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Apple Senior VP of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield to retire, be replaced by Dan Riccio
Apple has announced that its Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield, will retire and over the course of the next few months transfer his role to Dan Riccio. Mansfield is credited with leading the Mac engineering team since 2005 and took on a more visible role as an exec during the reshuffling in 2008. He's also mentioned as leading iPhone and iPod engineering since 2010 (when he took over the role from Mark Papermaster in a move curiously timed around those antenna troubles) and the iPad since it began. He'd been with Apple since 1999 when it acquired his previous employer, Raycer Graphics, and most recently popped up on our radar earlier this year while integrating another acquisition, flash memory maker Anobit. If you'd like to get familiar with his replacement, Dan Riccio is currently vice president of iPad hardware engineering. Check the press release after the break for a few more details on both individuals, there's no word on Mansfield's post-retirement plans.
Daily Update for January 25, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Report: Apple mulling second Israeli facility after Anobit purchase
It looks like Apple's acquisition of Anobit was only one part of its Israel-based plans -- business daily Calcalist is claiming that the company will open a research center there by the end of February. It's unrelated to the purchase of the flash-chip maker, since Ed Frank was apparently despatched to scope out suitable bases for a new facility in early 2011. It's reportedly going to be based in the Matam Technology District, south of Haifa, adjacent to similar facilities operated by Microsoft, Intel and Philips. It's already received hundreds of resumes for engineers: it's looking for those with specific know-how in chip development, hardware testing and verification. The new complex is to be kept separate from Anobit, with no communication allowed between the two teams. Another tidbit that emerged from yesterday's conference call was that Bob Mansfield is integrating Anobit's team into Apple's, but company founder Ehud Weinstein will depart for pastures new -- much in the same way that some of Intrinsity and PA Semi's staff departed after being swallowed by Cupertino's cash.
Apple increasing operations in Israel with Anobit, new research center
Apple recently confirmed its purchase of Israeli-based flash memory firm Anobit, and today Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reports [Google translation, subscription required] Apple will open a research center in Haifa this February. Calcalist notes that the research center is not related to the Anobit acquisition, and Anobit employees should not expect to be working there. Speaking of employees, Apple is reportedly seeking engineers with experience in chip development, and has already received "several hundred resumes" from interested hopefuls. During yesterday's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield is now in charge of the Anobit team. [Via 9to5 Mac]
Daily Update for January 11, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple confirms purchase of flash memory firm Anobit
Apple spokesperson Steve Dowling spoke to Bloomberg's Business Week and confirmed the company purchased Anobit, an Israeli-based flash memory firm. Israeli newspaper Calcalist broke the story in December, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu corroborated the news when he tweeted a welcoming message to Apple. Apple's acquisition of Anobit is the company's first step into Israel, a place that's becoming a hotbed of technology. The company probably attracted Apple's attention because of its memory signal processing technology, which increases the performance of flash memory. Dowling did not provide details on the deal. He only said, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
Apple buys flash storage maker Anobit for $500 million, aims to establish R&D lab in Israel
The rumor mill has been churning on this one for the last few days, but it's now as official as it's ever apt to get: Apple has decided to splash out the $500 million to buy Israeli flash-chip outfit Anobit. The fabless designer of MLC NAND flash chips should be a good fit, given Cupertino's reliance on solid state storage technology for its iPad, iPod, iPhone and Macbook Air lines. With $84 billion in the bank, the purchase has cost the company just over half a percent of its war chest, and we're guessing it'll just barely feel the pinch when said funds are transferred over. The story was originally reported in the Calcalist financial daily newspaper, with the verified Twitter account of the Prime Minister of Israel chiming in with the following: "Welcome to Israel, Apple Inc. on your [first] acquisition here. I'm certain that you'll benefit from the fruit of the Israeli knowledge." Moreover, Apple's expected to open up a research and development center in the nation, marking its first outside of the USA. If history has anything to say about it, we highly doubt Apple will ever open its mouth one way or the other on this, but it'll be interesting to see what related nuggets are uncovered in the company's next quarterly filing with the SEC.
Calcalist: Apple to buy Israeli company Anobit
As noted here & here last week, the Israeli business daily Calcalist has been tracking the story of Apple's purported buyout of the flash/DSP technology company Anobit. Today the site reports that the deal is good to go, and that Anobit's employees are being told of the new ownership. To put an exclamation point on the transaction and the possible expansion of Apple's R&D efforts to a new facility near Haifa, the official Twitter account of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a welcome to Apple today. In the odd-coincidence department, today is the 15th anniversary of Apple's 1996 acquisition of NeXT and the return of Steve Jobs. Given the reported US$500 million price tag on the acquisition (Apple 2.0 notes that's more than the inflation-adjusted price Apple paid for NeXT, and may represent the largest single purchase by Apple of another firm), the value Apple places on moving Anobit's technology in-house must be pretty high. GigaOM laid out the case for ownership last week; since Anobit's tech makes cheaper flash memory reliable & long-lived enough for high-end devices, it's a key capability for Apple's light and portable product line. Anobit's engineering is already adding to Apple's product line via inclusion in the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air -- that graphic up there comes from Anobit's news page, and even with the logos filed off the gear it's pretty obvious what those 'mystery products' actually are. While 2011 hasn't seen many big Apple acquisitions of smaller companies, 2010 was extremely busy by comparison. After buying LaLa at the end of 2009, last year's shopping list included SIRI, Poly 9, Intrinsity, C3 Technologies, IMSense, Quattro Wireless and Polar Rose. Apple also sold off Agnilux to Google in 2010. Apple's fiscal year 2011 ended in September with the company reporting over $81 billion in cash and marketable securities, which is the very definition of "war chest." If Apple does expand its R&D facilities to the Haifa area, it's another bit of good news in a remarkable week for Israel's Technion university. The technical institute, which anchors Israel's version of Silicon Valley, is also partnering with Cornell University to launch New York City's future 'superschool' and technology incubator on the city's underdeveloped Roosevelt Island.
Haifa may host Apple innovation center
The Israeli business publication Calcalist reported this week that Apple plans to site an innovation center (translation, original here) in the northern Israel city of Haifa, close to the country's leading technical university. The site points to a visit by Apple R&D VP Ed Frank to the area, and also notes that Apple appears to be in talks to acquire chip technology firm Anobit. We noted the Anobit deal murmurs on Tuesday. The Anobit acquisition would be in line with Apple's other buyouts of companies like PA Semi, as it continues to pull critical chipmaking IP and capabilities in-house to ensure that mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad have the purpose-built silicon they need (and, not coincidentally, that competitors have a harder time getting those crucial parts). Anobit's technology concerns flash memory; Apple's devices use the lion's share of worldwide flash production. Haifa's mayor, Yona Yahav, sounded more hopeful than certain when asked about the company locating its first non-Cupertino R&D center in his area: "The future arrival of Apple in Haifa would be a very great celebration and we would embrace them in the city." It's possible that the press push on the R&D center is just wishful thinking at this point, but if Apple does build out a facility there it would be in good company. Intel, Yahoo, IBM and other international tech firms have offices there, taking advantage of the talent pipeline coming from Technion. The Israeli technology institute is a rival to top US computer science schools like MIT, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford, but also maintains tight ties to the high-tech Israeli military establishment. [via Reuters & MDN]
Daily Update for December 13, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Apple to buy flash chip maker Anobit for $500 million?
Disclaimer: Delving into Apple's business requires a hefty pinch of salt, okay? Good. Is Apple about to open that $84 billion war chest to make another one of its traditional flash-memory supply-chain land-grabs? Rumors from Reuters suggest it's planning to snap up Israeli outfit Anobit for $400 or $500 million. The outfit specializes in signal processing for the memory chips, increasing volume and performance, which you'll already find bolted onto the Samsung and Hynix flash drives inside the iPhone 4S. Whilst we're having a hard time believing Cupertino would buy a hardware maker (even P.A. Semi and Intrinsity were fabless designers), it seems a logical move from a company who probably see traditional HDDs as an evil to be eradicated from its simplistic designs. We've reached out for comment from the companies and we'll let you know if we get anything more substantial than the regular "no comment." Update: The initial reports suggested that Anobit had production facilities, but it's since been clarified that the company is a fabless designer in the same vein as P.A. Semi and Intrinsity.
