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Monthly Archives: July 2013

The Story of Bob Mansfield

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Today, Apple mysteriously took off the executive profile of Bob Mansfield, SVP of Technologies, a position that nobody really knows much about. Apple took off the profile without releasing any press release as to why this happened, which is very un-Apple like, especially considering the caliber of his job.

Bob Mansfield first announced his retirement in June 2012 but was brought back after Apple had a shake-up in the company a few months later, a shake-up that included the removal of Scott Forstall, someone Mansfield and other executives didn’t like. Bob was given a contract to lead the company in it’s technologies team for two years. He is not holding that part of the contract, but he is still working at Apple. Apple still needs him, after all, he has been very influential at Apple.

The way in which Apple announced the departure of Mansfield from the executive team is highly unusual for any company, especially Apple. Apple took his profile off and then when they were asked questions about it, they issued a statement to Reuters that he was leaving the executive team but that he would continue reporting to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook for special projects. This sudden change up brings up a few questions. First, why did this happen in the first place? Second,  Bob was Apple’s hardware man for years until his change to SVP of Technologies, could this sudden change mean that the top hardware guy is working with Apple for one or two major projects, like the iWatch or iTV, before he leaves the company? Bob has been very influential over the development of the iPhone and iPad, letting him go when a new major product is bound to be on the horizon certainly raises an eyebrow. Perhaps this SVP position that nobody really knows much about was a cover up for a transition of power to Dan Riccio and now that he feels as though it’s complete, he can focus completely on this new project, most likely, the iWatch.

He is Apple’s hardware man, if anyone can lead them to a great watch or TV or anything, it is him. His expertise at Apple is very important especially for the “special projects” Tim Cook has for him. Only time will tell of Bob’s future plans and work at Apple. Let’s hope he stays a while longer.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

App Store turns 5 years old

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Believe it or not, something that has been so revolutionary in our lives, something that has changed the world has only been around 5 years. The App Store, to my surprise, has turned 5. The App Store has changed the way we game, changed the way we entertain or are entertained. It has changed more fields of work than one could count and it has changed more lives than one could count. It’s influence on our world has been truly remarkable. And because of all the difference it has made on our world, it is impossible to think that it is only 5 years old. This breakthrough service, this flourishing economy has changed so much in so little time. And it almost never happened.

It is 2007, the iPhone has just been released and it has changed the ball game for phones. It’s abilities are remarkable, it is touchscreen, it can make calls, it can go on the internet anywhere, it’s an iPod, it has utilities such as calculator and clock, it can use internet apps searchable through Apple’s internet apps search service. But it did not have an App Store at the time. Steve Jobs felt that bringing an App Store where third parties could make apps on it was absurd because they didn’t have the bandwidth or the technologies to do it. He didn’t want people polluting the iPhone with bad apps and viruses, amongst other things. Apple directors, namely Art Levinson and Phil Schiller, however, convinced him they could do it. He became convinced and they pursued the idea. The App Store became into fruition on July 10, 2008, five years ago today. The App Store started out as an update to iTunes and it was shortly followed by an update to iOS.

Since the fateful day five years ago, there are almost a million apps available on the store and as of May, 50 billion downloads have taken place on the store. Of course, there were some milestones along the way. When the App Store first launched, it launched with 500 apps. 10 million apps are downloaded in the first weekend. 100 Million are downloaded by September. 500 Million are downloaded by January of 2009 and then top one billion by April of 09. This is probably about the point where Apple sees that they really have something truly spectacular. By September of 09, 2 billion apps are downloaded, further propelling Apple’s biggest store. By the end of 09, Facebook and Paper Toss the two most downloaded apps. The game Angry Birds, which has slowed the Boredom disease since it’s introduction, was released at the end of 2009 and became insanely popular starting in 2010. In June, app downloads reach 5 billion. In December, it is announced that Angry Birds was the most downloaded game on the App Store that year. By January 2011, 10 billion apps had been downloaded. Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja were the year’s most successful games. In March of 2012, it is announced that the App Store reached it’s 25 billionth download. In December of 2012, more than 2 billion apps are downloaded in the month alone. Temple Run and Draw Something are the two most popular games of 2012. The App Store surpasses 50 billion downloads in May 2013 and in June Apple announced that over $10 billion dollars has been paid to developers. And here we are, celebrating the App Store’s wonderful existence, on it’s 5th birthday.

Here is how you can celebrate. Apple is having a free app promotion. Go to the App Store to get your free apps. It is giving away 5 apps and 5 games. It is giving away Barefoot World Atlas, an interactive atlas app, Day One, an intuitive journal allowing you to record your days events, How To Cook Everything, a cook book app with many recipes to choose from, Over, a photo app that lets you add custom logos, captions and more to your photos, Traktor DJ is a professional grade DJ app for your iPhone, BADLAND is a stunning Apple Design winner game, Infiniti Blade 2 is a stunning, state of the art fighter game with incredible graphics, Super Brother: Sword and Sorcery is a 8-bit game that is super fun, Tiny Wings, a fun, popular game is also for free, and last but not least is Disney’s Where’s my Water?, a puzzle game with a fun mascot. All these apps are yours for free for a limited time. Make sure not to miss out on the opportunity. Don’t forget to check out apps such as Free App A Day or FAAD that do these kind of promotions everyday. It is a great service with a great intent.

I conclude with my 5th paragraph, a simple dedication to the App Store. We thank you Apple for creating this life changing store where developers can develop stunning apps to change the world. Bono once said that music can change the world because music changes people. Well, that’s the same for apps too. They change how we see the world, therefore helping us change the world. Long live the App Store.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Image Courtesy: Apple