I wonder if he'll help somehow with press relations?
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
Has Apple ever made any attempt at giving a sh*t about press relations in the past decade? I've owned AAPL stock continuously since 2005, and as far as I can tell, the answer is NO.
Apple announces stuff. The press deals with it. End of discussion. There is no molly-coddling.
As [@]Blastdoor[/@] notes, there is no molly-coddling but there was plenty of Katie Cottoning. ????
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
I have no idea what he'll be doing but I 1) think his systematic and scientific approach to breaking down a product to test fits in perfectly with Apple, and 2) could see him eventually groomed as an exec and even Cook's replacement years down the road.
I wonder if he'll help somehow with press relations?
edit:
just thinking about this some more... I wonder if Apple has noticed the enthusiasm with which people read Anand's stories about the A-series of chips and other technical aspects of what Apple does, and wants to better foster that enthusiasm. Maybe Apple is realizing that a lot of technical details of their products (especially the A chips) are going to get out there anyway, so they might as well take control of the message a little better. Anand could help them better understand what people are interested in and how to best deal with his branch of the tech press.
I was thinking the same thing. Anand would make an outstanding SME for press relations. Alternatively, he would likely make an excellent senior product manager or quality assurance manager for hardware or "user experience."
I enjoy Anand's reviews of technology more than Daniel Eran Dilger's editorials (I believe the two are comparable in enthusiasm if no where else).
<div class="quote-container" data-huddler-embed="/t/182035/apple-hires-noted-tech-journalist-anand-lal-shimpi#post_2587137" data-huddler-embed-placeholder="false">Quote:<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>mpantone</strong> <a href="/t/182035/apple-hires-noted-tech-journalist-anand-lal-shimpi#post_2587137"><img alt="View Post" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" /></a><br /> <p>Has Apple ever made any attempt at giving a sh*t about press relations in the past decade? I've owned AAPL stock continuously since 2005, and as far as I can tell, the answer is NO.</p><p> </p><p>Apple announces stuff. The press deals with it. End of discussion. There is no molly-coddling.</p></div></div><p> </p><p>http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/05/30/longtime-apple-pr-head-katie-cotton-officially-retires</p><p> </p>
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
Anand wrote the most comprehensive articles on the architecture of the A6 and A7 (esp the A7). Articles that the haters absolutely despised due to his accurate portrayal of the A7 as a highly advanced ARM processor far ahead of everyone else on the market. To quote Anand:
"Looking at Cyclone makes one thing very clear: the rest of the players in the ultra mobile CPU space didn't aim high enough."
Now his hiring by Apple will cause all the haters to claim these articles are now somehow false, or exaggerated by Anand due to his attempts to impress Apple.
Surprisingly, most of the comments to Anand's "The Road Ahead" farewell are well wishes.
I had another thought about Anand's role at Apple. Anand is perhaps one of a handful of people who understand the user experience we expect with the ability to translate such requirements into technical specifications. In other words, Anand is one of a handful of people who could, I believe, ensure Apple maintains Steve Jobs' vision of a quality user experience or the "reality distortion field."
Effing hilarious. The guy writes a milk toast goodbye where he'll be busy but doesn't mention he's going to work for Apple. Most likely he didn't want to read the hate responses.
People have no balls. He spent most of his career slacking on Apple and now takes a job with my former company.
Grow a nutsack, Anand, and be honest to your weird cluster of nutballs on Anandtech. Face the music.
You would have my respect if you ever showed respect for Apple.
The market didn't care about Katie Cotton's departure.
Yeah, so Apple acknowledged the departure of a long-time PR person who really hadn't been involved in AAPL announcements since Steve's death.
Katie Cotton was fierce proponent of Steve Jobs, but she got called out giving some B.S. "Steve has a cold" lie and no one with half a brain ever listened to her again.
She's been a non-entity for about three years. She has never been really that important apart from someone limiting access to Steve. As a public relations person, she has been nobody for years. Steve called the shots, not Katie. From a corporate standpoint, Katie was a human shield.
It has been repeatedly recounted that PR is most soulless of career paths in high-tech. Katie Cotton was the epitome of this. She walked away from Apple with a bunch of RSUs (maybe) but nothing more.
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
I'm guessing he'd be more involved in either the technical communications aspect of Apple products or something to do with helping customers?
Effing hilarious. The guy writes a milk toast goodbye where he'll be busy but doesn't mention he's going to work for Apple. Most likely he didn't want to read the hate responses.
People have no balls. He spent most of his career slacking on Apple and now takes a job with my former company.
Grow a nutsack, Anand, and be honest to your weird cluster of nutballs on Anandtech. Face the music.
You would have my respect if you ever showed respect for Apple.
Perhaps he was asked by Apple to 'play it this way'? Apple is known to orchestrate, well, everything. See article in above link.
It has been repeatedly recounted that PR is most soulless of career paths in high-tech. Katie Cotton was the epitome of this. She walked away from Apple with a bunch of RSUs (maybe) but nothing more.
I'd have to expand on that a bit. As usual, there's a smart way and a dumb way to do any job. The smart PR person is in the legitimate position to learn as much about the company as other positions with a global view, e.g., the CEO, CFO, and COO. It's like newspaper work with the entire company as your beat. Problem is you have to massage the truth here and there as part of the job, but that's rationalized by putting the survival of the company first. If it's basically an ethical company like Apple, IBM, NCR, etc., it's not such a soulless compromise. I betcha Katie Cotton is a fascinating teller of war stories, and her job as Jobs's bulldog was probably a noble one.
Surprisingly, most of the comments to Anand's "The Road Ahead" farewell are well wishes.
I had another thought about Anand's role at Apple. Anand is perhaps one of a handful of people who understand the user experience we expect with the ability to translate such requirements into technical specifications. In other words, Anand is one of a handful of people who could, I believe, ensure Apple maintains Steve Jobs' vision of a quality user experience or the "reality distortion field."
jobs' vision of quality isn't what the RDF refers to. the RDF refers to his ability to get engineers to agree to do things they didn't think they could do...and then do them.
jobs' vision of quality isn't what the RDF refers to. the RDF refers to his ability to get engineers to agree to do things they didn't think they could do...and then do them.
I have no idea what he'll be doing but I 1) think his systematic and scientific approach to breaking down a product to test fits in perfectly with Apple, and 2) could see him eventually groomed as an exec and even Cook's replacement years down the road.
This ^^
However, perhaps not Cook's but the "missing products guy" ...
Comments
I wonder if he'll help somehow with press relations?
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
As [@]Blastdoor[/@] notes, there is no molly-coddling but there was plenty of Katie Cottoning. ????
I have no idea what he'll be doing but I 1) think his systematic and scientific approach to breaking down a product to test fits in perfectly with Apple, and 2) could see him eventually groomed as an exec and even Cook's replacement years down the road.
I was thinking the same thing. Anand would make an outstanding SME for press relations. Alternatively, he would likely make an excellent senior product manager or quality assurance manager for hardware or "user experience."
I enjoy Anand's reviews of technology more than Daniel Eran Dilger's editorials (I believe the two are comparable in enthusiasm if no where else).
Good points.... Probably more D than R, though.
I can see one potential downside of this.
Anand wrote the most comprehensive articles on the architecture of the A6 and A7 (esp the A7). Articles that the haters absolutely despised due to his accurate portrayal of the A7 as a highly advanced ARM processor far ahead of everyone else on the market. To quote Anand:
"Looking at Cyclone makes one thing very clear: the rest of the players in the ultra mobile CPU space didn't aim high enough."
Now his hiring by Apple will cause all the haters to claim these articles are now somehow false, or exaggerated by Anand due to his attempts to impress Apple.
I had another thought about Anand's role at Apple. Anand is perhaps one of a handful of people who understand the user experience we expect with the ability to translate such requirements into technical specifications. In other words, Anand is one of a handful of people who could, I believe, ensure Apple maintains Steve Jobs' vision of a quality user experience or the "reality distortion field."
Effing hilarious. The guy writes a milk toast goodbye where he'll be busy but doesn't mention he's going to work for Apple. Most likely he didn't want to read the hate responses.
People have no balls. He spent most of his career slacking on Apple and now takes a job with my former company.
Grow a nutsack, Anand, and be honest to your weird cluster of nutballs on Anandtech. Face the music.
You would have my respect if you ever showed respect for Apple.
Ever heard of an NDA? He'd have signed one.
Sad to hear of him going. Happy to hear where he went.
Apple accepts ALS (Anand Lai Shimpi) again.
I hear Apple accepted the ALS challenge.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/05/30/longtime-apple-pr-head-katie-cotton-officially-retires
The market didn't care about Katie Cotton's departure.
Yeah, so Apple acknowledged the departure of a long-time PR person who really hadn't been involved in AAPL announcements since Steve's death.
Katie Cotton was fierce proponent of Steve Jobs, but she got called out giving some B.S. "Steve has a cold" lie and no one with half a brain ever listened to her again.
She's been a non-entity for about three years. She has never been really that important apart from someone limiting access to Steve. As a public relations person, she has been nobody for years. Steve called the shots, not Katie. From a corporate standpoint, Katie was a human shield.
It has been repeatedly recounted that PR is most soulless of career paths in high-tech. Katie Cotton was the epitome of this. She walked away from Apple with a bunch of RSUs (maybe) but nothing more.
Tim Cook contracts ALS?
I wonder if I'd do that - create Anandtech where I'm my own boss and then go to a company to help with press relations... Probably not. What are his dreams - we don't know. What is his expertise - knowing and writing about tech.
If I were him I'd only have accepted a truly outstanding challenge/position. I think he'll most likely end up in R&D.
I'm guessing he'd be more involved in either the technical communications aspect of Apple products or something to do with helping customers?
Tim Cook contracts ALS?
It was the ALS AnandTech ice bucket challenge.
This 9to5Mac article gives insight to that:
http://tinyurl.com/nm8zhxz
Perhaps he was asked by Apple to 'play it this way'? Apple is known to orchestrate, well, everything. See article in above link.
(thanks to [@]Gatorguy[/@] for posting that link)
I'd have to expand on that a bit. As usual, there's a smart way and a dumb way to do any job. The smart PR person is in the legitimate position to learn as much about the company as other positions with a global view, e.g., the CEO, CFO, and COO. It's like newspaper work with the entire company as your beat. Problem is you have to massage the truth here and there as part of the job, but that's rationalized by putting the survival of the company first. If it's basically an ethical company like Apple, IBM, NCR, etc., it's not such a soulless compromise. I betcha Katie Cotton is a fascinating teller of war stories, and her job as Jobs's bulldog was probably a noble one.
no, it's not obvious at all. you exhibited an unusual amount of enthusiasm for something that has no obvious benefit. I'm curious why. still waiting.
no, it's not obvious at all. you exhibited an unusual amount of enthusiasm for something that has no obvious benefit. I'm curious why. still waiting.
It's not just me. You are the odd one out here.
The majority of comments have been positive to this hiring, and not just on this site.
jobs' vision of quality isn't what the RDF refers to. the RDF refers to his ability to get engineers to agree to do things they didn't think they could do...and then do them.
That and the consumer side of the field.
I have no idea what he'll be doing but I 1) think his systematic and scientific approach to breaking down a product to test fits in perfectly with Apple, and 2) could see him eventually groomed as an exec and even Cook's replacement years down the road.
This ^^
However, perhaps not Cook's but the "missing products guy" ...