3 ms·

Losing/Firing Forstall, Maps V1 regression, IOS 7 instability, Apple Applications regression/Stalls (Aperture falling further and further behind LightRoom, late

Losing/Firing Forstall, Maps V1 regression, IOS 7 instability, Apple Applications regression/Stalls (Aperture falling further and further behind LightRoom, latest rev of iWorks lost a bunch of features), John Browett bizarre hiring. Every leader has their share of Missteps, and Cook has had his.

lostlogin 13y ago
Nearly all of those are software related - software is perhaps half of Apple, but is a very small part of their profit and revenue. That is in stark contrast to Microsoft. Browett - sure, a Cook misstep. How is Forstall anything other than Cook dealing to a problem of Jobs' creation? I'm not sure that one can seriously compare Cook and Ballmer. Maybe in 10 years, but not now.
- ghshephard 13y ago
  Jobs was capable of keeping very powerful personalities in check, because, he was by his (for better or, as often was the case, much worse) the most dominant personality around. Forstall, from everything I've heard about him on The Talk Show, and on ATP.FM, was very Jobs like in his high expectations for people, his ability to drive creations through his singular focus. What he wasn't, was collaborative. This was okay in the Jobs era, when collaboration wasn't really needed - everything was an extension of Job's desires (which also meant that those things that were not, tended to be neglected - mobileme). Perhaps, after reflection, I don't know if I would call Forstall a Cook Problem, so much as a resource that could no longer be effectively harnessed in the Cook Era. Or, perhaps, he was the DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), who had to take the responsibility for the Maps V1 cruddy roll out.
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    That's well put. It is probably a mark of good management that the IOS7 roll out went as well as it did given the short time frame.

3 ms·

Losing/Firing Forstall, Maps V1 regression, IOS 7 instability, Apple Applications regression/Stalls (Aperture falling further and further behind LightRoom, late

by ghshephard 13y ago

lostlogin 13y ago
Nearly all of those are software related - software is perhaps half of Apple, but is a very small part of their profit and revenue. That is in stark contrast to Microsoft. Browett - sure, a Cook misstep. How is Forstall anything other than Cook dealing to a problem of Jobs' creation? I'm not sure that one can seriously compare Cook and Ballmer. Maybe in 10 years, but not now.
- ghshephard 13y ago
  Jobs was capable of keeping very powerful personalities in check, because, he was by his (for better or, as often was the case, much worse) the most dominant personality around. Forstall, from everything I've heard about him on The Talk Show, and on ATP.FM, was very Jobs like in his high expectations for people, his ability to drive creations through his singular focus. What he wasn't, was collaborative. This was okay in the Jobs era, when collaboration wasn't really needed - everything was an extension of Job's desires (which also meant that those things that were not, tended to be neglected - mobileme). Perhaps, after reflection, I don't know if I would call Forstall a Cook Problem, so much as a resource that could no longer be effectively harnessed in the Cook Era. Or, perhaps, he was the DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), who had to take the responsibility for the Maps V1 cruddy roll out.
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    That's well put. It is probably a mark of good management that the IOS7 roll out went as well as it did given the short time frame.