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

Here is hoping for some nice new features in iOS. Both Siri and Maps were pretty bad main feature in the past two update cycles. I would hope for some general interface overhaul. iOS looks old nowadays.

T.
 
komodrone said:
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.
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Not as of today it's not!

Whilst no doubt they're already down the line a little on iOS7, wouldn't be surprised to see it delayed slightly, maybe until spring 2014, in order to really strip it down and implement the direction taken under Ive's eye.

One thing is for sure, Apple cannot afford another sigh of collective ambivalence and apathy that greeted iOS6. Exciting times ahead.

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gyang333 said:
Well that was bad timing, John Browett just got $1.7 million from his stock disbursement not even a week ago. They couldn't fire him quicker?

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/2...st-disbursement-of-signing-bonus-apple-stock/
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I called it a week ago (albeit more in hope than expectation) but that $1.78m was probably negotiated as his severance package.
 
... because iOS6 did not ship.

Apple ships every year.

It ships whatever is ready. And what's ready is usually great. With each upgrade there's a significant step taken towards a visionary goal.

But sometimes the product just isn't ready. And when that happens, Apple still ships. But they are forced to ship a half-baked product.

If I am right, iOS6 was exactly such a miss.

There was no structural progress in iOS6. I suspect the software was not ready in time. For whatever reason, the release is just iOS5 warmed over with some tweaks. Instead, the release became about secondary features like Maps and Passbook.

But of course, Maps is still a work in progress, and passbook, while significant, is still an ambition more than a product.

Missing the target is bad, shifting focus onto a feature that is incomplete is unforgivable. This was a double fail. And the blame rests with Forstall.

Forstall might be obnoxious and difficult to work with, but if iOS6 was a masterpiece, his job would be secure.

It wasn't. And consequently Forstall handed his rivals the excuse they wanted.
 
Browett being at Apple in the first place was a strange move - his (non) interpretation on customer service at Dixons/PC World was painfully known here in the UK.

Forstall is only slightly more of a surprise, though I doubt it is just down to the Maps fiasco - it seems with Siri and he last two iterations of iOS that he was happy to bring unpolished products to market - very poor for Apple.

And Sir Jony head if HI - good design is good design whether hardware or software. Will the iOS 7 (presumably Forstall has been working on this) be scrapped? - why would you bring to market a product that is probably no leap forward designed by the guy you have just sacked. I hope that Apple is brave enough to make the next iteration of iOS one that had been the vision of JI.

Interesting years ahead.
 
Interesting enough Forstall was a major proponent of 'skeuomorphism'. And Johnny Ive admittedly said he wasn't fond of it since he's a modernist.

So a positive thing that will come out is Johnny Ive leading the design on both Hardware and Software. So expert modernism, and evolution on GUI on both OSX and iOS.
 
carefreecork said:
Browett being at Apple in the first place was a strange move - his (non) interpretation on customer service at Dixons/PC World was painfully known here in the UK.
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That's an understatement. The few times I was forced to shop at Dixon's/PC World I felt like I needed to take a shower afterward. The staff were trying, but not trained well, and frankly some of them would lie to get a sale. It appalled me that Browett was ever hired by Apple - it just seemed like his brand of nasty, pushy sales tactics were antithetical to Apple's ethos.
 
Carniphage said:
Apple ships every year.

It ships whatever is ready. And what's ready is usually great. With each upgrade there's a significant step taken towards a visionary goal.

But sometimes the product just isn't ready. And when that happens, Apple still ships. But they are forced to ship a half-baked product.

If I am right, iOS6 was exactly such a miss.

There was no structural progress in iOS6. I suspect the software was not ready in time. For whatever reason, the release is just iOS5 warmed over with some tweaks. Instead, the release became about secondary features like Maps and Passbook.

But of course, Maps is still a work in progress, and passbook, while significant, is still an ambition more than a product.

Missing the target is bad, shifting focus onto a feature that is incomplete is unforgivable. This was a double fail. And the blame rests with Forstall.

Forstall might be obnoxious and difficult to work with, but if iOS6 was a masterpiece, his job would be secure.

It wasn't. And consequently Forstall handed his rivals the excuse they wanted.
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Not just an excuse, iOS6 was a mess of a release and there is no excuse for most of it. Forstall has to take the rap for this as he is the decision maker and should have known months before release what wasn't ready and what should have been cut. The fact that so much is unready also shows that he has been unable to scale his teams to meet the challenges faced. He has proved himself unworthy of the top job in any large software company or division let alone an industry leader like Apple. The question is now, who will replace him, I know Ive is going to be looking after UI design but that is only a small part of software delivery.
 
hchung said:
Uh. No. You got it all wrong except for the 5-10 years bit.

Google won't provide map and vector data nor license for turn-by-turn without some major kickbacks. Can't blame them cuz the companies Google licensed from before wouldn't either. It takes major effort to gather that data. And if it wern't for Google's self-driving car research, not only would Android not had built in turn-by-turn, but Google Maps would be behind Yahoo Maps, Mapquest, AND Bing Maps since they all had a head start.

TeleAtlas was not the only map provider to Google. It depended on area. The US was primarily Navteq.

Apple had to do something about Maps. Google had demands. Apple wouldn't budge. Whether or not the ask list was reasonable or not, we'll probably never know. And unless we know, it's dumb to try to pin the blame on either company.
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Read the post before replying. There are only two major companies with Navigation algorithm (TeleAtlas and NAVTEQ). It is much easier to integrate all data from one source (Google) with TeleAtlas/NAVTEQ voice navigation, rather trying to integrate 24 data sources.

Of course, it Google thinks it is at an advantage, it is going to demand more. It is up to the other party to make the right decision or to go down.

Who is having the last laugh now. Google or Apple.
 
Maybe this is too acadmically philosophical, but I hope through this change Apple emphasizes creating quality products that makes money and grows the company --- rather than making money by shoveling products out the door.
 
Good riddance

Finally Tim Cook recognizes that Forstall and Browett are bad apples. Aside from his aggressive politics inside the company, Forstall has held back software advancement with notable disappointments like Lion and Mountain Lion. And then there's iMap. His strategy of making OS X more like iOS is backwards thinking and alienating to iMac, MacBook and Mac Pro users. Hopefully, with the promotions of Ive and Mansfield, Apple will get some of its innovative mojo back.

Browett was simply a horrible hire. Why Cook thought this jerk was the person to lead retail is a mystery, and a major blunder. Apple's customer service is it's key benefit, allowing it to not have to discount to sell product. By bringing in a bottom-feeder like Browett, Apple put it's brand in serious jeopardy. Hopefully, it can reverse the harm he's done and start improving morale and service in stores. A real shame he's leaving a millionaire thanks to his signing bonus. Only Corporate America rewards failure and ruthlessness.
 
I may be the only one that thinks this way, but I'm not excited to see them forced out. One of Apple's strengths has been their motto of "Think different". If you are going to be risk averse and actively remove people when their ideas don't' pan out you're going to miss out on the opportunities that come with trying new things.

For as good as Jony Ive's designs are, he has very much settled into a single design style (brushed aluminum rectangles with rounded corners) and hasn't shown nearly the same level of design evolution/revolution that he originally brought to Apple.
 
28Gauge said:
I have seen many posts from our UK forum friend's dismay that John Browett was appointed Apple Retail Chief. It sounds like that they were on to something early in his position at Apple.
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Indeed, you wouldn't associate Dixons with Apple in the UK to say the least, in fact you wouldn't associate Best Buy with Dixons.

Good news I think although always concerned when it's blood on the boardroom carpet time.

Personally I think much of Apples design has become if not dated a little static and a refresh and forward design thinking would be welcome, clearly there isn't a better person than Ive's to take this on.
 
Today I have more respect for Tim Cook as a CEO, he has removed a possible threat to his leadership (Forstall) and the man who came from Dixons.....

Dixons was possibly the worst electronics retailer in the UK for about 20 years.
I pity the Yanks who hired Browett, they obviously were oblivious to his previous companies image/behaviour in the UK. Between them Dixons, Currys, Comet and PCworld were the most inefficient, least knowledgeable and worst customer servicing retailers in the country. Their rubbish sales forces were major contributors to the rise of Amazon and eBay in the UK and when they abandoned the high street for out of town shopping centres they helped create an urban retail wasteland.
With that background and track record Browett will not be missed at Apple.

Tim may be no Machiavelli but he seems to have his eyes open and the strength of character to do what is needed. /salute
 
gpzjock said:
Today I have more respect for Tim Cook as a CEO
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Came to post this.

After Apple Maps, Podcasts and Siri it was obvious that Forstall had to go, and Browett has been a disaster since day one. I didn't think Tim had the spine (or the good sense) to do anything about it. Certainly not so quickly. Boy am I glad to be wrong.

Ive taking over human interfaces is the best news of the last few years.

Damn this is great news.

The best days truly might be yet to come for Apple.
 
al256 said:
I didn't like Scott Forstall. I hope/believe iOS will become even greater without him at the helm.
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I also found him creepy and other things, but emotions are entirely irrelevant in this case. What matters is that iOS became the success that it is BECAUSE OF Forstall - he deserves a lot of credit here. Losing Forstall could be a very dangerous change for Apple and the iOS-products.
 
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