Americans will head for the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6 and elect a president. To celebrate, we present our first annual Red, White, and Blue edition of The Week In Review. But don’t worry. The only politics discussed here are what has been happening at Apple during the week that was.
Seeing Red
Tim Cook, in charge
Tim Cook laid down the law this week when he announced that Scott Forstall and John Browett would be leaving Apple. Although Browett’s dismissal wasn’t surprising, the demise of Forstall was, at least to the public. The now-former senior vice president of iOS software will officially leave the company next year, after an Apple career that spanned 15 years. During much of that time, Forstall lead the team that developed the software now running on millions of iOS devices around the world.
Despite this, it appears that Apple’s poorly received rollout of iOS 6 Maps is what did the 43-year-old in. Specifically, it was suggested that Forstall was fired for not signing Cook’s September apology letter regarding Maps.
By the end of the week, the manager many once considered to be Cook’s eventual successor, was thrown under the bus. Numerous stories leaked, which revealed rifts between Forstall and other executives at Apple. The general consensus: Forstall was difficult to work with and he won’t be missed.
As I began to opine on what Apple’s new management team would bring to the table, I too felt some heat. It all started innocently enough when I offered Cupertino some iOS software suggestions, which included killing off Siri, Apple’s controversial voice assistant. Apparently Siri has a lot of followers among our readership.
This led to another opinion piece entitled, Maybe Killing Off Siri Was A Little Bit Off The Mark, in which I suggested that Apple might be wise to seek out Google to make the iOS application better.
My later story on ways Apple’s new team could improve the hardware side of the business caused much less controversy.
White, as in the white iPad mini
iPad mini launches in stores
By the end of the week, the iPad mini arrived in stores worldwide, as did the fourth-generation iPad. But Friday wasn’t your typical iPad launch day. Instead of long lines, first day buyers were welcomed by bored Apple employees and plenty of inventory. But Apple probably didn’t have much to worry about. Later reports suggested the the iPad mini was selling out, especially the white version.
As the new iPads launched, AppAdvice had you covered. Stories included The iPad mini Will Ship With Smaller 5W Charger, The iPad mini Takes On Google’s Nexus 7 In Video Comparison, This Week In Accessories: A Case Of Mini Fever, AppAdvice Goes Hands-On: Is The iPad mini Worth It?, and more.
Blue, as in Bondi Blue
One of Jony Ive’s first designs for Apple, the iMac Bondi Blue
The biggest news surrounding this week’s executive shakeup at Apple was Jony Ive’s new role. As Apple’s hardware guru since 1997, Ive’s designs largely defined the company during Steve Jobs’ second stint at Apple and beyond. Ive will now also be involved on the company’s software side.
By giving Ive a say on software, Cook has signaled a willingness to take iOS into a different design direction. Most likely, the result will be software designs that more closely resemble the sleek and minimalistic hardware designs that have become Ive’s signature. In other words, at least a partial end to Forstall’s skeuomorphic designs, which brought us apps with faux leather, ripped notebook pages, and more.
Recommended Reading
Siri’s biggest competition?
- Video: Does Siri Have Some Serious Competition In Google Voice Search? by Joe White looks at the new voice at Google and on iOS devices.
- Evernote Previews Major New Update Of Its iOS App by Brent Dirks shows us what is coming from one of the fastest growing companies in tech.
- The iPad mini Does Indeed Have Stereo Speakers by Brent Dirks confirms that the iPad mini is Apple’s first tablet with dual stereo speakers.
Finally
A clip from one of my favorite movies, “Election.” Enjoy, and remember to vote on Tuesday!
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