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First iPhone keynote was eight years ago today
I never had the privilege of watching Steve Jobs do his thing in person. Instead, I watched his public presentations as many of you did: seated before a glowing computer screen, eager for what was about to unfold. The event I remember most clearly took place on January 9, 2007. Steve took the stage to introduce a product that would change personal technology significantly. I still get chills when Steve does the "These are not three separate devices" bit. Today we know that the iPhones Steve used on stage weren't fully functional, and the threat of his demo going catastrophically wrong was very real. As The New York Times reported in 2013, engineers found a specific progression of tasks that would work, if they were executed in a precise order on stage: "The iPhone could play a section of a song or a video, but it couldn't play an entire clip reliably without crashing. It worked fine if you sent an e-mail and then surfed the Web. If you did those things in reverse, however, it might not. Hours of trial and error had helped the iPhone team develop what engineers called 'the golden path,' a specific set of tasks, performed in a specific way and order, that made the phone look as if it worked." The fact that Steve's fifteen-minute demo went as well as it did is practically a technology miracle. You can watch the historic presentation below.
Original Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne auctioning off early Apple documents
The story of Ronald Wayne almost sounds like the plot of a screwball comedy. One of the three original co-founders of Apple, Wayne sold his 10 percent stake in the company for $800 early in the company's life, and then forfeited any future claims towards profits for $1,500 later on. Despite these missteps, Wayne is incredibly important in Apple's early history, writing the manual for the Apple I and drawing the company's first logo. Now Wayne is selling off early documents from his time at Apple, including blueprints, proofs for the original Apple I manual, and drawings. Here's the lot description from Christie's. APPLE COMPUTER COMPANY (founded 1 April 1976). The personal archive of Apple Co-Founder Ronald Wayne.COMPRISING: Ronald WAYNE (b. 1934). Proof sheets for the Apple-1 Operation Manual. Palo Alto: Apple Computer Company, [1976]. Eleven sheets, printed on rectos only. Comprising front cover, text and warranty. A COMPLETE SET OF PROOFS collected by Ronald Wayne, with the exception of the folding schematic that would have been printed by a different process. [With:] Ronald WAYNE. Personal archive of preparatory drawings and blueprints for the casing of the Apple II Computer. [Palo Alto, ca 1976-77]. Comprising: 8 original pencil sketches on paper, 11 x 16 in. (6) and 17 x 22 in. (2); and 17 blueprints, 22 x 34 in. (5), 16 1/2 x 22 in. (2) and 8 1/2 x 11 in. (10). Wayne's drawings and blueprints show the enclosure, panels, door, hinges, pivots etc. The final version of the Apple II was introduced on 16 April 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire. Although the final version contained certain recognizable elements of Wayne's early renderings, such as the gently sloping front panel holding the keyboard, the result was quite different. This series of renderings illustrates the rigorous industrial design process employed in Apple's formative years: a process that can certainly still be seen in the company's adventurous, innovative leap forwards in its combination of applied science and design. [With:] Apple-II. Advance Order Information. Palo Alto, 1977. Bifolium (275 x 428 mm; 10 3/4 x 16 3/4 in.). THE EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE ORDER FORM FOR THE APPLE II. As most examples would have been filled out and returned to the company, an original example, unmarked, is a very rare ephemeral piece of Apple history. The lot is expected to sell for $30,000 - $50,000. If you'd like to place a bid, head over to Christie's.
Video of Steve Jobs calling out Michael Dell: "We're coming after you buddy"
On October 6, 1997, Dell CEO Michael Dell was asked what he would do to help what was then an ailing Apple. Dell famously responded, "What would I do? I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders." Dell's quip, in a few years time, would eventually take on a life of its own amongst the Apple faithful once Steve Jobs began righting the Apple ship and propelling company shares to unprecedented heights thanks to products like the iMac and the iPod. With the benefit of hindsight, it's certainly easy to poke fun at Dell's statement. But at the time the comments were made, Steve Jobs wasn't laughing. Quite the contrary, Dell's statement served to fuel Jobs' competitive fire. In the Steve Jobs biography, Walter Isaacson relayed how Jobs, in response to Dell's quip, sent an email to Dell which read, "CEOs are supposed to have class. I can see that isn't an opinion you hold." Moreover, Jobs, just one month later, even took a few minutes to publicly address Dell's statement while discussing Apple's new online store in November of 1998. Jobs' "indignation" might have been hammed up a bit, but Isaacson notes that Jobs "liked to stoke up rivalries as a way to rally his team..." Jobs remarked to the enthusiastic crowd: I can sort of understand it. Michael might be a little upset that we've taken something they've pioneered and really done it a lot better. We're basically setting the new standard for online e-commerce with this store. So I guess what we want to tell ya Michael, is that with our new products, and our new store, and our new build to order manufacturing, we're coming after you buddy. Recently, video of Jobs' comic retort was posted online for the first time. It's vintage Jobs. Interestingly, Dell a few years ago backtracked a bit, alleging that his infamous statement was misconstrued: The meaning of my answer was that I'm the CEO of Dell, I don't think about being the CEO of any other company, I'm not a CEO for hire, so if you asked me what I'd do for any other company, it's not really something I think about. And in the irony of ironies, it was Michael Dell who, in February of 2013, decided to take his company private and return money back to his own shareholders.
Apple ceases development of Aperture
During this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple briefly mentioned a brand new Photos app that will introduce editing tools and iCloud sharing. Today there's a bit of follow-up news, as Apple has confirmed it will cease development of Aperture, its professional photo-editing application. Apple provided the following statement to The Loop: With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture. When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS. The Loop is also reporting that the forthcoming Photos app will also replace iPhoto, in an effort to create a continuous experience across every Apple device. The company's other pro editing apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro will continue with development. R.I.P. Aperture, you served us well.
Apple hires Alex Hsieh from Atlas Wearables
Apple has hired Alex Hsieh, formerly of Atlas Wearables. According to Hsieh's Linked profile, he began working for Apple in June, 2014 as a firmware developer. No other details about his current role or assignment are available. Here's a video of the Atlas wearable in action. As MacObserver notes, Apple has been on a bit of a hiring spree lately, snatching up people who, collectively, could produce a nice wearable device. If they were so inclined, that is. Meanwhile, Tim Cook recently told Walt Mossberg that "There are lots of gadgets in the [wearable] space. I would say that the ones that are doing more than one thing...there's nothing great out there that I've seen." Time for something great then, Tim?
Susan Kare discusses icon design
Iconographer and graphic designer Susan Kare is a graphic designer and was a member of the original Macintosh team. Susan created -- if you'll forgive me -- some of the most iconic images in the history of personal computing, including the "Happy Mac," its companion the Sad Mac, the original Macintosh trash can and so much more, including the original Macintosh typeface. Susan recently gave a talk at the eighth e.g. Conference, and shared some of her history. There's a lot to love for Apple fans, including the story of her five-minute interview with Andy Hertzfeld, which ended with him asking Susan when she could start, as well as the birth of the symbol on the Command Key. Unlike some others, that icon is still in use at Apple. My favorite bit is her explanation for the Sad Mac and Bomb icons (above). "I designed them they way I did," she says, "because I was told they would never be seen by anyone." Well, not quite. It's a fantastic talk with lots of Apple history and thoughtful design, and definitely worth your time to watch.
Apple's success begets success
Last week, Daring Fireball's John Gruber published a great post detailing the myriad of ways in which Apple, under the direction of Tim Cook, is thriving in ways that would have perhaps not been possible with Steve Jobs at the helm. Gruber articulates that Cook's October 2010 memo (or perhaps manifesto is more apt) did exactly what it set out to do; usher in a new era of collaboration across Apple's hardware, software, and services teams that simply wouldn't have jibed with the secretive silo-oriented product design environment Jobs seemingly preferred. Consequently, Gruber argues that Cook has improved Apple's "internal operational efficiency." To illustrate this, Gruber cites an interesting example from 2007; the delayed release of OS X Leopard on account of the iPhone team needing to "borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from" the OS X team. With cross-team collaboration now a key component of Apple's ever evolving DNA, Gruber writes of Cook: The same maestro who was able to coordinate the procurement, assembly, production, and shipment of 76 million all-new iPhones and iPads in one quarter has brought those operational instincts and unquenchable thirst for efficiency to coordinating a Cupertino that can produce major new releases of both iOS and OS X, with new features requiring cooperation and openness, in one year. A good point, but the comparison isn't entirely fair because Apple today isn't the same company it was back in mid-2007. Back then, Apple was successful. Today, Apple is successful beyond what anyone back in 2007 could have ever imagined, generating more money in a single quarter than what most companies earn in a year. To that end, I think Apple's ability to unveil two major OS updates simultaneously has as much to do with increased collaboration as it has to do with Apple simply having more engineering resources at its disposal, thanks of course to the unprecedented success of the iPhone. In 2007, the year Apple was feverishly working to finish up the original iPhone, the company had 21,600 full-time employees. By 2013, that figure had nearly quadrupled to 80,3000 full-time employees. Now, granted, many of the additional employees are the result of rapid retail growth, but the growth rate of employees even in Cupertino was so steep that Apple was forced to lay plans for an entirely new campus. So from a broader perspective, I think a key takeaway from WWDC 2014 is that Apple's success has given it the ability to undertake tasks that simply weren't feasible before. Back in 2007, Apple simply didn't have the engineering manpower to roll out a revolutionary new mobile OS while simultaneously finish up the monster release that was OS X Leopard. What's more, the original iPhone team was necessarily small on account of the secretive nature of the product itself. Tim Cook certainly deserves credit for increasing collaboration across Apple's various teams, but the growth Apple has enjoyed since the launch of the iPhone has put it in a position to implement cross collaborative efforts that simply weren't logistically possible back in 2007. Success begets success. Once the iPhone started selling like hotcakes, Apple's revenue really began to skyrocket. In turn, Apple began increasing the rate of its strategic acquisitions ever so slowly. It purchased P.A. Semi, Siri, and a handful of mapping companies just to list a few examples. Not willing to rest on its laurels, Apple began leveraging its past successes to take even more in-house control over its own products, such as the series of Apple designed A-x processors. In addition to corporate acquisitions, Apple began leveraging its growing stockpile of cash to commit noticeably more money towards Research and Development efforts. If we look at Apple's annual R&D expenditures over the years, we see that Apple has continued to invest within itself as it has grown more successful. From 2010 to 2013 alone, Apple's R&D expenditures more than doubled. Success and the Brain Drain Many have opined that Apple's most pressing problem is brain drain, the phenomenon wherein Apple's best and brightest decide to up and leave the company for new adventures and employment opportunities. This is certainly an ongoing issue as there have been no shortage of talented Apple engineers and designers who, having had their fill of grinding hours and demanding work at a large corporation, decide to retire, leave for new startups or, perhaps, explore new opportunities at other established companies. As a quick illustrative example, the number of Apple employees who left the confines of 1 Infinite Loop to work at Nest and Tesla is high. To be sure, brain drain is a problem at any tech company. But with Apple, the phenomenon is somewhat lessened on account of the company's tremendous success. With the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and App Store all being released within the last 13 years, Apple's cultural impact and track record of innovation over the past decade is, arguably, unrivaled. As a direct result, Apple today can attract and bring on-board the best engineering and design talent around. What's more, Apple's position and reputation as an innovative company often results in top tier talent pro-actively seeking employment at Apple. So while Apple can't stop talented employees from leaving, its success helps attract a steady stream of blue-chip talent back into the company. Contrast this to, say, RIM, where scores of talented employees are leaving but aren't being replaced. To further illustrate this point, consider this: Apple's success is what enables it to convince people like Paul Deneve and Angela Ahrendts to leave their positions as CEOs and join the Apple team. When's the last time you heard of a CEO leaving a successful company to take on a different executive role at another company? Again, Apple's success begets success.
When Apple in 2000 quickly shifted its focus to music
If you pay attention to the cynics out there, Apple's $3.2 billion acquisition of Beats reeks of desperation. Apple, the argument goes, completely missed the boat on streaming music and is now just grasping at straws with Beats in a last ditch effort to reclaim musical relevancy. Some even take things further, arguing that Apple's acquisition of Beats is nothing more than a lame attempt to up the company's cool factor. In truth, Apple's acquisition of Beats reflects highly on Tim Cook and Apple's executive team insofar that it underscores the company's tacit admission that 1) the music industry is changing drastically and rapidly and 2) that previous efforts to fight subscriptions with iTunes Radio and various iTunes exclusives just aren't enough. Sure, Apple could have been more in tune with the rise of Spotify. And sure, iTunes Radio was a bit too little too late. But Apple's strength doesn't lie in its ability to never make a mistake, but rather in its ability to recognize mistakes and completely change course when necessary. So it goes with subscription music, a service Steve Jobs spoke of derisively for years on end. Apple today can't ignore the growing impact of streaming services and it's going all in with its largest corporate acquisition to date. Notably, this isn't the first time the company has pulled an about-face rather suddenly. Indeed, Apple's first foray into music with iTunes and the iPod is in some ways analagous to Apple's Beats acquisition. Philip Elmer-DeWitt referenced this a few weeks ago, directing us to an interesting and informative podcast from Ben Thompson of Stratechery. The year was 1999. Steve Jobs was on stage at Macworld introducing the latest iMac with Firewire, Quicktime and iMovie. He told the faithful that iMovie was going to be to the Mac what desktop publishing had been 15 years earlier. Internally, the whole company -- hardware, software, marketing -- was aligned with making Macs the best computers for making home movies. Fast forward 14 months and Jobs is on stage telling the faithful he has a new vision for the Mac. It's called the Digital Hub, and it's going to start not with movies but with music. Notably, Thompson (as a graduate business student) spent a summer as an intern at Apple University where he studied this particular strategy shift in detail, talking to a number of the key people involved in the process. According to Thompson, the rise of Napster caught Jobs off guard and had him scared that the company might have missed the boat on music entirely. "It was one of the scariest moments of Jobs' comeback at Apple", Thompson explained. "He realized, 'Crap! This ought to be Apple's domain.'" "So Apple completely changed everything," Thompson added. "They took all these people off of iMovie. They reorganized everyone. All the stars from iMovie got demoted. There was a ton of internal upheaval... and they went out and bought SoundJam. They didn't have time to build their own. The market need was so pressing they went out and bought something and adapted it." The end result, of course, was an incredible string of successes. The iPod was released in 2001 and once it became Windows compatible in 2003, the entire digital music industry exploded with Apple reaping the bulk of the profits and acclaim. It remains to be seen how Apple plans to integrate Beats Music into the fold, but if history is any indication, Apple never succeeds by being the first, but by being the best.
Little did they know, it was about to replace them all
Looking back at photos of the original iPhone reveal is quite a trip. Look at all those flip phones and tiny point-and-shoot cameras snapping images of the device that would eventually make them all obsolete. [Photo credit: Tim Malabuyo]
After 14 years, the "Preview Kid" on OS X's Preview icon is no more
Earlier this week we covered many of the new icons users can look forward to in OS X Yosemite. As opposed to iOS 7, the iconography in Yosemite is rather impressive. Instead of blindly adhering to a flat design aesthetic, OS X Yosemite's icons appear a bit more nuanced and elegant, seemingly an indication that a lot more thought (and time, most likely) went into the design process. While design changes to the Finder and Trashcan icons are the most noticeable, you may have missed the significance of Apple's brand new Preview icon. By itself, it's not too shabby, what with a scenic photo nestled beneath a loupe. But the redesign of the Preview icon also spells the end for what some are calling the Preview Kid. For approximately 14 years, the Preview icon in OS X looked like this - an adorable little kid having a grand old time by the water. OS X Snow Leopard? He's there. OS X Jaguar? He's there. Yep, this kid is as old as OS X itself, even gracing the original Dock that was introduced in OS X 10.0. After 14 years, there's no question that he's had an incredible run, but with college probably looming next year, it'd be pretty darn selfish of us to expect him to hang around the Dock forever. So, Preview Kid, wherever you are, a hearty bon voyage! is in order. We can only hope that your time in OS X was as meaningful and memorable to you as it was to all of us. via Reddit
Charting Apple's growing stockpile of cash
With about US$151 billion in the bank, Apple has more money than it knows what to do with. All the more impressive is that two-thirds of Apple's cash hoard was generated during the past four years alone. The above chart maps out Apple's cash on hand on a year-by-year basis. From October 2011 to October 2012, Apple's bank account grew from $81.57 billion to $121.251 billion, an astonishing increase of $39.68 billion in just one year's time. The big product releases in that time frame included the iPhone 4S and the third generation iPad, which was the first iPad with a Retina Display. It's no secret that the iPhone, quarter after quarter, accounts for the bulk of Apple's revenue. The following statistic, though, underscores how Apple's foray into the smartphone market accelerated its cash holdings. From 2001 to 2005, during the iPod's "golden years" if you will, Apple's bank account increased by a moderately impressive 26%. But in 2007, the year the iPhone first hit store shelves, Apple's bank account increased by a whopping 52%. The 2010 release of the iPad, meanwhile, really set things into overdrive. To appreciate how significant Apple's cash hoard is, check out this chart comparing Apple's financial position to that of a few countries. As a final point, it's worth noting that the vast majority of Apple's money is stashed away overseas. Apple has been reluctant to bring it back to the U.S. because it doesn't want it taxed at corporate income tax rates.
This is Apple's first "smart watch"
We're all waiting for Apple's seemingly inevitable foray into the world of smart wearables, but you might not know that the company dabbled in the idea of a wrist-worn computing device as far back as the 1980s. The peculiar contraption you see above was designed to be wrapped around your wrist and used as an input device, as you can see by the oh-so-80s column-shaped buttons. The keypad was meant to pair with an Apple-branded headset that came equipped with a single earpiece and a thick wraparound microphone. Neither of these devices ever made it out of the concept stage, but they both clearly show that Apple was considering wearables many moons ago. The photos come from Hartmut Esslinger's book about the early designs of Apple products. Titled "Keep It Simple: The Early Design Years of Apple," the book was published earlier this year and features some seriously obnoxious retro Apple devices, most of which never graced consumers' hands. [via AppleInsider]
What ever became of Microsoft's $150 million investment in Apple?
In August of 1997, Apple and Microsoft decided to put the past behind them and focus on the future. At that year's Macworld event, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates announced that the two companies had entered into a historic agreement. In addition to agreeing to a broad patent cross-licensing agreement, Microsoft promised to support Microsoft Office for the Mac for 5 years while Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer the default web browser on the Mac. Microsoft also promised to invest approximately $150 million for shares of Apple non-voting preferred stock. Though the Mac faithful at the time were wary of Microsoft, Steve Jobs at the time famously explained that "we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose." The deal between the two companies was mutually beneficial from every angle. Apple got some much needed cash while Microsoft was able to keep a weakened competitor afloat, thereby alleviating concerns about the company's monopolistic power. Since then, Apple has enjoyed an unparalleled resurgence, ascending from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the most valuable companies on the planet. That being the case, one can only wonder: What ever became of Microsoft's $150 million investment? Here's the scoop. Microsoft's $150 million investment netted the company 150,000 shares of preferred stock, convertable to common shares of Apple stock at a price of $8.25, redeemable after a three year period. By 2001, Microsoft had converted all of its shares into common stock, netting the company approximately 18.1 million shares. But by 2003, Microsoft had sold its entire stake in Apple. But what if the folks at Redmond decided to hold on to their Apple shares? How much would they be worth today? Well, Apple stock split on a 2-for-1 basis twice since the agreement, once in June of 2000 and again in 2005. At the time of the first split, the three year window had not yet passed so let's just assume that Microsoft's shares would have split only once. That would have given the company 36.2 million shares. At the close of trading on Monday, shares of Apple were trading at $604.59. If Microsoft still had their shares, they'd be worth $21.86 billion, a hell of a return for the initial outlay of $150 million. Note that this isn't meant to disparage Microsoft, but rather to point out how incredibly high Apple's share price has been. And besides, the influx of cash was never about Microsoft pursuing an investment opportunity.
Original Apple rainbow signs from old Apple HQ for sale
You might think you're a true Apple fan, but one lucky bidder is definitely going to have you beat in June. That's when bidding will take place for Apple's original rainbow logo signs that once graced the company's Cupertino headquarters, with bidding expected to reach north of US$15,000. As the auction description states, the signs were removed from Apple headquarters in 1997 and given to "a longtime Apple employee," who remains unnamed. The signs themselves are a bit rough looking, showing plenty of wear and tear from the years they graced the company's campus while basking in the California sunshine. The two signs come in two different sizes, one measuring 46in by 49in and the other coming in at a slightly smaller 33in by 36in, each with its own separate "leaf" piece. The larger apple is made of "stiff foam" while the smaller is crafted out of fiberglass and metal. These are two of the most iconic treasures for Apple fans, so bidding is expected to reach a lofty figure before the dust settles. They'll be sold during the Bonhams "The Story of the 20th Century" auction in New York on June 4. [via The Verge]
Apple potential acquisition of Beats Electronics and other news for May 9, 2014
In this morning's Apple news, Nokia's photography lead has moved over to Apple and a little bit of music news. Stop me if you've heard this one. The Internet exploded today with news of Apple's potential acquisition of Beats Music. Note that this is not a formally-announced deal as of this writing. The Financial Times broke the story, claiming that Apple is set to pay US$3.2 billion for the young music company. That would be Apple's largest acquisition yet, and give it a huge leg up in competing with the likes of Spotify. Apple has hired Nokia's Ari Partinen. Former photography lead at Nokia's Lumia division has announced his move to Apple via Twitter. Partinen oversaw the cameras in the N8 and the 41-megapixel 808 PureView.
Apple PR head Katie Cotton to retire
Re/Code is reporting Apple's long time VP of worldwide corporate communications, Katie Cotton, is retiring after almost 20 years with the company. The departure appears to be amicable as Cotton simply wants to spend more time with her family. During her nearly two decades at Apple, Cotton served as gatekeeper to company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook, and guided the media narrative around pretty much everything from the iMac to the iPad. She's long been among the company's most powerful executives and played a key role in shaping the mystique and exclusivity surrounding the Apple brand. In 2010, Cotton was ranked 50th on Fortune's list of "50 Most Powerful Women." In a statement provided to Re/Code, Cotton explained that the decision to leave was difficult, "This is hard for me," Cotton explained. "Apple is a part of my heart."
Apple tops JD Power smartphone satisfaction and other news for April 24, 2014
Former Apple engineer Francisco Tolmasky has shared some very interesting stories about the development of mobile Safari and other software features of the new iPhone. Including Steve Jobs' insistence that it be "like magic." Meanwhile, Apple's stock split and customer satisfaction wrap up today's news roundup. Surprise! Apple has topped another JD Power satisfaction rating. This time, its US smartphone owners who voted the Cutpertino company as their favorite. The survey examined performance, physical design, features, and ease of use. A former Apple engineer shares his story of creating mobile Safari. It's a very interesting look behind the curtain during the development of the first iPhone. For example, the software keyboard resulted from "a kind of hackathon run by Jobs," during which everyone on the software team was to work on keyboards only for one week. iMore has taken a look at Apple's recent stock split. Take a look if you've got questions.
Apple's first CEO was Michael Scott
One of the more common misconceptions about Apple is that the company's December, 1996 acquisition of NeXT ushered in Steve Jobs' second go-round as CEO. In reality, Jobs during his first stint at Apple held a few positions, but never served as the company's CEO. Over the course of Apple's 37 year history, the company has seen seven distinct CEOs. And while everyone is certainly familiar with Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, and perhaps John Sculley and/or Gil Amelio, Apple's first CEO isn't as widely known. Which is somewhat surprising given that it was none other than Michael Scott. Yep, Apple's original CEO shares the name of everyone's favorite TV boss, Michael Scott from The Office. Scott served as Apple CEO from 1977 through 1981, a solid four year run. Similar to how Eric Schmidt was initially brought into Google as CEO because Larry Page and Sergey Brin were considered too young and inexperienced to manage a company, Scott was hired on because Jobs and Woz at the time were also considered too young and inexperienced for the position. Scott steered Apple through a period of tremendous growth (the Apple II was released in June of 1977 and was reportedly behind a 1979 ban on all typewriters within Apple headquarters. One interesting anecdote from the Michael Scott as Apple CEO file is that Scott in early 1981 fired upwards of half of the Apple II team, a day that Andy Hertzfeld says was referred to as "Black Wednesday" within the company. Scotty explained his rationale. He said that the company had grown much too fast over the last year or so, and had made a few key bad hires, who themselves had hired even worse people. He thought the Apple II division had become too complacent, and that we had lost the start-up hustle that was the basis of our success. He wanted to shake us out of our complacency and prune out the bad hires, so we could start growing again in the right direction. What's more, a comment on Hertzfeld's post from early Apple employee David Casseres relays that Scott explained, "I used to say that when being CEO at Apple wasn't fun any more, I'd quit. But now I've changed my mind -- when it isn't fun any more, I'll fire people until it's fun again." Which of course couldn't be more diametrically opposed to Steve Carell's Michael Scott character who, if you recall one of the shows earlier episodes, couldn't bring himself to fire anybody. Lastly, here are two photos of what the real Michael Scott looks like. From back in his Apple days. And a more recent photo courtesy of Business Insider.
John Sculley regrets ousting Steve Jobs and other news for April 18, 2014
It's Friday! Slip on a pair of loafers and browse today's Apple news in a leisurely fashion. Because it's Friday. And you're a boss. In an interview with Times of India, former Apple CEO John Sculley admitted that ousting Steve Jobs was a mistake. "I think there could have been a way, in hindsight, where Steve and I did not need to have a confrontation, and we could have worked it out," he told the Times. "And, perhaps the board could have played a bigger role in that. But you can't change history." John seems to spend a lot of time saying, "I fired Steve Jobs once." Candy Crush developer admits it can't own "candy." Not long ago, the makers of Candy Crush wanted to trademark the word "candy." They've withdrawn the application in the US, but managed to win it in Europe. Still, it seems there's some wiggle room, as the company has let apps Banner Saga and CandySwipe keep those monikers. Sugar crush! Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has posted a "super, double top-secret of the iPhone 7. He even names his source.
Why 9:41 AM is always the time displayed on iPhones and iPads
If you've ever paid close attention to Apple's advertising materials, you may or may not have noticed that the time depicted on Apple's products is always 9:41 AM. Apple's affinity for 9:41 AM is evident across much of the company's product line. For example, below is a current snapshot taken from Apple's website depicting OS X Mavericks running on a MacBook Air. The time? Why, 9:41 AM, of course! So what gives? Why do most official photos of Apple products show the same time? As one might expect, nothing about Apple's advertising efforts is ever left to pure chance. Consequently, there's actually a rather interesting explanation as to why the 9:41 AM timestamp is so darn prevalent. Back in April of 2010, developer Jon Manning was at an Apple retail store in Palo Alto for the original iPad launch when he found himself in the company of former iOS chief Scott Forstall. Curious about Apple's quirky and ever-present display time, Manning asked Forstall if there was any rhyme or reason behind it. Forstall answered: We design the keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. When the big image of the product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual time on the audience's watches. But we know we won't hit 40 minutes exactly. So just to be safe, Forstall explained, Apple added another extra minute or two to provide a little bit of a cushion in the event of any slight holdups or delays. And lo and behold, if we go back to Engadget's liveblog of Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone, check out when the iPhone portion of the event got started -- 9:41 and 9:42 right on the dot! Of course, not every Apple media event is timed just perfectly to the 41 minute mark. In fact, I'm not sure if any others ever have been. Jobs, for instance, introduced the iPad just 10 minutes after taking the stage, while the iPhone 5 and 5s were introduced 13 and 34 minutes into their respective media events. That being the case, the 9:41 AM display time still used by Apple today can be traced all the way back to Steve Jobs' legendary iPhone unveiling seven years ago. On a related note, keep in mind that some of the early iPhone promotional materials displayed a time of 9:42 AM, but Apple shortly thereafter began using 9:41 AM across the board. For instance, here's one of the first iPhone images Apple ever put up on its website. As a final point, if we take a look some of Apple's older marketing materials, we see that Apple was somewhat conscientious of the time display even during the pre-iPhone days. Here's a OS X Tiger screenshot from Apple's website that was put up in late December 2006 -- it's an hour later, but still somewhere around the 40-minute mark.
