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Is the app the issue, or the data being used in the app?

I remember the app itself was a huge step up from the old Maps app which used Google's data. Directions, 3D, vector graphics, etc. I never had any issues with the data (apart from it being limited compared to Google's), but I understand that other's were having issues with the accuracy of the data (which is not Forstall's work).
The app now is actually well designed, I like the search bar on the bottom. But it still has less POIs than google maps and IMO fly over is a pointless gimmick.

Street view is much more useful and apple is working on that.
 
For example, Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.

"It began because Steve hated this guy at Microsoft. That is the actual origin," Forstall said, before adding that it wasn't Bill Gates. After hearing the person boast about Microsoft's tablet and stylus development, said Forstall, "Steve came in on a Monday, there was a set of expletives and then he said, 'Let's show them how it's really done'."

Steve Ballmer, lol.
 
Always find it extremely interesting hearing stories about Apple, especially when Steve Jobs was still in control. I could hear someone like Forstall tell stories about things came to be, and stories of working with Jobs all day long.
 
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That's true. Apple doesn't let you downgrade your iOS.
That makes no sense...How are you comparing software released in 2012 to software in 2017? Obviously the 2017 versions are more feature-rich and refined. You're acting if Scott was still at Apple that iOS wouldn't have evolved at all.

Very amusing.

But I'm actually talking about the skeuomorphism. Sorry was in a hurry.
I remember Scott was fighting for skeuomorphism for iOS 7, while Sir Ive was fighting for a flatter design.

I personally hate skeuomorphism because it looks ugly.
It's subjective.
 
Because the "data" in maps was not his work? And it was never part of Apple's DNA to pander to the vocal minority, least of all by apologizing. I respect Forstall for standing up for himself and his principles.

When you lead a product team, the buck stops with you. You can't just say, "Oh, well I wasn't really involved in that part, it's not my fault. Blame these guys on my team." Throwing the people working under you under the bus because you want to protect your own reputation is not the kind of person I'd want to work for or with. He stood up for himself for sure, and that's all he did.
 
For example, Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.

Old news, to those of us who have read Jobs' biography:

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-describing-the-moment-he-decided-to-do-the-ipad-2013-5

Basically, Jobs was invited to a MS employee's 50th birthday party (the guy was a friend of Jobs' wife), and he bragged for the umpteenth time to Jobs about Microsoft's tablet work. So Jobs got ticked off and told his crew the next day to come up with an Apple tablet to show him how it should be done.

So, in typical bizarre karmic fashion, it was actually Microsoft who was responsible for the creation of the iPhone and iPad :D. A side note is that Bill Gates actually feared something like this would happen, and had told that employee to cool it in front of Jobs before.

Regarding the iPhone, Forstall said the idea for the device was initially born when he and Jobs were eating lunch...

If only we all had a dime for every Apple employee who, since Jobs' death, has claimed that they were the one to help Jobs come up with the idea :rolleyes:
 
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Former iOS chief Scott Forstall gave a rare interview last night at an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, where he discussed the birth of the iPhone and his relationship with Steve Jobs.

Speaking to journalist John Markoff after an opening hour with original iPhone engineers Nitin Ganatra, Hugo Fiennes, and Scott Herz, Forstall's appearance was the first time he had spoken publicly since he was ousted from Apple in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps.

Screen-Shot-1-2-800x378.jpg

Scott Forstall (right) speaking to John Markoff

Forstall proved a charismatic storyteller on the night as he discussed his school education and his early career at Steve Jobs' NeXT, before moving on to his work on the first iPhone at Apple. The former iOS chief spoke with genuine warmth about his time with the company, but stopped short of offering any huge revelations, although the audience was treated to a few more details as well as some humorous episodes along the way.

For example, Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.
Regarding the iPhone, Forstall said the idea for the device was initially born when he and Jobs were eating lunch and they noticed everyone was using their phones. "We hated them," he said. "No one seemed like it was a pleasurable thing to use a phone, but it's a nice thing for communication." The episode prompted Jobs to ask the tablet design team to redouble their efforts to perfect multitouch but to miniaturize it for a device that you could put in your pocket.

Forstall also touched upon the concept of skeuomorphic design, claiming he had "never heard of skeuomorphism" when he was working on iOS and that it sounded "unnatural".
Elsewhere, Forstall chose to highlight the many emails he received from customers explaining how the iPhone and iPad had changed and even saved lives. One email was from a 100-year-old woman who had been an avid reader and writer all her life, before age had made these pastimes impossible. The iPad bought for her by her family had allowed her to take up reading and writing again, long after she had all but given up hope.

Forstall also spoke touchingly about his friendship with Jobs, including the time when Forstall contracted a rare and potentially lethal vomiting virus which left him in hospital for months, before the late Apple CEO arranged for an acupuncturist to treat him. After two sessions, Forstall was discharged from hospital and went on to make a complete recovery.

Forstall shared a particularly funny anecdote about how Jobs insisted on paying for both their lunches at the Apple cafeteria, despite the fact that the $8 meals were charged against staff paychecks with each scan of their badges, and as CEO, Jobs only got paid a dollar a year.

Lastly, Forstall said he is not currently developing technology himself, and will continue his work in an advisory capacity. You can watch all of the interviews on Facebook.

Article Link: Former iOS Chief Scott Forstall Discusses Creating the First iPhone
 
I personally hate skeuomorphism because it looks ugly.

Ugly, but effective. A 2 year old who had never seen a mobile device before would have a harder time figuring out by herself how to use an iOS 10 iPad, than an old one running iOS 5. Ive seems to prefer UX/UI for experienced users in mature markets, not for clueless potential early adopters. Jobs had more vision about what it took to get the public to buy and use an unknown new product in an underdeveloped market segment. Without that vision, Apple seems to have less potential for anything new and groundbreaking.
 
I have to say that I do not know if it would have better or worse for Apple, and I dont want to come off as though I actually KNOW how things would have turned out.

What I do "feel" from what I've seen of Forstall and Cook (on stage mind you), is that Forstall had geek-appeal, he seemed to actually like the technology and the details, something Cook can't even seem to fake adequately on stage.

That being said, Cook has been great at 'scaling' the company up (ie good.. even great for business)... Cook too played a major part in "saving" Apple in the late 90s and there is no better COO in the industry.

And that's the flaw. Many here think being charismatically geeky, having nice hair, being attractive with stage presence, etc are excellent metrics and qualifications for running one of the largest companies in the world.

While that may play well on reality TV, that's extraordinarily shallow thinking.
 
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Ugly, but effective. A 2 year old who had never seen a mobile device before would have a harder time figuring out how to use an iOS 10 iPad than an old one running iOS 5. Ive seems to design for experienced users in mature markets, not for clueless potential early adopters. Jobs had more vision about what it took to get the public to buy and use an unknown new product in an underdeveloped market segment. Without that vision, Apple seems to have less potential for anything new and groundbreaking.
What is there to figure out? its still a stack of icons. My 3 year old has no trouble using iPad.
 
Talented guy. Just doesn't seem like Tim's type though.

Right, cause Tim only cares about profit, and doesn't wan't to be bothered with usability. Need proof: Where's USB-C magsafe? High end Apple Watch is $16,000 and the only difference between the $350 model is that is has less than one ounce of added gold (gold is about $1,300 per ounce). Prove me wrong.
 
Ugly, but effective. A 2 year old who had never seen a mobile device before would have a harder time figuring out by herself how to use an iOS 10 iPad, than an old one running iOS 5.

That's entirely subjective. My 9 year old son didn't have any issues figuring out how to use his iPad.
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Right, cause Tim only cares about profit, and doesn't wan't to be bothered with usability.

True. But one thing Apple still has going for it is that it is the most secure OS out there.
 
When you lead a product team, the buck stops with you. You can't just say, "Oh, well I wasn't really involved in that part, it's not my fault. Blame these guys on my team." Throwing the people working under you under the bus because you want to protect your own reputation is not the kind of person I'd want to work for or with. He stood up for himself for sure, and that's all he did.

Just wondering if you realize that Apple bought the data from other companies.

Did Google ever apologize for their own data being incomplete/incorrect? (Their incorrect maps were even used as justification for an actual invasion).
 
After watching the keynotes of the past few years, Apple has become a scripted corporate borefest. Scott has a passion about him that he can portray through words, the same way Jobs could. Even though Jobs was in another category, Scott was the closest thing we had to Jobs after his death. The day he was booted out of Apple, was the day that Apple shifted as a company. Apple is doing a lot of great things today because they are reaping the benefits of the work that was done ten years ago.

In terms of software design, Scott understood what a UI needed to be for a smartphone. Regardless of how the icons looked, he understood how the system should work. Apple Music is an example of Apple copying Spotify's UI and failing to create a simple user experience for a streaming music platform. While iTunes became a mess under Jobs and Forstall, the original Music app for the iPhone was simple and elegant. It's the first app Apple showed off when presenting the original iPhone. Today, we have people like Eddie Cue destroying these apps and making them "feel like work", for the sake of creating new revenue streams.

After watching the video, it's pretty clear that Forstall had a special relationship with Jobs...and it was more complex than I originally assumed. Scott didn't have the same pull as Steve....so when he could be offed, he was gone. They didn't want to deal with him.

Some great stories in that video. Gotta love all of the inside craziness that went on throughout the process. It's pretty clear that Apple lost a unique personality when they got rid of Scott Forstall.
 
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And that's the flaw. Many here think being charismatically geeky, having nice hair, being attractive with stage presence, etc are excellent metrics and qualifications for running one of the largest companies in the world.

While that may play well on reality TV, that's extraordinarily shallow thinking.

Hair, attractiveness, stage presence might be what you (and some others) noticed, which is quite shallow.

I noticed passion for the work and the products, backed up with a solid foundation of education from what is IMHO the best CompSci school in the U.S., if not the world, as well as proven experience on teams which laid the foundation for Apple's entire software strategy. Just sayin'.
 
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Hair, attractiveness, stage presence might be what you (and some others) noticed, which is quite shallow.

I noticed passion for the work and the products, backed up with a solid foundation of education from what is IMHO the best CompSci school in the U.S., if not the world, as well as proven experience on teams which laid the foundation for Apple's entire software strategy. Just sayin'.

No, not me - nice try. It's what many people here talk about and then, somehow, conclude those are good leadership attributes for leading the company.

He certainly is a good ebgineer. And has been a decent group leader. That's about it, and does not speak to the skills needed for running Apple.
 
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What is there to figure out? its still a stack of icons. My 3 year old has no trouble using iPad.

Didn't have to explain the "Videos" app, now have to explain the "TV" app, same with the old iPod app that became "Music". It's not the end of the world, but it is very different from the old approach.
 
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And that's the flaw. Many here think being charismatically geeky, having nice hair, being attractive with stage presence, etc are excellent metrics and qualifications for running one of the largest companies in the world.

While that may play well on reality TV, that's extraordinarily shallow thinking.

A charismatic, geeky guy that was in charge of designing the iPhone. Not saying he'd make a good CEO, but he's quite the talent.
 
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