Scott Forstall to Discuss Creation of iPhone at Computer History Museum Next Week

[MacRumors]

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California has announced that former iOS chief Scott Forstall will sit down with journalist John Markoff on June 20 for a fireside chat about how the iPhone came to be.

Forstall was Apple's Vice President of iOS from 2007 until 2012​

Forstall will be talking publicly about Apple for the first time since he was reportedly ousted from the company in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps. Forstall has maintained a quiet presence since then, although he did announce he was co-producing the Broadway musical Fun Home in 2015.

How did the iPhone come to be? The leader of the iPhone software team Scott Forstall sits down with Computer History Museum historian John Markoff to share his experience working with Steve Jobs on the secretive Apple iPhone project, codenamed "Project Purple."

Forstall's fireside chat will be preceded by a panel discussion with a trio of engineers from the original iPhone development team, Nitin Ganatra, Scott Herz, and Hugo Fiennes, who will talk about their work on the transformative device.

The two-part event is part of the Computer History Museum's ongoing "iPhone 360" project this year that explores the story of the iPhone, from its prehistory, inception, and launch, to its evolution and impact.

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary year of the iPhone launch in 2007, iPhone 360 includes integrated initiatives across the Computer History Museum to create new collections of artifacts and oral histories, scholarly research and insights, dynamic events, and educational content and curriculum.

"Putting Your Finger On It: Creating the iPhone" is scheduled for Tuesday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific Time at the museum's Exponential Center. Check-in begins at 6 p.m. Registration is available online.

June 20 also marks the release of the book The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone by Brian Merchant, in which Forstall is quoted. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller and former iPod chief Tony Fadell have both turned to Twitter in recent days to refute some of the book's contents.

Article Link: Scott Forstall to Discuss Creation of iPhone at Computer History Museum Next Week

 

[sza]

He should replace Tim as CEO.

 

[joshwenke]

Remember Game Center?

 

[macduke]

That book mentioned at the end of this story is looking more and more like an outright fabrication. Tony Fadell has even refuted quotes that were attributed to him during an interview for the book. It looks like a disaster and I won't be giving them my money to support whatever agenda they have.

 

[zahuh]

Scott you should have just dropped your ego and said sorry about Apple Maps. Sucks you were so difficult to work with and got fired.
We've missed you and your ego is why we haven't heard any news from you for years. You've become that guy that has already done his best work. Thank you for it but man, you could have done so much more. I hate egos sometimes.

 

[hawkeye_a]

That book mentioned at the end of this story is looking more and more like an outright fabrication. Tony Fadell has even refuted quotes that were attributed to him during an interview for the book. It looks like a disaster and I won't be giving them my money to support whatever agenda they have.

Citation please? I'm interested in the book so would appreciate it.

 

[HarryKeogh]

He looks a little bit like the founder of Hooli.

 

[hawkeye_a]

Scott you should have just dropped your ego and said sorry about Apple Maps. Sucks you were so difficult to work with and got fired.
We've missed you and your ego is why we haven't heard any news from you for years. You've become that guy that has already done his best work. Thank you for it but man, you could have done so much more. I hate egos sometimes.

I respect Forstall for not giving in and apologizing for something which wasn't his fault (data). He could have taken the "easy" route and apologized just to kept his job. IMHO Cook was behaving like a goon and a bully. Steve Jobs would have never apologized or pandered to 'haters'. Kudos Forstall, we miss your work.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Scott you should have just dropped your ego and said sorry about Apple Maps. Sucks you were so difficult to work with and got fired.
We've missed you and your ego is why we haven't heard any news from you for years. You've become that guy that has already done his best work. Thank you for it but man, you could have done so much more. I hate egos sometimes.

Tim ultimately signed off on it, the buck stop with him. Tim should have stepped down.

 

[FSMBP]

I respect Forstall for not giving in and apologizing for something which wasn't his fault (data). Cook was IMHO a goon and a bully, trying to appease the 'gate-masses', something Steve Jobs would have never done. Kudos Forstall, we miss your work.

I agree...no matter what you say about him, iOS was stable & solid prior to iOS 7. It definitely had bugs here and there but nothing like iOS 7 - 9.

 

[meaning-matters]

iOS looked BAD after he left.

Most ridiculous the weather app:
- tiny outline weather symbols - unreadable (fixed first)
- no degrees symbol - confusing (fixed later)
- tiny blue rain stripes on blue background - invisible (not fixed yet)

About the second point: In Europe the Celsius temperature and hour values are often in the same range. And they can step up in sync in the morning. You had no idea what was what; just RIDICULOUS. In CA with Fahrenheit scale you don't have this issue. I've wondered if that's why Ive wandered.

 

[robertcoogan]

He should replace Tim as CEO.

Seriously? He was considered to be even more of a SOB than Steve Jobs at his worst. Tim Cook is doing okay, and you can't expect the company to follow this cookie-cutter pattern to emulate Jobs' vision (and they haven't). I don't necessarily like where Cook has taken Apple - with less of a focus on form and function and more of a focus on brand name - but macOS and iOS are still the two best OS out there. Putting Forstall in charge would create a toxic environment.

 

[Regbial]

Remember Game Center?

I miss it... hey, achievements are nice.. oh wait, they're only nice on the Apple Watch, right. Games? Those are cringeworthy and embarrassing according to Apple. (Even though the concept of achievements as such originated in them...)

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

The iOS looks after he left was BAD.

The new redesign in iOS 7 was good, but it went downhill from there.

 

[logicstudiouser]

I remember people were so happy when he left, but iOS 6 despite some of the missteps with Maps is still my favourite. Too bad he isn't still with the company.

 

[Zaft]

He should replace Tim as CEO.

Well considering he thought Maps at launch was all nice and dandy I would say hell no.

 

[plexdk]

I remember people were so happy when he left, but iOS 6 despite some of the missteps with Maps is still my favourite. Too bad he isn't still with the company.

Maps was super crap back then - launched a year or two too early - rushed to market. Now its fine

 

[sza]

Remember Game Center?

Yes, because Game Center app is gone.

 

[Jsameds]

The iOS looks after he left was BAD.

I don't think so. Every time I see a pre-iOS 7 screenshot I think it looks so dated.

 

[whizstachio]

We miss you Scott, Apple is rotting since you left

 

[LordQ]

I agree...no matter what you say about him, iOS was stable & solid prior to iOS 7. It definitely had bugs here and there but nothing like iOS 7 - 9.

All iOS releases have been very stable for me, maybe you should try setting up the phone as new and don't use a backup to bring along crappy data.

 

[macduke]

Citation please? I'm interested in the book so would appreciate it.

https://twitter.com/tfadell/status/874898665734844420

Makes me wonder what other crap the author made up.

 

[Zaft]

Maps was super crap back then - launched a year or two too early - rushed to market. Now its fine

Maps is ok now, apple is improving it with indoor directions and hopefully street view soon. Google has a massive head start.

 

[bigfatipod]

I agree...no matter what you say about him, iOS was stable & solid prior to iOS 7. It definitely had bugs here and there but nothing like iOS 7 - 9.

I do miss the old iOS 6 interface and wish there was a way to revert. And this is from someone who immediately adjusted from OS 9 to OS X!

 

[Quu]

https://twitter.com/tfadell/status/874898665734844420

Makes me wonder what other crap the author made up.

The Author is saying now that he has Tony Fadell on tape saying that. So even though Tony has refuted he said it, there is a tape of him saying it that I'm expecting the Author to publish if he wants to retain any credibility.

Remember at the start of the book (well the snippet the verge showed) he said Apple execs had told him not to believe a single thing Tony Fadell told him, looks like that's coming true if he indeed has a tape of Tony making **** up.