody wants a piece of the Apple pie. Forstall's looking like a great slice right now.

Ooooooo Samsung may be salivating. LOL.

RIM would benefit the most. Google have Matias, MS isn't too far behind either.

 

[Mic'sBook]

The following may be a little bit conspiratorial:

'Forstall’s older brother, Bruce, has been a senior software design engineer at Microsoft (MSFT) for 20 years; imagine the Thanksgiving dinner conversations.' (http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...orcerers-apprentice-at-apple-10122011.html#p3) — What is he planning to do after leaving Apple?

And just for fun:

No wonder why Scott didn't laugh at all except after he had watched the iPad mini 'Piano' ad.

 

[overall]

Scot vs ives

Yes I wondered if Scott was being scolded when he did not appear in the Keynote last week...

And just today I was grimacing at the terrible monkey **** brown lettering of Find My Friends in the preferences...

And how many of us have ever had let alone seen a brown leather calendar?

Or seen a reel to reel tape recorder in the podcast app that functioned miserably when it first appeared?

And check out the number of different colored interfaces for iTunes, App store pod casts. mail etc... its all different!

I like Scotts work when he was under the thumb, but now, his true colors are showing and sadly it is time to go and with Ives there WOW! Its going to be good and unified!

 

[medazinol]

Wow, this is HUGE news. Forstall being given the walk of shame...
It's pretty well known he was a douchebag inside Apple, nobody liked him. Jury is out with Ive taking over UI design, he has the hardware design chops, software on the other hand is another kettle of fish altogether.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

When your head of a department that puts out a bad product, then yes, you will take the fall. He got paid the big bucks for a reason. "Be Perfect"

I guess Forstall took the fall for Mapsgate!

 

[Cougarcat]

Having said that, the obvious next thing for Apple is to create an executive position for cloud services and hire some real smart people with their billions of cash on hand.

They sort of did that today, too. Eddy Cue is now head of all internet services, Siri and Maps included.

 

[HMI]

.

.

 

[medazinol]

I wish they'd bring Bertrand Serlet back to head the OS X division.

I noticed that Bertrand *WAS* at the event...

 

[autrefois]

Jony Ive will take over leadership of Human Interface teams in addition to his role as head on Industrial Design.

Does this mean that interface elements in iOS are going to get thinner and thinner for no apparent reason?

• Apps icons are way too wide right now -- they will soon take up so little real estate you can hardly tap on them, but they'll look really slender and cool though.
• Goodbye Helvetica Neue, hello Helvetica Narrow! Plus, bold will be disabled by default.
• Etc.

(PS I'm not trying to belittle Ive's genius at all, just mentioning some critiques people have had with the incredibly shrinking macs, which seem to be sacrificing specs for thinness and lightness).

 

[kas23]

Hell yeah! Buh-bye!!!!

 

[lilo777]

Computer (sort of) company

replacing software designer with industrial designer. Does it make sense? Not to me. It means that at the helm of Apple we will now have supply chain manager and industrial designer. Expect more iPods that can be used as watches and similar gimmicks.

 

[irDigital0l]

Either Tim Cook knows what he's doing or Tim Cook know what's he doing.

I think this shows a few thing...

1. Tim Cook being the leader. He seems to accept that things aren't working, find the problems, get rid of the problems, and try something new.

2. More OS X and iOS integration

3. A lot more innovation and better products

 

[komodrone]

Jony Ive designing the interface of iOS 7? Yes, please.

Image

pretty sure we won't see Ive working on iOS 7 but rather the version after. iOS 7 is still probably under the guidance of Scott.

 

[SiPat]

Are we going to get an iPad Pro/Air, running OSX?

 

[HiRez]

Cook: So Johnny, how is the new iOS coming along?

Ive: Tim, first I meditated on the beaches of South France for a few weeks. Then my team sketched for a few months. Then we began making tiny, life-size molds of every button and scrollbar, in several dozen different space age materials. We sanded them, polished them and had to replace all the lighting in the studio to get the reflectance we wanted on the UI elements. It was all rubbish, so we binned it all and started over. This time we are making all the button models at 100X life size, so you can stand next to it and really get a feel for what that button will look like on our new 8K iPhone displays. I can't let you see that yet, because it's still in the secret lab, behind those doors over there.

Cook: ...so...

Ive: I'm sorry, but your presence is throwing off my Chi. Please leave now.

Cook: ...

 

[Cougarcat]

I think he ruined fcp and killed their market by his arrogance and insistence on redefining an entire industry on his own without heeding the advice of the professionals they said they were making the product for.

Huh? Forstall had nothing to do with FCP.

 

[SkippyThorson]

This is an incredible shakeup that's been a long time coming. Ever since Tony Fadell left citing disagreements with Scott Forstall, I knew his days at his current position were numbered. I had no idea his days at Apple were numbered.

On the other side of the fence. I'm THRILLED to see Jony Ive gain more control at Apple. I feel he is now the biggest influence at Apple that shares the same core values that Steve Jobs believed in. I also feel that he's the greatest source of innovation and excellence in regards to Apple's latest products.

I can't wait to see the next few years at Apple. I really wonder if this would have ever been a part of Steve's plan. This is really in stark contrast to all those articles that called Scott a Mini-Steve. I think, all in all, I'm impressed.

The following may be a little bit conspiratorial:

'Forstall’s older brother, Bruce, has been a senior software design engineer at Microsoft (MSFT) for 20 years; imagine the Thanksgiving dinner conversations.' (http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...orcerers-apprentice-at-apple-10122011.html#p3) — What is he planning to do after leaving Apple?

And just for fun:

No wonder why Scott didn't laugh at all except after he had watched the iPad mini 'Piano' ad.

View attachment 373398

View attachment 373399

Now THAT is food for thought. The only way this could be bad for Apple is if Scott goes to Microsoft; taking everything he knows with him.

 

[KPOM]

Good thing I don't have my AAPL stock right now. This is going to hurt them in the short term. I'm sitting here, waiting for a good moment to buy some undervalued AAPL.

It's the long term that's important. Tim Cook does need to find a product visionary. He isn't one, and I think he knows it. What will make the iPhone obsolete one day much like the iPod is right now? Whoever has the answer to that (Apple or someone else) and successfully executes the strategy will be the most valuable company in 2022.

By the way, has anyone seen Amazon's P/E ratio? It's over 3000!!!

And you are worried about Apple's stock going down? I'd say Google's announcement today ought to have Amazon worried, as well. Google isn't ceding the low end of the market to Amazon.

 

[komodrone]

replacing software designer with industrial designer. Does it make sense? Not to me. It means that at the helm of Apple we will now have supply chain manager and industrial designer. Expect more iPods that can be used as watches and similar gimmicks.

craig federighi is handling the software actually.

 

[CGJay]

They've updated their website: http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/

Craig is now just 'Software Engineering', Bob is 'Technologies' and Sir Jony remains 'Industrial Design'. Good stuff.

 

[nagromme]

I’ve never minded the skeumorphic stuff—it seems well done. But I’d love to see what Ive can do instead!

Lest anyone think I can’t find fault with Apple UIs... it still drives me NUTS that the standard folders in OS X (like Applications, Home and Desktop) lost all the color in their icons. They all look alike, and it still slows me down!

 

[KPOM]

Probably they will put back Google Maps before market opens on Wednesday.

RIP Apple Maps.

Not gonna happen. However, do expect that Apple Maps is getting the top priority.

 

[lilo777]

craig federighi is handling the software actually.

What sort of hardware? Ive was in charge of design of cases. That's the least important hardware in a computer.