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Businessweek profiles Scott Forstall
Apple's iPhone 4S press event showcased the talents and personalities of Apple's executive leadership including CEO Tim Cook and Phil Schiller. One standout was vice-president Scott Forstall who, in the absence of Steve Jobs, is expected to take a bigger role at Apple. In a lengthy article, Business Week takes a closer look at this up and coming executive. Forstall's in charge of Apple's mobile software division and oversees the development of iOS. At the tender age of 42, he is Apple's youngest senior executive. He's also the most like Steve Jobs and the executive most likely to preserve Jobs's vision. If you want to learn more about Forstall and his role at Apple, then you should take some time to read Business Week's six page profile.
Looking back at Apple's 1984 ad
Ars Technica has an excellent interview with Steven Hayden, former creative lead at advertiser Chiat/Day and one of several people behind Apple's iconic 1984 ad. Hayden sheds some light on the behind the scenes negotiations that went into this advertisement. It's well known that Apple's board of directors did not like the ad and threatened to fire advertiser Chiat/Day, but, according to Hayden, it was supposedly Steve Wozniak's faith in the project that helped bring it to fruition. Hayden also revealed he had to interview with Scott Ridley's mother in London before the famed director agreed to work on the American commercial. For additional quips like this, check out the rest of Ars Technica's full interview here. It's worth the read.
Happy 5th birthday, Apple TV
Get out the cake and candles, it's birthday time! Five years ago today, Apple introduced the pre-cursor to the Apple TV. Code-named the iTV, the home entertainment device was "the last thing" presented during Apple's "Its Showtime" press event held in San Francisco on September 12th, 2006. The iTV was introduced as a smaller Mac Mini that works with the Apple Remote. It ran modified OS X software with an interface that resembled a souped-up version of Front Row. It also included a USB port, 802.11B connectivity, component video, HDMI output and optical audio. Just like the current model, it was advertised as a device to watch media pulled from your computer and iTunes account. Renamed the Apple TV for its launch, the first generation device hit retail shelves on March 2007 and received a lukewarm reception. The second generation model was introduced four years later at Apple's fall event on September 1, 2010. Still not a flagship product, Steve Jobs called the device a "hobby". Though a hobby, the new Apple TV has some notable improvements, including a significantly smaller form factor and iOS which enabled features like AirPlay streaming. Sales of the AppleTV still pale in comparison to the iPhone and iPad, but the addition of other services like Netflix and the increased interest in video streaming bode well for the future of this device.
Publishing for Apple's Pippin was a bit less curated than the App Store
Let me describe a game for you: Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead descends from Heaven and acid-trips his way through a parking lot, trying to avoid getting busted by the cops as he attempts to hug electric guitars. Sound like fun? Sure. Sound like something Apple would let onto the App Store in a million years? Probably not. But it turns out Apple wasn't always so choosy. Ars Technica recently interviewed Jason Rainbows, developer of Garcia's Guitars for the Apple Pippin, and the interview paints a picture of a much different (and maybe more lighthearted) mid-1990s Apple. "The Apple Pip-what?" some of you may be asking now, and you can be forgiven for that, because I never heard of it before a couple years ago, either. The Apple Pippin was Apple's aborted attempt at entering the gaming market in the mid-90s, running a version of System 7 on PowerPC hardware. As was typical of much of Apple's gear during that time, the Pippin was too expensive, too slow, had too little third-party support, and almost no one bought it. It was one of the first Apple products to disintegrate under Steve Jobs's laser gaze when he returned to Apple's top echelons, and as such the product is now little more than the answer to obscure Apple trivia. However, one interesting bit about the Apple Pippin is that Garcia's Guitars was actually packaged with the device. Apple doesn't include games with any of its iOS devices now, instead relying on users to discover them for themselves on the App Store, and it's hard to imagine the company highlighting a game like Garcia's Guitars today. According to Jason Rainbows, however, "Back then, if I called Apple and stayed on the phone (or bitched long enough), I'd eventually get Steve Jobs or The Woz on the line." In those days Apple was still fronting itself as a sort of "counterculture" alternative to the PC -- best exemplified by the later "Think Different" campaign -- so while Apple's tacit support for a game like Garcia's Guitars may seem surprising given the company's more "uptight" modern image, it was entirely in character in the company's earlier days. I never owned (or even saw) a Pippin, nor did I ever play Garcia's Guitars. But while it's nice to see Apple enjoying its top spot on the tech heap today, I'll admit that Ars Technica's interview with Jason Rainbows got me feeling a bit nostalgic for the company's earlier days. Apple had a bit more of a "devil may care" attitude back then, or at least it seems so today. Maybe it didn't do the company any favors when it came to the balance sheets, but I kind of miss the "mellower" Apple described in Ars Technica's article.
On this day in 2005 you could buy the first iPod nano
Has it really been six years? The iPod nano was first made available for purchase on September 7, 2005. At the time it debuted, the iPod mini was (according to Steve Jobs) the most popular MP3 player in the world. Carrying on the tradition of "1,000 songs in your pocket" the nano was an iPod with a clickwheel shrunk down into a case that was thinner than a number 2 pencil. More importantly to the future of Apple, the nano used flash memory instead of a tiny hard drive -- a move that would eventually work its way through almost all of Apple's product line (and will likely continue). Available in black and white, the nano was available in 2 GB and 4 GB models but Apple added a 1 GB version later. Unfortunately, the first generation nanos were prone to scratches, and Apple had to reach a settlement in a class action lawsuit involving the scratches and a slip case for the device. Later models proved to be more robust, however, made of aluminum. Personally I think the nano taught Apple quite a bit about durability in their products, and it's possible the short time it took for the nano to come to market may have been a part of the problem. Nevertheless, the nano has evolved greatly over the years. I know people who still use their first-generation nanos to work out (using the case I designed in the image above). Do you still have one or use one? Check out the video of Steve Jobs introducing the iPod nano below.
Ronald Wayne's autobiography now in the iBookstore
Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne's autobiography Adventures of an Apple Founder is now available in the iBookstore. Who is Ronald Wayne? Many Apple fans know the story of a young Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, busily working in the Jobs family garage in the 1970s. That effort would lead to the Apple we know today, with each man being credited as Apple co-founder. There was a third party, too, whose name is less synonymous with Apple. Ronald Wayne was the young company's "adult supervision," and drew the very first logo and wrote the manual for the Apple I. Plus, he drew up the original partnership agreement between Jobs and Woz. I'm sure those stories and more are in Adventures of an Apple Founder. He left the company a short time later, and he explains why he does not regret the decision in the book. Those interested in Apple's history will want to pick it up. While you're at it, why not buy iWoz and Steve Jobs for the trifecta?
Apple's most popular ad online isn't "Think Different" or "1984"
Much of Apple's advertising is as iconic as its devices and even people. But which is the most popular online? Research firm Visible Measures says it has the answer. Many people remember 1984, the Ridley Scott-dircted TV ad that aired on January 22, 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. The Think Different campaign featured the "Crazy Ones" essay read by actor Richard Dreyfuss over footage of notable people like Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martha Graham and Jim Henson, complete with Kermit the Frog. Interestingly, Web tracking company Visible Measures (VM) reports, neither of these spots is the most popular online (based on number of views). Instead, it's this six-minute video used to introduce the iPhone 4. VM claims that spot has garnered 17.3 million views across several outlets since it debuted in June, 2010. By Visible Measures' calculation, 1984 has pulled in 10.3 million views will Think Different ranks in with "nearly" 3 million. You can view the full list here and see where your favorite spot ranks. [Via All Things D]
A history of Steve Jobs at the D Conference
Over the years, Steve Jobs has made several appearances at the D Conference. He's shared the stage with Walt Mossberg, Bill Gates and others in the now iconic red chairs. AllThingsD has compiled a brief history of Steve's remarkable moments at the event, some of which are described below. Tablet denial In 2003, Steve took the stage the day after Bill Gates enthusiastically described the tablet computer's future. Steve was less optimistic, saying, "We looked at the tablet, and we think it's gonna fail." In hindsight, we know he was right. The tablet, as Bill described it, has not worked. Apple's version -- to understate it -- has. The Apple PDA The following year, in 2004, Steve dismissed the notion of an Apple-branded PDA. In fact, it was during this appearance that Steve uttered my favorite Jobs quote: "I'm as proud of the products that we have not done as I am of the products we have done." I've said this before, but Apple's patience and dedication to careful contemplation is among its greatest assets. Steve and Bill, together again It was the first time the two shared a stage in 20 years, so all eyes were glued to the D stage when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs sat down together for a chat with Walt Mossberg. The two talked about each their legacies and each company's history. It's a compelling video. There's more, of course, and we urge you to view the full list. Jobs certainly is a gifted speaker.
Steve Jobs and the quality of leadership
Hearing the news that Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO took me back to the mid-nineties, when I was managing a large software project in London. Our company was a pretty big Apple customer, and it was decided that the newly installed CEO Gil Amelio would drop by, shake some hands and discuss Apple's future at our conference table. Amelio is a smart and impressive man, and he's known for leading the team that developed the first commercial CCD sensors while working for Fairchild Semiconductor. He later became CEO of another chip manufacturer, National Semiconductor, where he was instrumental in restructuring the company and helping it to regain profitability. Amelio was there to give us confidence after Apple had been pretty bruised under John Sculley and Michael Spindler. It wasn't an encouraging visit. I remember Amelio going on and on about the past problems at Apple, and how he was going to fix them. Click here for an Apple video of 'the speech.' He had a long list of fixes, but what was lacking was a coherent, compelling vision. He was going to do 'something' about the clones, finally replace System 7, and settle down all the politics and warfare between Apple divisions. I had some specific questions, but he dodged them. It wasn't convincing, and I wondered if Apple was going to pull itself out of what seemed a certain death spiral. After killing Copland and failing to make a deal for the BeOS, Amelio invested in NeXT and brought Steve Jobs back to Apple. At the end, Amelio got Apple back to making a small profit, after years of losing millions. It was a tiny victory, but certainly not a turn-around. Amelio was finally ousted from Apple in July 1997 via a boardroom coup engineered by Jobs. The rest is history. I never met Steve Jobs. But every day he has touched my life. When I check my mail, prepare a presentation, edit a photo, or answer my iPhone, it all happens because Steve had an idea of how I wanted to work. I don't know of any single company or products that have had an equal impact. Gil Amelio had lots of plans, but plans are not a vision. Jobs laughs at market research, avoids focus groups, and trusts his gut when designing what customers want. That is, what they will want. Other companies try and copy Apple features and designs but usually come up short, because, like Amelio, they had lists instead of a dream. Jobs is now on the next part of his journey through life, a journey we will all take, sooner or later. It's hard to define exactly the magic that Steve brings to Apple, but it is unique and it is successful. Smart as he was, Gil Amelio could not summon the magic, or as it turned out, much lasting enthusiasm. Thank you to Gil Amelio for bringing Steve Jobs back. Thanks to Steve for bringing Apple back.
Steve Jobs biography updated to included resignation details
The official Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson is reportedly being updated to include details on Steve's resignation. According to Simon & Schuster, the update will not affect publication deadlines, and the book is still scheduled to hit shelves on November 21. A Simon & Schuster spokeswoman told PCMag that Isaacson speaks with Jobs regularly, and the two are currently collaborating on the final chapter. This will be the first authorized biography of Jobs to be published. Its title and release date have changed several times. Most recently, the release was moved from March 6, 2012 to the current November 21. Pre-orders have begun on Amazon. I've placed mine.
Steve Jobs has 313 patents to his name, including some unexpected
The New York Times reports today on the 313 patents that include Steve's name. Many are no surprise, like the G4 iMac's articulated arm and the divisive "hockey puck" mouse. Others are lesser well known or even unexpected. Here's a list of a few lesser-known patents that Steve Jobs holds. The lanyard used for the iPod and iPhone headphones. You'll remember this clever device that allowed those old iPods to hang around your neck while incorporating the headphones. Impressive cord management for sure. Stairs! If you've visited a large Apple Store, you've probably seen the impressive glass staircase inside. Steve's name is on the patent for those, too. A disc cartridge developed while Steve was at NeXT. Described as "The ornamental design for a computer disk cartridge, as shown and described," this patent was granted on November 13, 1990. Finally, here's one that never went into production. The "Telephone interface for a portable communication device" combined the rotary dial and an old-style iPod (above). It's probably best that one stayed on the design floor.
Woz on Steve: "He deserves some 'Steve time'"
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak spoke with Byte magazine after Steve Jobs -- Woz's former partner -- publicly resigned. Right at the beginning of the interview, Woz describes the sacrifices Jobs has had to make with this own time and attention during his term at Apple: "...I mean, just your time, everybody wants you day and night, that's what I mean by sacrifices. It takes so much out of anyone to be under just constant pressure and demands like that. Steve needs now to just have some 'Steve time.' He deserves it." Further, Woz feels Apple's culture, success and fan base will remain intact as Jobs departs. In particular, Woz says, that's due to the team that remains at Apple. "[Steve Jobs] was surrounded by great, great people at Apple ... and those people are still there. I don't think the core Apple culture will change because of (Jobs') leaving, not for a long time." It's always good to hear from Woz, especially amid such surprising news. [Via Cult of Mac]
Steve Jobs: The industry-defining early years with Apple
Most of the focus on yesterday's announcement that Steve Jobs is resigning his CEO position and moving to the largely ceremonial job of Chairman of the Board was on the effect that the man has had on Apple since his return to the company in 1996. But a lot of people who have only recently jumped aboard the Apple bandwagon forget the tremendous impact he had on the early Apple. After all, he was one of the co-founders, and he was the man who had the vision to create a company to give birth to the first truly consumer-oriented personal computer. In the beginning Apple was created out of the friendship of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. The two became friends in 1970, but it wasn't until 1975 when the two showed off a prototype of Wozniak's Apple I computer at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, CA that Jobs began to think about actually selling a fully assembled computer as a consumer product. (The third Apple co-founder, Ronald Wayne, left the company shortly after it launched.) By 1976, the Apple I became a fully-fledged product that the company sold for $666.66 ($500 cost plus a 33% markup). While it still required potential owners to supply their own keyboard, case, power supply, and monitor, it was light-years ahead of other computers like the MITS Altair that required assembly by users. The followup product, the Apple II, was the first bona-fide Apple hit. Hitting the market on June 5, 1977, the Apple II fulfilled Jobs's dream of a personal computer that anyone could purchase, take out of the box, and use. Had it not been for Jobs pushing the idea of a truly consumer-based personal computer (and selling his Volkswagen van to help provide capital for the first run of Apple I computers), it's doubtful that the company would have ever gotten off the ground. The Mac Jobs's next triumph was the Mac. In the late 1970s, he realized that the mouse-driven graphical interface would drive the next revolution in personal computing. While Apple loved the idea and funded development of the Lisa (named after Jobs's first daughter), Jobs was driven off of the project in 1982. In typical Jobs fashion, he bounced back quickly and joined the Macintosh team. The Mac is really the product that defined the young Steve Jobs. As with future products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, Jobs took personal pride in making sure that the shipping product was as perfect as possible. That perfection and an eye for design created a device that was very different from the bland IBM Personal Computers that were quickly finding acceptance in business. Seeing Jobs introducing the Mac on January 24, 1984 was a foretaste of what we'd see throughout his tenure at Apple. His mixture of showmanship and enthusiasm about the product he had created with a team of geniuses shows, and it is infectious. You want to believe in the product as well, and the crowd at the introduction went wild. Unfortunately, later that year Jobs lost a struggle with the Apple board of directors, and he resigned to start NeXT. That move was in itself a propitious change, as NeXT pointed the way to the UNIX-based Mac OS X operating system, the Internet and World Wide Web, and the development tools now used to create apps for both the Mac and iOS platforms. The return to Apple Twelve years later in 1996, Apple CEO Gil Amelio realized that the many attempts to replace the original Mac OS with a completely new platform were getting nowhere, so he convinced the board of directors to purchase NeXT and its Unix-based OS, which itself had been built around the Mach kernel developed at Carnegie Mellon. That brought Jobs back to Apple, and by 1997 he was back in the saddle as CEO of the company. (The fifteenth anniversary of the NeXT acquisition is coming up in December of 2011.) Continuing with the streamlining of Apple that was begun by Amelio, Jobs cut the Newton platform, neutered Cyberdog, and pulled the plug on OpenDoc. To fill the void, Jobs directed the development of Mac OS X -- which of course thrives to this day -- and brought in designer Jony Ive to revitalize the product line with beautifully designed devices. Since his return, Jobs has had his finger firmly on the pulse of the company. Criticized by many as being too controlling, his eye for design and passion for perfection have created a long series of popular new products -- the iPod, iPhone, and iPad -- as well as revitalizing the Mac. I love the following short video of Jobs just after the 2007 introduction of the iPhone. He's a guy on top of the world who realizes that he's just changed it for the better. While his departure from the CEO position at Apple may be seen as a bad thing, Jobs has had fifteen years to build a strong team that knows how to "think different" and is in many ways stronger than the man himself. I personally have no doubt that Apple will continue to innovate and succeed without Steve Jobs as the day-to-day manager; in fact, we can see that it already has.
How one Newton owner uses his device every day
The Apple Newton is ancient history, right? The short-lived device made its debut in 1993 at Macworld Boston, going through seven design iterations before being cancelled by Apple in early 1998. For a hardy group of souls, the Newton is still in daily use. New Zealand-based blogger "Genghis7777" is an investment banker who loves him some Newton. He has a few of them, along with a pile of necessary and useful peripherals -- four MessagePad 2000s, two MessagePad 2100s, and a pair of eMate 300s. To show how he's still using the devices (presumably one at a time) in his everyday life, Genghis7777 listed a typical day with a Newton. His day starts with Adam Tow's Alarm Clock app waking him up at 6:00 AM, he uses the MoreInfo app (see screenshot) as a personal information manager to see how his appointments for the day are looking, and does some reading from several Newton ebooks before heading off to work. In the office, he uses the built-in Notepad app to take notes and adds new tasks to MoreInfo. On the way home from work, there's a stop at the supermarket where he uses the ShopList app to check his grocery list. Later, he writes up a journal entry in NotePad and looks at MoreInfo to see what's coming up in the next few days. It's great to see that there are still people who find the Newton platform to be a useful and productive part of their lives. If you're curious about the Newton, be sure to visit the My Apple Newton blog and some of the other sites listed on the rather impressive blogroll.
Found Footage: Apple introduces Cocoa at the 1996 WWDC
In case you're thinking this footage is about Cocoa, the Application Programming Interface for Mac OS X, you're dead wrong. This Cocoa was a simulation tool and easy programming language for kids that was demoed at the 1996 WWDC by a young man named Gregory Miller. Miller does an admirable job in this video getting the developers in the crowd to cheer, including when he tells them that "I'm your competition." In 1996, of course, Apple was having some real problems -- in fact, many people thought that was the year that the company was going to collapse. The first PowerPC-based Mac laptop, the PowerBook 5300, had engineering issues that forced every unit to be recalled. Clone manufacturers were undercutting Apple's pricing, and Gil Amelio came in as CEO to start the renaissance of Apple by cutting expenses and writing a corporate strategy that is still, in many cases, followed to this day. Enjoy the video. It's a definite reminder of just how far Apple has come in 15 years. Tip of the hat to Graham Lee for this trip down memory lane.
The iPhone on its Fourth Anniversary
Most would agree the iPhone was a game-changer when it launched in the U.S. on June 29, 2007 -- four years ago today. The iPhone was officially unveiled by Steve Jobs at Macworld earlier that year and Apple fans were eagerly awaiting the day when they could finally get their hands on the device. Stores shut down at 2:00 pm and customers begin lining up in droves for the 6:00 pm launch. Just like the iPhone 4 launch, there were happy customers, clapping Apple employees and sold out inventory. Apple activated 146,000 iPhones in the first weekend of sales, a staggering number for back then. Most people grabbed the 8 GB model ($599), a situation that likely led Apple to discontinue the 4 GB model in September 2007. Apple also slashed the iPhone price and caused an uproar among the early adopter crowd. The iPhone skyrocketed to the top of the smartphone market because it was radically different from its competition. At that time, some of the top smartphones in the U.S. market were the Treo 755P (a Palm OS champ for CMDA carriers), the BlackBerry Curve 8300 and the Windows Mobile-powered HTC 8925 (TyTN). It was a market dominated by QWERTY keyboards, trackballs and small touchscreens that needed a stylus. User interfaces were clunky and hardware design focused on the keyboard, not the entire phone. BlackBerry and Windows Mobile ruled the market and Palm was beginning its slow descent. This is the world Apple entered four years ago. The original iPhone was radical. It had a full touchscreen that you could use with your fat fingers. With no stylus or trackball, users simply touched icons on its screen. After years of tiny menus and small X buttons in the top corner, the iPhone offered a UI with large, lovely icons and a simple menu system. A touch-based, finger-friendly interface is standard now, but it was groundbreaking in 2007. The iPhone had a web browser that beat any competitor on the market and robust multimedia functions that made music and photo fans drool. Previous smartphones like the Curve and the TyTN focused on PIM connectivity. It was all about email and syncing your contacts and calendar. The iPhone stepped away from that paradigm and focused on the fun stuff -- web browsing, music, photos and video. It did have email and PIM functionality like its competitors, but it did that and more. And yes, it was an EDGE handset and required you to sync via iTunes, but its forward-looking focus was on the internet and multimedia. From a hardware perspective, the iPhone design was amazing. If you don't believe me, look at other handsets in 2007. Its predecessor, the Motorola Q, tried to redefine thin, but it looked more like a skinny brick than a carefully crafted handset. The HTC and Palm offerings were bland and, quite frankly, all looked alike. Once again, Apple was bold enough to Think Different with the iPhone. The original model had a whopping 3.5-inch display that was gorgeous compared to other smartphones on the market. It had a curved, slick design with just enough weight and balance to feel comfortable in your hand. It had a revolutionary multitouch user interface that used gestures to navigate. And as a lot of early reviews point out, the iPhone just works. There's no fussing with an SD card and worrying about internal versus external memory. No need to pull the battery to prevent your phone from locking up. The iPhone worked and people loved it. Yes, there were glitches, activation problems and missing features, but overall, the iPhone was the best first generation smartphone to hit the market. I, sadly, was not part of this early revolution. I lived and continue to live in an area that does not have AT&T service. I have used all the iPhone models, more or less as glorified iPod touches, but never experienced the excitement of getting the first model on the first day. Four years ago today, I clung to my Motorola Q and watched the iPhone launch from afar. But that is me, what about you? Were you there on day one, ready to change the world with the iPhone? Or did you jump in with the 3G, the 3GS or even the iPhone 4 like I did? On the anniversary of its launch, let us know your thoughts on the original iPhone and its legacy in the comments. You can also reminisce by watching some YouTube videos shot during the launch. Enjoy!
Everything is a Remix 3 features Apple, Macintosh history
If you haven't been watching Kirby Ferguson's video series, Everything is a Remix, go watch it now. The highly intelligent and well-researched series challenges modern views of creativity by pointing out that nearly all critically-lauded works are built upon the foundations of works that preceded them. For the third video in the series, Ferguson offers up a great modern-day example: the Mac. It's a well-known bit of computing lore that much of the innovations of the original Mac OS drew inspiration from work done at Xerox, but Ferguson goes one step farther and points out the inventions and ideas that laid the foundation for Xerox's fledgling OS in the 1970s. Ferguson's thesis is that truly revolutionary ideas never spring fully-formed from the ether, and his example of the original Macintosh reminds us that all the gadgetry we use today, whether we take it for granted, complain about it breaking or accuse one company or another of ripping off the other's ideas, is a product of a steady stream of evolutionary steps rather than revolutionary thinking. Whether you're talking about Mac OS X Lion, Windows 8, iOS 5 or the latest sugary snack-named version of Android, all of them are simply remixes of what came before when it comes down to it.
John Sculley discusses time at Apple, Steve Jobs
Retired professional athletes often reflect on the glory days and those moments when they were at the top of their game. For ousted corporate CEOs, apparently your time in the past with a company that is now flying high is cause for reflection. At least that's the case with former Apple CEO John Sculley (at right in the photo above), who waxed nostalgic for the good old days at Apple as part of an executive speaker series at the Hult International Business School in London last night. Sculley is best known as being hand-picked by Steve Jobs to be the CEO of Apple during the critical years when the Mac was developed and introduced. Formerly the president of PepsiCo, Sculley ran Apple between 1983 and 1993. Although the company's revenues increased from $800 million to $8 billion in those 10 years, Sculley was eventually replaced by the Apple board of directors as margins and stock price declined. Thanks to his awesome leadership at Apple, both Business Insider and Portfolio Magazine would add Sculley to their "Worst American CEO" lists. But that hasn't tarnished Sculley's fond memories of Apple. At last night's talk, he discussed the differences between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (mainly the fact that Steve is all about the design excellence, while Bill was "all about landgrab" and "built this entire company Microsoft around shrink wrapped software."), why Jobs hired him in the first place (Sculley wanted to "sell the experience of a lifestyle" as he did at Pepsi), and lauds Steve Jobs as being the "one person" who launched the mobile era. The last statement is fine praise indeed from Sculley, who was known for spearheading the ill-fated -- but groundbreaking -- Apple Newton MessagePad during his reign. Electricpig UK was in attendance at the talk and has more details of last night's event here.
Steve Jobs conceived of "statement HQ" for Apple in 1983
The mothership campus Steve Jobs envisions for Cupertino is not the first statement headquarters he has pursued. Back in 1983, Jobs eyed Coyote Valley, San Jose for a world-class campus. Former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery tells the story of a meeting he had with a young Steve Jobs. Jobs saw the Coyote Valley location from a helicopter and selected the grassy property for Apple's next home. Soon the property belonged to Apple, and a rough draft of the plans was sketched on a piece of paper. Jobs hired well-known architect I.M. Pei to build the campus and preserve the pastoral quality of the land. Unfortunately, politics and the economy hindered Jobs' dream. This location was one of San Jose's last undeveloped parcels of land, and its repurposing was the topic of hot debate. At the same time, the economy went belly up and Jobs was removed from the company. McEnery tried to re-kindle interest in the Apple campus with CEO John Sculley, but the idea fizzled and Apple eventually sold the property. [Via MacObserver]
Two iPhones to fly into space on last shuttle mission
The space shuttle Atlantis' final mission into space on July 8, 2011 will also mark a first. Specifically, the first time an iPhone has entered outer space. Two in fact, meant to carry out specially-designed experiments. The iPhone 4s will be running an app called SpaceLab for iOS, designed by Odyssey Space Research. Crew members will use the app to run tests that involve the iPhone's cameras, gyroscopes and other hardware once Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station. For example, one test will be used to determine if the phone's gyroscope can determine the shuttle's orientation in space. "I'm pretty sure this is the very first iPhone to go into space," said Odyssey CEO Brian Rishikof. He also stated that the iPhone tests will be purely experimental and not meant to supplement the craft's guidance systems. Earth-bound astronomers can purchase a version of the app tailored for civilians for US$1, which simulates aspects that can't be reproduced with all the pesky gravity here on terra firma. You'll find more information on the final shuttle mission here.
