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Scott Forstall's refusal to sign iOS Maps apology letter contributed to departure, sources say - Page 5

post #161 of 167
10/31/12 at 4:32am
I wouldn't have signed it either.

Forestall probably didn't have much to say about the release date of the software. The latter was most probably politically motivated anyways. They should have brought it out as "beta" software and improve on it over time as so many elements have to work together to get it right.
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post #162 of 167
10/31/12 at 4:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

AND RIGHTLY SO!

Screw that. They don't have to apologize for ANYTHING. He knows how good it WILL be; why would he apologize for that? That's like Einstein's parents apologizing because their two year old was 'unruly'. Put it in context and it's not really important.

 

However, when I'm driving to an unfamiliar destination, I care how good it is NOW, not how good it WILL be a year from now. 

 

The apology letter was necessary from a PR perspective. They released a product before it was ready, didn't call it Beta like they did with Siri, and removed the old version before their contract with Google was up. Had they called it Beta and kept a native Google Maps option ready (or given Google enough advance notice to release a native app such as with YouTube), they likely wouldn't have had the same level of complaints. 

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post #163 of 167
10/31/12 at 4:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

 

 

They did a great job with it. The UI is amazing.

 

 

And, by extension, the code was also written by Phil Schiller, Jonathan Ive, Bob Mansfield, and even Tim Cook himself. 

 

See how that doesn't work? We don't know if Forstall even wrote a line of code for this, even if he was directly responsible for a "Maps team". We don't even know the hierarchy there at all, if he just oversaw everything or if he was directly in charge. 

 

Exactly. Forstall wrote a great application. The application is great. The back-end data wasn't the best at launch and remains not necessarily the best. We can guess as to why that is, but that's a separate topic. The point is, it's not Apple's data. And where this differs from the old arrangement is in the number of sources from which they're pulling. 

 

If Forstall is directly responsible for any of this at all, the only place he has dropped the ball is on the aggregation of that data into a fashion most readable by the application (the great application) they wrote. That is something Apple didn't have to do previously. They were given Google's data, straight up, and documentation for it. It would be "this data point corresponds to this thing", and they'd plug it into their app where that belongs.

 

The aggregation of the data is the most important part. I don't care how pretty an application is or how easy it is to use if it isn't giving me the data I need. Apple released it before it was ready. 

 

And Tim Cook did sign the letter, so he did take responsibility for Maps. My guess (and yes, it's just a guess) is that it was the last straw. Had this been the first PR blunder under Forstall's watch, he might have survived it. If he hadn't engendered Jony Ive's ire (and Bob Mansfield's), he might still be with Apple, Maps and all. Apple received lots of bad press and angry e-mails about Maps. Tim Cook decided an official apology letter was necessary. The SVP in charge of the team who designed Maps is an obvious signatory, as well as the CEO. 

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post #164 of 167
10/31/12 at 4:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harbinger View Post

The last person who was made an advisor, aka Bob Mansfield, now has more responsibilities than ever. Ergo, Forstall will follow this script and soon take over the whole company.

 

The difference is that Bob Mansfield appears to have "retired" of his own accord, and was convinced to stay on by Tim Cook. Perhaps Mansfield "retired" because he didn't want to work with Forstall and figured he'd made enough money where he didn't need to, and Tim subtly let it be known that it wouldn't be an issue much longer. 

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post #165 of 167
10/31/12 at 7:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KPOM View Post

 

However, when I'm driving to an unfamiliar destination, I care how good it is NOW, not how good it WILL be a year from now. 

 

The apology letter was necessary from a PR perspective. They released a product before it was ready, didn't call it Beta like they did with Siri, and removed the old version before their contract with Google was up. Had they called it Beta and kept a native Google Maps option ready (or given Google enough advance notice to release a native app such as with YouTube), they likely wouldn't have had the same level of complaints. 

 

Do we really know the level of complaints? Yes, we hear about it in the press but, like Antennagate, is this an overblown issue where, although maps was nowhere near a polished product when released, most of the iPhone buyers don't really care and are willing to wait for it to improve.


Edited by island hermit - 10/31/12 at 8:48am
We know where you are. We know where youve been. We can more or less know what youre thinking about. - Eric Schmidt
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We know where you are. We know where youve been. We can more or less know what youre thinking about. - Eric Schmidt
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post #166 of 167
11/27/12 at 8:24pm
Forcing Forstall to sign it is a dick move by the "cabal". Steve Jobs always took top responsibility and never trotted anyone else out for a public stoning. Already Apple execs are scrambling to fill the Steve Jobs power vacuum. Not promising at all.

MBP Retinas not polished enough.
iPod Touch release messy.
iMacs MIA.
and of course...
iOS Maps.

But trotting out Scott in front of the raging mob to his "public execution". Not cool. Not cool at all.
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post #167 of 167
11/27/12 at 10:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KPOM View Post

The aggregation of the data is the most important part. I don't care how pretty an application is or how easy it is to use if it isn't giving me the data I need. Apple released it before it was ready. 

And Tim Cook did sign the letter, so he did take responsibility for Maps. My guess (and yes, it's just a guess) is that it was the last straw. Had this been the first PR blunder under Forstall's watch, he might have survived it. If he hadn't engendered Jony Ive's ire (and Bob Mansfield's), he might still be with Apple, Maps and all. Apple received lots of bad press and angry e-mails about Maps. Tim Cook decided an official apology letter was necessary. The SVP in charge of the team who designed Maps is an obvious signatory, as well as the CEO. 

1. If Forstall engendered the ire of others hence he should become the whipping boy to set an example?
2. Was an official apology letter really necessary?
3. If so, see number 1?

This kind of politicking is highly troublesome for Apple. A great company that focused on great products may fall to petty bitching.
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