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Scott Forstall Reportedly Forced Out of Apple

I'm glad to see him leave. He seemed like a arrogant egomaniac (from what I've read and how he has behaved more and more smirky in the presentations). It's ok with Jobs, he was Apple and it was more of his personality than his ego. And he was way more charismatic.

Both Forstall and Brewett is good riddance. I just hope Apple don't make themselves too attached to Ive...Even if he's got all the ingredients (likeable character, great taste, etc...) he won't stay there forever....so they have to have others as amazing too.
 
Typical corporate behavior...

Hmmm... "forced out".... In my experience what probably happened was that Apple, in a moment of temporary insanity, decided to get rid of all that is Google. Being over confident they must have thought they could replace the Google parts easily.

They told Forstall to create the new maps function within a year. He then probably said, "no way that's crazy Google has had years to perfect their product. I can't do it in a year. Besides I already have Siri" etc. etc. They went ahead anyway, launched Maps and failed. Now, they needed a scapegoat and blamed Forstall who again said, "no way, I told you this wouldn't work, why should I be the one to apologize"... so they sacked him.

The above is only speculation from my part and I don't want to blame or defend anyone. Its just corporate b******t.
 
princigalli said:
Too many people here are ignoring the lack of IOS innovation. While it's still selling well it's clear that Android is becoming the next big thing and and increasing number of people consider Iphone to be out and Samsung to be in. This is now what Apple used to be 3 or 4 years ago, when Iphones were truely innovative. Iphones are selling well, but so was Windows when Vista came out. Apple needs to take some action and the next iphones will need to innovate again. They can't afford to be boring again and hope that maps and Siri, or a longer phone will ve considered progress.
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iOS has stagnated for too long. It's last generation compared to it's less successful rivals and Forstall wasn't the man to acknowledge his deficiencies and move the product forward. Not sure about Ive taking on this challenge, but there was no way his was going to loose out to Forstall on this topic.
 
fabriciom said:
So, let me see if I understand these guys are getting canned for the maps deal? How about all the other great stuff they did?
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Nope. A bunch of naive people on the internet came up with the idea that this one single factor was responsible for Forstall's demise. People with even half a brain will realise this was just a single nail in his coffin.
 
TheJae said:
profound?? you can't swipe the multitasking bar up because it's already accessible by double clicking the home button. why would you require additional means to access the very same option? go buy some books about design usability.
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Because it would be much more convenient to swipe? Just like how in my ipad, I find it more convenient to 4-finger swipe left or right than press home button and tap on another app.
 
princigalli said:
Too many people here are ignoring the lack of IOS innovation. While it's still selling well it's clear that Android is becoming the next big thing and and increasing number of people consider Iphone to be out and Samsung to be in. This is now what Apple used to be 3 or 4 years ago, when Iphones were truely innovative. Iphones are selling well, but so was Windows when Vista came out. Apple needs to take some action and the next iphones will need to innovate again. They can't afford to be boring again and hope that maps and Siri, or a longer phone will ve considered progress.
Click to expand...

I know zilch about Android and would be curious to know what significant innovation that OS has displayed recently that makes it technologically "the next big thing", taking over iOS. I won't hide I'm skeptical about your statement, but I'm genuinely interested about stuff that would push Android above iOS, in terms of software quality and innovation.

Same for Samsung, apart from a wide range of devices of different flavors and size.
 
Is it true that he just "lost" around 600.000.000$ (he was set to recieve 500.000 shares/stocks in 2015 and another half mil in 2020)?
 
From the comments looks like the user base is equally divide about the use of skeuomorphism.

Personally I'm not a fan of it. IMHO while it does add flavor, it breaks the "flow" of the UI.

It's also "inefficient", all the extraneous graphics and fancy animation does not add much functionality - sometimes it actually gets in the way, e.g. overly long animations.
 
Scott Forstall was even better than Jobs at presentation. I was thinking he might even take over Steve's role when he died, but it never happened.

I hope they don't put too much pressure on Jonathan Ive, hardware and UI design are two very different things. Surely Apple can find another designer with a bit of skill.

What i'd love to see in the next version of iOS, is a big focus on using typography effectively. Think slick magazines etc. They could possibly combine some of their own stuff into the OS itself, instead of having them as separate apps, like photos, music, books, safari, maps, the various stores, etc... That way, everything could be far more seamless and integrated.

Whatever they do, it needs to be a big change. Something that blows Microsoft's efforts away... but that still retains the basic functionality of iOS underneath.
 
err..

ok... so, just by the fact people may not like him, he's out ??

You don't get off people someone after a long time in a company ......if they do a good job, u keep them

just because he got complained at by IOS 6 maps...... So what ?? Everyone stuffs up,, that is no reason to give him to 'boot'...

A complete IOS stuffed up....ok but not one single app..


Seems Apple is going under without Steve Jobs... (slowly, but surly,,,, people will leave 'one-by-one' when other stuff starts to go wrong, or bickering).

I'm seriously re-thinking about Tim.... At least Steve Jobs kept everyone in check....

Apple is changing.... weather we wanna be aware of it or not. It'll take time, but i bet it will change.
 
downpour said:
Scott Forstall was even better than Jobs at presentation. I was thinking he might even take over Steve's role when he died, but it never happened.

I hope they don't put too much pressure on Jonathan Ive, hardware and UI design are two very different things. Surely Apple can find another designer with a bit of skill.

What i'd love to see in the next version of iOS, is a big focus on using typography effectively. Think slick magazines etc. They could possibly combine some of their own stuff into the OS itself, instead of having them as separate apps, like photos, music, books, safari, maps, the various stores, etc... That way, everything could be far more seamless and integrated.

Whatever they do, it needs to be a big change. Something that blows Microsoft's efforts away... but that still retains the basic functionality of iOS underneath.
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You read way too much tech blogs! No such thing that the dude could replace jobs, and be the next CEO! Everytime i watch Apple keynote, and when he is there to promote the iOS is just really boring!especially for the last 2 years.
 
Tech198 said:
err..

ok... so, just by the fact people may not like him, he's out ??

You don't get off people someone after a long time in a company ......if they do a good job, u keep them

just because he got complained at by IOS 6 maps...... So what ?? Everyone stuffs up,, that is no reason to give him to 'boot'...

A complete IOS stuffed up....ok but not one single app..


Seems Apple is going under without Steve Jobs... (slowly, but surly,,,, people will leave 'one-by-one' when other stuff starts to go wrong, or bickering).

I'm seriously re-thinking about Tim.... At least Steve Jobs kept everyone in check....
Click to expand...

You're obviously not going to become the CEO of any great, successful company anytime soon...
 
I think some of you are oversimplifying.

There is no way someone as high on the food chain as Forstall would go from just maps or Siri.

Considering this guy is one of Steve's core people he must have ****ed up big time behind the scenes and got on Tim Cook's **** list. For all we know Forstall gave Tim an iOS7 concept and it sucked, and Scott was not open to new things.

At any rate, I think this might be a good thing. Fresh eyes and minds in the iOS think tank is a good thing. Could be a bad thing too.

Guess we will see.
 
Delighted that that McRetailer Browett is gone. What was tim thinking hiring him? I'm sickened that he still collected a lottery win for his failure, though. Why do these executive god-men need these huge payoffs? The plebs just get a kick in the teeth.

Forstall I feel a little sorry for. In terms of the content of the product it was him and Ive that revived Apple. I think it's Maps that sealed his fate but it's possibly not his fault - Maps was a naive, under-resourced project, something like asking your local builder to create a replica of a Gothic Cathedral single-handedly. Small wonder it's a joke. There's nothing worst that being in a job where you're asked to achieve things you are simply not equipped to.

Also, perhaps Forstall had simply given everything had. It's a very long time since Mac OS X was great simply because it was neXt on steroids. The market is changed forever. Perhaps a fresh pair of eyes is needed.
 
I don't think we'll see any major UI changes for a while. It seems like iTunes and all the content they sell limits what Apple can do as far as making the UI more "open". Maybe Scott was trying to assume more of Steve's in your face style and people there were all set? Who knows. Scott did always seem pretty into his iOS presentations. I do wish Jony would make appearances when they introduce new products. Tim is good with numbers, but Jony has the voice and enthusiasm that draws you in, similar to Steves. That's what Apple is lacking, a voice. I still love my dated iPhone with iOS 5... it just works
 
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tripmusic said:
I don't think we'll see any major UI changes for a while. It seems like iTunes and all the content they sell limits what Apple can do. Maybe John was trying to assume more of Steve's in your face style and people there were all set. I do wish Jony would make appearances when they introduce new products. Tim is good with numbers, but Jony has the voice and enthusiasm that draws you in, similar to Steve's. I still love my iPhone with iOS5... it just works
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Right. I don't necessarily think Ive will be doing really hands-on interface design. More likely he'll surround himself with people that fit a particular vision and be, like Jobs, the 'crap filter'.

Way back when Steve died I always thought Ive should be given that role. The lack of a crap filter gave us the Maps fiasco.

Ive's team was putting out amazing Apple-at-its-best designs like the Air, the Retina MBP, the iPhone 5 and the software effort was starting to tarnish them with sloppy junk.
 
Haha I was searching google images for a crazy eyes picture to post here and this was on the first page

crazyeyes.png


I know two people with eyes like that and they are both hard core drug addicts. There is something seriously wrong with dude.
 
We can't except everything Apple does as a gold.
This "Public relations" is getting as a fully money oriented rather than balancing profitability and customer satisfaction(actually satisfied customers pays Again).
Good business and decent man (who screwed up things) should be able to take a Sh**t and give apologies to the customers and do not repeat that sh**t again and again.
 
dontpannic said:
Apart from the fact that he is one of the very best designers in the World, currently?
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Right. People don't understand that creativity is creativity not something that comes from 'plug a to b' training. It's why some of the most significant and innovative rock acts tended to have art rather than strictly musical backgrounds.

Design is a mentality, a way of seeing.
 
The NY Times piece is a gold mine:

According to two people who have worked with Apple to develop new third-party products for the iPhone, the relationship between Mr. Forstall and Mr. Ive had soured to a point that the two executives would not sit in the same meeting room together.

A senior Apple employee who asked not to be named said Mr. Forstall had also incurred the ire of other executives after inserting himself into product development that went beyond his role at the company. One person in touch with Apple executives said the mood of people at the company was largely positive about Mr. Forstall’s departure.

“This was better than the Giants winning the World Series,” he said. “People are really excited.”
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When people are to that point of detestation, there's no other option but to fire the culprit.
Definitely a tough, painful decision for Tim Cook but he didn't blink. That's the mark of a great boss.
 
To all skeumorphism haters: How would apps like garageband on iPad or compass would look like if they weren't skeumorphic?

Everyone has an opinion without educating himself first. Don't you realise that the minimalistic style of most modern handheld devices, the clean lines and "lack of character" allows interface designers to become effectively product designers by using skeumorphic concepts on their UIs? There are papers and psychological studies out there connecting skeumorphism with enjoyment.


Furthermore advances in haptic technology on displays letting people feel the textures displayed can elevate skeumorphism into a whole new level in the foreseable future.

It is a sad day today.. and most of you haven't even realise it yet..
 
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