Apple Hires Longtime Technology Journalist Anand Lal Shimpi

[gmcalpin]

But.... I thought we were only gonna hire women because we need to be more diverse and stuff...???? What of our diversity Apple? WHAT OF OUR DIVERSITYYYYYYYY?!?!?!

He's Indian and Iranian.

So your comment wasn't just stupid; it doesn't make any sense.

 

[nagromme]

It's too soon for me to appreciate his being at Apple, but I wish him luck and will miss his writing!

 

[ElZeus]

Well it looks like I'll have to find a new site to get in-depth reviews from...

 

[chrmjenkins]

Yep. I assume they are using an approach similar to what I used when I was in that biz. Probably true given the folks who I know who work there. So they have to lock down the SPICE models and design rules about 18 months before taping out (at least they need to be in the ballpark). But easy to believe they will switch from one A-chip to the next.

They derive their own spice models and design rules from those that the vendor provides?

 

[cymolia]

This is hardly news , #TheFappening# is where its at

 

[Medic311]

While he is a respected tech journalist his reach to the general consumer public is minimal at best. If Apple had problems that buying him off would help with, buying him off wouldn't be nearly enough to work.

maybe he found leaked iWatch hardware pics

 

[inscrewtable]

He says he will remain as an adviser to the tech site.
How's that gonna work if he is working for apple?

From Apple's perspective, quite well I imagine!

 

[cmaier]

They derive their own spice models and design rules from those that the vendor provides?

Unlikely. But they almost certainly design their own cell library and macrocells (things like register files, caches, etc) and they can't do that without that information. They also need it in order to figure out the spacing of the power grid, etc.

 

[jont-fu]

Maybe Apple hired him so he could finalize his Retina Macbook Pro (late 2013) review, which we have been waiting for almost a year already!

 

[cmaier]

They derive their own spice models and design rules from those that the vendor provides?

They may also request tuning or provide feedback based on them. For example, they may ask the fab to turn up doping to sacrifice transistor frequency for leakage.

 

[chrmjenkins]

Unlikely. But they almost certainly design their own cell library and macrocells (things like register files, caches, etc) and they can't do that without that information. They also need it in order to figure out the spacing of the power grid, etc.

Ok, just making sure I didn't misunderstand. I assume the actual transistor models are encrypted spice?

They may also request tuning or provide feedback based on them. For example, they may ask the fab to turn up doping to sacrifice transistor frequency for leakage.

Ah, even a relevant example for Apple potentially, thanks.

 

[SockRolid]

... Anand Lal Shimpi will join Apple in an undisclosed role, reports Re/code.

Apple hired him just to keep him away from Samsung and their massive marketing budget.

 

[CrAkD]

Damn they should of waited till after the iphone 6 I was looking forward to his review. No one will be even half as in depth

 

[thisrocks]

1 less analyst to bash 1gb of ram.

I blurted a random sound out loud when I read this title and it was immediately followed with a grin. Very happy for Anand, all the best!

Potential Title: Internal Head of Review - Review the products before they make it to the press

 

[Locoboof]

That's the best selfie I've ever seen.

 

[Gudi]

Now who will tell me, if the next iPad mini still has the color gamut issue?

 

[Swift]

as the other poster said - i bet he was brought onto the payroll to shut him up lol

That's a really silly idea. Have any evidence, please present it.

 

[Solomani]

A very smart guy. One of Apple's "smartest" acquisitions.

 

[chrmjenkins]

That's a really silly idea. Have any evidence, please present it.

Yup, I remember him gushing about Cyclone being 64 bit. He wasn't one of the ones that needed shut up, if that's even a thing.

 

[Klyster]

Lucky Apple !

What a score!

 

[coldpower27]

Awesome!!

 

[blue22]

not bad Apple...

Anand is a legend. Good for him.

 

[Technarchy]

Wow, now that was a surprise.

Now that's a reward for a twenty years of hard work.

 

[cmaier]

Ok, just making sure I didn't misunderstand. I assume the actual transistor models are encrypted spice?



Ah, even a relevant example for Apple potentially, thanks.

I doubt they are encrypted models. I've never heard of encrypting them (but, then, we owned our own fab, so...) The circuit guys need the spice parameters, not just so they can run simulations but so they can make up front decisions.

 

[usamaah]

This is AMAZING news.

The truth is nearly everyone at Apple is intelligent and talented. They're so successful that they can demand the best people, just like Facebook or Google.

But Apple is patient and a generally speaking a master of execution. And that meshes well with Anand's personality.

I think it's fair to say that as exciting as the next iPhone and other devices may be, I'm more excited by whatever plans Apple has for Anand.