Tony Fadell ("Father of iPod") Leaves Apple

[Jesus on OSX]

I'm sure no other company could have made what iPod is today. I keep replaying the scenario in my head where a different company incubates and releases the iPod and I just don't see it. Maybe Bang & Olufson on the design side, but they don't have Apple's global reach and brand recognition, nor do they update their products frequently.

iPod is a juggernaut. It sort of defined the last 8 years in a unique way and changed the music industry. What sets iPod apart from Walkman of the 80's is that the former is not something that can be easily duplicated. There is more to the iPod than just hardware. It's the software, 3rd party accessories, unique user experience, etc.

Still, what an amazing story. The man never gave up and managed to make his vision a reality by not giving up. And iPod opened doors for so many possibilities for Apple and the industry as a whole.

 

[intel]

peace out

 

[Steve Jobs=God]

part of me doesn't want to accept that an internal Apple designer didn't come up with the iPod...meh oh well

Apple didn't even come up with iTunes

 

[137489]

My god!
imagine if someone had taken the idea before Apple.
No iPod and so probably no iPhone - many Mac switchers wouldn't have experienced the clean user experience of the iPod and tried a Mac. Also no iTunes so no apple TV.
Apple wouldn't be in trouble because they were having huge success with the iMac and iBook but it would be nothing like it is today without the iPod.

Sorry to hear Tony is leaving - we all have a lot to thank him for

really... I remember my first apple experience was with the IIe when I was in high school and it was the best we had in the lab. But ten when the IBM clones/compatibles came out and we switched our curriculum to use those "advanced" features - and also how they were more geared toward business my love for the apple and its graphics fell away. that was during the time where Apple was only geared toward education and your IBM's were geared to business.

I got re-introduced to apple by the ipod, and I still have my 2004 15gb antique version. then when someone used a mac ibook at work, and all the hearings of how fast the G5 was and just blowing away windows I really took note.

I do beleive the ipod is what made a lot of people take a second look at apple.

Now Apple - keep the momentum going...... the foundation has been laid, the walls are up, time to just keep building skyward.
Now, I am a firm apple user and believer. Glad Tony accomplished his goal and Glad Apple was smart enough to see this market.

Just think of all the other businesses and jobs that were created building around that technology, accessories, ipod compatible this/that - heck even our cars have ipond connectors and someone has to assemble it into the car. too bad more of it was not made here in the USA.

 

[born4sky]

He made history ... I'd say revolutionary jump in digital industry

 

[macaco74]

Yup, the ipod made a switcher of me as well. After the ipod, we have an imac, macbook, macbook pro, apple tv, time capsule, 2 iphones, etc.

 

[Kwill]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

No one else could have done it as well as Apple that's why they all balked. Mp3 players existed before the iPod.

 

[socamx]

As long as this guy got off good with his idea and made a hell of a lot of cash, then more power to him.

Apple just needs to maintain the iPod's and iTunes Store's popularity and quality now.

 

[skiphunt]

Tony?

I'd always read that the ipod was actually developed by a small Indian company and Apple merely ripped/bought it off of them. That the whole idea and business plan had basically already been created by this small Indian firm and Apple simply bought them out and gave what they created the "Apple" treatment.

If true... how is this guy Tony so "brilliant"?

 

[Tilpots]

I'd always read that the ipod was actually developed by a small Indian company and Apple merely ripped/bought it off of them. That the whole idea and business plan had basically already been created by this small Indian firm and Apple simply bought them out and gave what they created the "Apple" treatment.

If true... how is this guy Tony so "brilliant"?

Care to back this up with any info?

 

[mathcolo]

It just seems like with all of this news we have been getting that Apple just isn't seeing the right light anymore.

 

[tjcampbell]

Apple owes everything to the success of the iPod.

 

[840quadra]

Would love to read the article, however no subscription to WSJ, and I am not planning on creating one.

Either way, it is kinda sad see him go, and I wonder if the personal reasons have to do with interpersonal relations within Apple, or otherwise.

 

[FF_productions]

I'm sure WeezerX80 is taking back his comment from 2001:

"This isn't revoltionary! I still can't believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! Why oh why would they do this?! It's so wrong! It's so stupid!"

It's not the first time people have bashed an original idea, see: every apple product that comes out.

I think whiner would be a better term...

yeah, it is funny because the iPod turned out such a success, but this happens all the time.

 

[zombitronic]

the interesting thing about this is his replacement: Mark Papermaster appears to be the named successor assuming IBM's lawyers don't put a stop to Apple's plans.

Exactly. I can't believe this was left out of the post. I think Apple has some big plans for the future power of the iPod/iPhone, so I vote positive.

 

[GroundLoop]

Would love to read the article, however no subscription to WSJ, and I am not planning on creating one.

Either way, it is kinda sad see him go, and I wonder if the personal reasons have to do with interpersonal relations within Apple, or otherwise.

He and his wife (who also works for Apple) want to spend more time with their young family. Tony will stay on as a consultant to Steve.

Hickman

Mark Papermaster Joins Apple as Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering

CUPERTINO, California—November 4, 2008—Apple® today announced that Mark Papermaster is joining the Company as senior vice president of Devices Hardware Engineering, reporting to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Papermaster, who comes to Apple from IBM, will lead Apple’s iPod® and iPhone™ hardware engineering teams. Papermaster has 25 years of product and technology experience, and was previously a vice president at IBM.

Apple also announced that Tony Fadell, Apple’s senior vice president of the iPod Division, and his wife Danielle Lambert, vice president of Human Resources, are reducing their roles within the company as they devote more time to their young family. Fadell will remain at Apple as an advisor to the CEO. Lambert will depart the company at the end of this year after a successor is in place.

“Mark is a seasoned leader and is going to be an excellent addition to our senior management team,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Tony and Dani have each made important contributions to Apple over the past eight years. We’re sorry to see Dani go, and are looking forward to working with Tony in his new capacity.”

Papermaster has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Texas, and Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont in 1988. He is active with the University of Texas where he is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Council.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

 

[173080]

Who is he going to work for now?

 

[skiphunt]

Care to back this up with any info?

Still looking. I believe I saw a story on it via one of those tech shows. I believe I was watching it while traveling in Europe a few years ago. Only thing I've found online is some Brittish dude had evidence HE'd come up with the idea in 1979 and Apple ripped it off. They evidently settled out of court. Can't find anything on the Indian claim though. Anyone else remember seeing or reading about that?

Doesn't really matter either way. If this guy is given the credit by Apple... then I guess that's good enough.

 

[840quadra]

He and his wife (who also works for Apple) want to spend more time with their young family. Tony will stay on as a consultant to Steve.

Hickman

Thanks for the clarification and update.

 

[Schizoid]

If Tony Fadell was the father of the ipod, who was the mother?

 

[PaulinMaryland]

I always love these type of stories, where someone comes up with what turns out to be a brilliant idea which seems so simple. What a brilliant man!

Imagine how the people feel who knocked him back initially. They would have kicked themselves into the next decade. Imagination and innovation is so vital. Keep an open mind and explore!!

A friend of mine used to work at a publishing house that turned down the "Dummies" book franchise, sniffing, "No one would buy a book with THAT title."

 

[sfh]

this guy changed the face of the entertainment industry ... Can you imagine if he didn't get the backing from apple that he got? ... Where is he going to? Any word?

 

[Cameront9]

Still looking. I believe I saw a story on it via one of those tech shows. I believe I was watching it while traveling in Europe a few years ago. Only thing I've found online is some Brittish dude had evidence HE'd come up with the idea in 1979 and Apple ripped it off. They evidently settled out of court. Can't find anything on the Indian claim though. Anyone else remember seeing or reading about that?

Doesn't really matter either way. If this guy is given the credit by Apple... then I guess that's good enough.

I've had an iPod since 2003 and have done quite a bit of reading about it (several good reads out there about it), and nowhere has this Indian company ever been mentioned.

The "British Dude" you mention is explained below (copied from Wikipedia's "Walkman" article):

"However, the original patent for a personal stereo was registered by Balram Shotam (BAAL). The patent was filed in the U.K in 1974. Baal had a prototype built in 1972 while he was in the record industry as President of BAAL Records distributing ABC and AVCO (Stylistics) Records. He used his prototype extensively while travelling on airplanes between local studios in Belgium and Abbey Road studios in London when he was producing and audio-engineering the October Cherries Dreamseller album for EMI in Belgium. The patent number in the UK is #2064326. This was the first wearable electronic entertainment device ever patented and a copy of the patent was sent to Akio Morita of Sony including copies to Matsushita in Japan in 1976. The patent was for a transportable cassette player which did not allow recording and was solely connected to headphones."

 

[PaulinMaryland]

of Walkmans, helicopters, and intellectual property

Only thing I've found online is some Brittish dude had evidence HE'd come up with the idea in 1979 and Apple ripped it off.

Back in 1975, I was doodling in my college notbook a concept for a pocket-sized cassette tape player with a headphone OUT jack but no speaker. "You're the only one in the world who would buy that," my classmates snickered. But it would never occur to me to sue Sony for the Walkman, a product defined more by features it lacked than features it possessed.

Now if DaVinci were alive when Sikorski "invented" the helicopter, he might have had a case.

 

[Beric]

On the front page:

Papermaster is the IBM executive that Apple recruited which triggered a lawsuit from Apple.

Arn, shouldn't this be IBM?