“A few columns ago, I mused that Scott Forstall could likely fix the Windows Mobile operating system and make it play nice with Windows for the PC,” Greg Mills writes for MacNews. “There aren’t that many people in the world with the skill set to design and manage the development of an entire mobile platform.”
“Scott is one of those people. With his abrasive personality (at least it’s abrasive when it suits him) he could get rid of the dead wood hanging around Redmond simply drawing large pay checks,” Mills writes. “However, he ought to be CEO, not just a vice president.”
MacDailyNews Note: “Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.” – Apple Inc., October 29, 2012
Mills writes, “Some years ago I took an Emergency Medical Technician course. We learned that in the medical world when someone is brain dead, keeping them on life support eventually becomes expensive and meaningless. So it is with high tech companies that lose their way…. The corporate ‘failure to thrive’ decline really begins in the CEO’s brain. Fortunately, companies can replace an under-achieving CEO and hire a new one, while it is ‘game over’ for brain dead people. Forstall is soon going to be available and would be a strong replacement for Ballmer.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: No, no, no, Steve Ballmer is doing a fine job! We like his strategy. We like it a lot. For as long as it takes!
Besides, the track record of former Apple VPs with chips on their shoulders who thought they had what it takes to go up against Apple is laughable.
Related articles:
Tony Fadell: Scott Forstall ‘got what he deserved’ – November 29, 2012
Un-retired: Why Bob Mansfield is back at Apple in a big way – November 1, 2012
Apple: Forstall pushed out by Cook, source says; news met with ‘quiet jubilation’ inside Apple – October 30, 2012
Now the real Jony Ive era begins at Apple Inc. – October 30, 2012
Tim Cook takes full control of Apple: John Browett and Scott Forstall out; Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi get expanded responsibilities – October 29, 2012
I don’t want this to happen for the simple reason that nobody can be worse than Ballmer. Forstall may or may not be good – that’s dangerous when we know Ballmer is certainly terrible.
Forstall at Microsoft … like Ron Johnson at JC Penney. Matches made in heaven!
This is a scary prospect indeed!
But it would be the ultimate Steve Jobs betrayal.
Don’t do it Scott!
It could happen or maybe Forstall would be hired as a consultant. Forstall no doubt has a huge chip on his shoulder and Microsoft has a huge ape in the corner office.
*snort*
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, or soon enough. Granted, I’m pro-APPL, own stock and devices, but competition is good. It drives innovation. I want the next best thing. So don’t we need someone to invent it, drive it? And then APPL can sell it if it’s theirs or make a better one. Let’s not repeat Ballnut’s mistakes and end up stuck in the 21st century.
I always wonder about these “competition is good” comments. Do you think Apple doesn’t have enough competition as it is? Do they really need more? I don’t have anything against competition, but I also don’t see a need for even more working against apple. I’d like to see Mac computers get a good bit more market share first.
Does Apple really have competition? On paper maybe but with the handful of products they produce they are annihilating their so-called competition. They didn’t accumulate that $120B in cash because they had tough competition.
It may be problematic for Forstall to join Microsoft because of intellectual property issues – Steve would NOT be happy. And I do enjoy seeing Microsoft continue to “face-plant” as much as the next MDN reader. Nevertheless, I would genuinely like to see someone else doing something exciting in the industry. Apple is really good. Buy they could and should be better. It’s human nature – everyone needs a little fear in the back of their collective mind to propel them forward. What’s Apple got to fear right now, except perhaps stubborn cable operators?
I agree. Tired of the statement, especially watching techno geeks like Pogue and Inhatko prostitute themselves for bucks and a fix.
I highly doubt it. I’m sure Forstall has a non-compete clause in his contract that would prevent him from joining MS for at least a year or two.
You’re probably right.
In California the non-compete is not applicable if you are let go from the company. If Scott was really fired he is free to work anywhere.
Non complete clause does not legally apply in the State of California!
Wasn’t there a guy that worked at Apple, who got canned for a Soda Water Man Ha..Ha..
Microsoft doesn’t have enough money to pay me the money I would need to earn in order to consider working for them.
Scotts’ brother works for MS.
Steve Jobs was like a great white shark. Scott Forstall as his acolyte is like a tiger shark. Together they killed everything that swam in the ocean, so long as the ocean consisted of consumer electronics products.
Microsoft is a big fat walrus that thrives on selling to corporate doofuses and catches its meal, fish, by avoiding the predators of the ocean. Asking Scott Forstall to join Microsoft would be asking him to shed his shark’s teeth and put on 2,000 lb of blubber, like that fat bald sweaty guy at the top.
You mean the owner of your right nut?
Either that, or Microsoft will change from a big fat walrus into a killer whale second only to Apple.
Microsoft would have to change its name to Microscott if this was to happen.
I posted this idea somewhere yesterday, probably here on MDN. Even if Forstall did get hired to take over MS in a year, I think that would be great!
You know why apple make so many “Magical” devices, because apple is a magical place, some how, they have the best people in the world, but as soon as those people leave apple, they became an average Joe, Look at Rubestain, or the guy who went to became JC Penny’s CEO, Wozniak him self.
No mater who from apple go to microsoft, Apple will still great and microsoft will still suck.
I think the thing about rules is that they’re made to be broken. Look at Tony Fadell.
Who cares what Scott Forstall does with his career?
Two words : Anakin Skywalker
Microsoft’s next CEO: Scott Forstall?
Seriously, if Microsoft were to bring Scott in, it’s Game Over for Microsoft. Why? Because this would be a Hail Mary move, when they have no more moves. They would have already given up on everything else and themselves.
So, this is such a silly idea. It could work and it would be brilliant. But so desperate that it would mean all sanity is lost at MS.
Think movie: Armageddon, Scott Forstall is a team of two antiquated space shuttles, exploded on rockets to drill and nuke an oncoming extinction event asteroid, to save Earth, with 5 minutes to spare.
The forced conjoining of totally unrelated tech news reminds me of The Human Centipede. Is there really such a dearth of analytic talent out there? “We hear Forstall’s abrasive; maybe he’d be able to clean the dead wood from Microsoft”. My head nearly exploded.
This type of analytical excretion is a fucking abomination.
Can you imagine Outlook in stitched leather or Faux-Fur?
Scott after being cast out, turns revengeful and crosses over to The Dark Side. NOooooo!
I hope he’s not that desperate. But it would certainly be the biggest challenge of his life—bailing out the Titanic just before it breaks in half and sinks to the bottom.
When Microsoft dumped Sinofsky I thought Apple and Microsoft may have started something they’ll regret. True disruption if Forstall and Sinofsky joined forces to make a new platform seriously challenging (or properly bridging) Apple and Windows. If they don’t kill each other trying they can make something more compelling and exciting than Apple or Microsoft, and they have probably will have the motivation, drive and chops to do it. Be fun to watch.
That’s an nteresting thought bubble.
“interesting” I meant. (My mind knows the letters, but my fingers do not cooperate.)
I think that Microsoft deserves that which is equal to what it put Apple through – being brought to an inch of it’s life by an incompetent clown of a CEO. It does NOT deserve to die. Punishment should be equal to the crime. (Let the accusations of heresy begin in 3. 2. 1.)
This MDN phrase, “as long as it takes” — I think it’s had its useby date. We’ve seen that Apple can be a real bastard in its role as a Microsoft-like monopolist. It says it nicely, “we can’t please everyone” but essentially it means – go jump since we can make tons of money without catering to all customers.
Dear MDN, in everyone’s life, things start off as a good idea, but somewhere along the line they continue as an addiction that we can’t remember why we started it and now can’t give it up because of fear, embarrassment and sometimes sheer foolishness. I think this “as long as it takes” falls into this category. Any sane Mac fanboy, in his quiet moments, realises we NEED Microsoft, because Apple has the DNA to become worse than Microsoft if it ever gets to the monopolist marketshare that MS once had.
Please think. Don’t just prattle stuff because you’ve done it before. I realise that the majority of people are sheep, and just do things out of habit — but, seriously, MDN, you need a wakeup call.
zzz OH! Did a troll just take a dump in the road? zzz
Scott will leave and setup an alternative computer company. The products will be good but customers won’t understand them. He will buy shares in an animation company and develop a new wave of films. Mean while Apple will decline though some bad marketing and decision making with a huge range of products. Scott will asked back to Apple as CEO and knock it back into shape and history will repeat itself. Easy, just a waiting game….
It makes a sick kind of sense.
even he will still work for apple as advisor next year, you MDN can’t guarantee whether he will suddenly quit, move to any company including MS. you never know. don’t be sure about it, dumb MDN. everytime when I see MDN comment, more than 80% is so pathetic, desperately doing some fucking fanboy job. wake up. apple is over.