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A look at 18 notable Apple Alumni
Network World has a slideshow article that showcases 18 notable Apple alumni. These are folks who spent some time at Apple and saw continued success in their career when they left Cupertino. Some of the people on the list, like Andy Rubin, are known for their roots at Apple, while others like LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman are not so well-known for their stint at the Cupertino company. You can read through the full list of alumni at Network World's website.
Image of an early iPad prototype surfaces
While digging through pages of legal documents in the design lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, Yoni Heisler of Network World made a surprising discovery. Buried in the back and forth bantering of the legal team were several images of a prototype iPad that was created in the early 2000s. During testimony in the case, Apple Senior VP of Industrial Design Jony Ive is asked to comment on these 3D tablet images. Ive says, "My recollection of first seeing it is very hazy, but it was, I'm guessing, sometime between 2002 and 2004, some but it was I remember seeing this and perhaps models similar to this when we were first exploring tablet designs that ultimately became the iPad." According to research by Network World, this early prototype likely was created by Apple during a period of research into multi-touch glass displays. Though the tablet idea was cast aside temporarily, the design served as the basis for the iPhone. You can read more about the history of this prototype and its discovery in the Network World article.
How Apple tests product packaging
We all know just how obsessive Apple is about the little things. Scott Forstall, Apple's VP of iOS software, has mentioned that he uses a photographer's loupe to make sure that every pixel on the iOS interface is "just right." Now an upcoming book opens the door on a secret room at Apple HQ where product packages are designed and tested. The book, Adam Lishinsky's Inside Apple, will be available in ebook and printed form tomorrow (January 25, 2012) and opens the kimono on the inner workings of the company. NetworkWorld had an early look at the book, and in one section Lishinsky described a packaging design room that is accessible to only a few people who have the proper security clearance. Apple wants the user experience to start when the consumer first picks up a product box in a store. Lashinsky discusses how the room was once filled with hundreds of iPod box prototypes. The reason they had so many prototypes? Apple wanted to determine exactly which box evoked the proper emotional response in a customer when they unboxed the product. In a quote from the book, Lashinsky notes that "One after another, the designer created and tested an endless series of arrows, colors, and tapes for a tiny tab designed to show the consumer where to pull back the invisible, full-bleed sticker adhered to the top of the clear iPod box. Getting it just right was this particular designer's obsession ... What's more, it wasn't just about one box. The tabs were placed so that when Apple's factory packed multiple boxes for shipping to retail stores, there was a natural negative space between the boxes that protected and preserved the tab." Apple's fixation on box design must work: I still have all of the boxes for my iOS devices and Macs. Most other product boxes end up in the recycle bin after a few days.
Four out of ten IT professionals would buy a tablet, but would you?
Macworld is reporting that their partner Network World recently did a poll and came up with the figure of four out of ten Network World readers willing to buy a tablet on day one sight unseen. That's an interesting result (and it's not the only one seen along those lines), but I want to know what you TUAW readers think. We've got a pretty good group of professionals, "pro-sumers" (ugh, sorry, I'll never use that word again), and just plain Mac fans in the audience here, and I think we represent a pretty good cross-section of Apple's core audience. Jump in on our poll below, and let us know, if the impossible became possible, if you'd plunk down the rumored $1000 for a tablet even before Steve's demo, or if you'd rather wait and see (or maybe not even buy a tablet at all, no matter what it does). %Poll-40508% Personally, I'm more of a "maybe," though I can totally understand the belief that this is already a revolutionary project (we've certainly been waiting long enough for it). Or perhaps those of us who already have an iPhone and a MacBook aren't really as interested in the in-between as Apple might think.
Network World and Computerworld: Mac OS X love in IT/SMB markets
Last week was a good week for Mac press in the IT weekly trades. Over at ComputerWorld, Ryan Fass chimed in with an opinion piece on how OS X is ideal for small business.Meanwhile, John Fontana in Network World had a long article about how IT pros are beginning to "discover Mac platforms that are being transformed into realistic alternatives to Windows and Linux." With the Intel platform switch, Boot Camp and virtualization options, a Mac purchase is more flexible and futureproof than ever before.Sure, it's not news to us, but as the costs associated with this upgrade cycle to Vista are coming into clearer focus, it's an opportunity for Apple (and for Linux vendors) to make inroads with an alternative to Microsoft Everywhere. Obstacles to this vision of happiness? Well, aside from FUD and inertia, both writers point out that Apple's support and sales infrastructures are not really oriented towards the needs of the enterprise... yet.[via MacFixit]
