Mikey Campbell
According to numerous reports from inside sources, Apple's departing iOS chief Scott Forstall refused to sign an apology letter regarding the shortcomings of iOS Maps, possibly contributing to the executive's ousting.
Unnamed sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN and The Verge that Forstall's actions following the release of iOS 6 and the ensuing iOS Maps debacle could have sealed his fate at Apple.
It was reported earlier on Monday that Forstall, along with SVP of Retail John Browett, would be leaving Apple, representing a major shift in the company's leadership. While the reasoning behind the departures will likely remain confidential, speculation has suggested the two executives failed to perform their duties in a manner befitting the Cupertino tech giant.
The most recent rumblings have come from insiders who claim Forstall, who is in charge of iOS Software and thus responsible for Maps, refused to sign an apology letter sent out by Apple shortly after the OS was released and subsequently panned by reviewers and consumers alike. When the letter came out, the signature of Apple CEO Tim Cook stood alone, with Forstall's noticeably absent.
Sources told WSJ that the executive argued Apple could forego an apology, and likened the situation to an antenna attenuation problem with the iPhone 4, dubbed "antennagate." A corresponding report from The Verge suggests Forstall denied the issues with iOS maps were significant enough to cause such widespread criticism.
While Forstall was known to be abrasive when dealing with colleagues and created friction with other company heads, late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was able to manage his sometimes polarizing nature. It seems Cook either had a harder time dealing with Forstall or simply saw it fit to excuse him from Apple due to a number of reasons. And it's quite possible that Forstall's refusal to apologize for the Maps debacle was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
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170 Comments
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.
Let the douchebag speculations begin.
[quote name="Tallest Skil" url="/t/153872/scott-forstalls-refusal-to-sign-ios-maps-apology-letter-contributed-to-departure-sources-say#post_2222372"]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. [/quote] They did have to apologize. Just as I was stating since the first Beta, it wasn't the same experience that they showcased during the demo. Whether that is Forestall's doing or not, [U]Apple[/U] had to apologize for raising expectations well above was feasible for their entry into a maps service. Now Apple Maps is good, it's not Google Maps good on the backend, but it's still good with many great aspects to it, and as we've discussed [I]ad nauseum [/I]they had no choice but to release this year to bring iOS out of the lack of TbT and bitmaps that we would have been saddled with for another year if they had stuck with Google Maps. So giving Forestall the benefit of the doubt here and suggesting that he wanted a more timid Maps demo that didn't happen and sometimes you have to take one for the team so I think he should have signed the apology.
There's any number of reasons why Forstall is no longer with Apple. I doubt the Maps issue was the sole reason, if even a reason at all. As the article says, we'll never really know why. It will be interesting to see how the "new" management works to keep Apple on course.
I have to say I did not find the program nearly as bad as some tried to make it. In fact for me it was better at routing me than the Google Maps app for iOS was.