28 replies to this topic

[Sam Posten]

In the what were they thinking department.... http://arstechnica.c...d-for-apple.ars http://gigaom.com/20...hat-will-he-do/

[Sam Posten]

Tim calls him the best by far: http://www.macrumors...he-best-by-far/

[Sam Posten]

Update: Ano Baka!!!!! http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/08/16/apple-boss-tries-to-gut-retail-operation/

[Sam Posten]

And in other retail news, Giz got the Genius Handbook: http://gizmodo.com/5938323 Lawsuit at 11.

[Sam Posten]

Bleh: http://arstechnica.c...profit-machine/

[Craig S]

One thing I don't understand about all these rumored changes... Weren't the Apple Stores already profit machines? I believe I've read these stores are the most profitable retail space in the country, if not the world.

My first question is to Mr. Browett: Rule # 1: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So why are you screwing with the most successful B&M operation on the planet? Seriously, all you had to do was just let your people run things as they had been and collect your big-ass paycheck.

My second question is to Tim Cook: You have a reputation for not suffering fools gladly. So how much more bad press and lowered employee morale are you going to tolerate before you Papermaster this clown? You've just delivered a serious ass-whupping to Samsung - time to turn your steely gaze inward and clean house before permanent damage is done.

[Thomas Newton]

The article says that the Apple Stores generate SEVENTEEN TIMES MORE revenue per square foot than the average for mall stores. Revenue isn't the same as profit, but we know they're not "losing money on every sale". That's without considering that the Apple Stores are advertising for Apple's brand, and probably help to drive sales of Apple products through other channels like the online Apple Store and Best Buy and Verizon and AT&T. Sounds like this new retail executive wants to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. EDIT: Here it says that the profit margin is "only" about 22 percent. So Apple is taking in $1238 per square foot of PROFIT, while the average mall store has to live on only $341 per square foot of REVENUE, and this guy thinks it's a good idea to squeeze the customers and employees alike!!!!!

[HDvision]

Now that Steve is gone, the destroyers are going to nuke the stores. It's a given, only a matter of time. The destroyers are all the people who come from commercial schools, who don't have a clue about commerce, but have a speech and re-organisation plans too make more profits right now, rather than in the long run, by destroying properties. They are the end of western civilisation.

[Sam Posten]

Not so sure about that. Apple makes mistakes just like everyone, it isn't the end of their run. http://tech.fortune....ay-to-tim-cook/ even and probably especially at the top.

[HDvision]

Hopefully, yes. That was a serious blunder thought, way to break the morale of the troops.

[Hanson]

Maybe they'll rehire John Sculley.

[andrew markworthy]

I think I should add the following in the interests of balance, as I'm guessing a lot of folks on this thread have never encountered Dixons before. *All* UK electric goods retailers are like Dixons. In other words, in most cases, shopping in one of these stores is a dispiriting experience. There are honourable exceptions, but they are few and far between. Only specialist camera and hi-fi shops are worse (generally, just as clueless but oh so patronising as well).

[Sam Posten]

Maybe they'll rehire John Sculley.

Turns out he really did want to sell sugared water all his life and not change the world =p

[Sam Posten]

Canned his ass today, other big changes too: http://www.apple.com...e-Services.html

[mattCR]

The loss of a Sr. VP in IOS development is a huge change.  I think this is a lamb over the Maps application.   Engadget tends to agree


http://www.engadget....hn-browett-out/

[Craig S]

Glad Browett is gone; he was clearly on the road to screwing up what Ron Johnson had built. I imagine Apple retail employees are celebrating tonight.


Forstall going is HUGE! His absence at last week's event was telling. I think Maps was just the final straw; John Gruber says he's apparently been at odds with Ive and others over design issues for some time; in addition, he has a rep for being quite abrasive. Gruber's thoughts are, as always, very illuminating:


http://daringfirebal...10/forstall_out


Look for faux leather, stitching, torn pages and other useless eye candy to disappear from Apple's apps over the next year. Good riddance.

[Sam Posten]

If it had to be Forstal or Ive I can only go by what others have reported about the two and hope they made the right call, but what a Sophie's Choice....

[Ted Todorov]

If it had to be Forstal or Ive I can only go by what others have reported about the two and hope they made the right call, but what a Sophie's Choice....

Really? From what I have read Forstall had plenty of reasons to be fired other than Ive being allergic to him. And I don't think it is much of a choice between them either -- there are others who could do Fostall's job (his old boss Bertrand Serlet, the man who replaced him Craig Federighi), but with Steve Jobs gone, Jonny Ive is unique. In addition to his design prowes I hope Ive becomes Apple's main keynote guy -- he is their best public speaker.

[Craig S]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten 

If it had to be Forstal or Ive I can only go by what others have reported about the two and hope they made the right call, but what a Sophie's Choice....

It ceased to be a Sophie's Choice the minute the new Maps app hit the street. Forstal handed his own head on a silver platter to Cook.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Todorov 


..., Jonny Ive is unique. In addition to his design prowes I hope Ive becomes Apple's main keynote guy -- he is their best public speaker.  

I know we've all seen Ive on those promo films in the white "heaven" room, but I don't recall ever seeing him speak publicly at an Apple event.


At any rate, scuttlebutt is Phil Schiller is set to increasingly become Apple's public face. Not to mention yesterday's bloodbath left him as the clear #2 man (and potential successor to Cook) at Apple.

[Ted Todorov]

Originally Posted by Craig S 
I know we've all seen Ive on those promo films in the white "heaven" room, but I don't recall ever seeing him speak publicly at an Apple event.

At any rate, scuttlebutt is Phil Schiller is set to increasingly become Apple's public face. Not to mention yesterday's bloodbath left him as the clear #2 man (and potential successor to Cook) at Apple.

Ive gave a fantastic speech at the Steve Jobs memorial (he followed Al Gore) and Ive was the best speaker at the whole event.