“Michael Gartenberg, a longtime industry analyst known for covering digital media technologies and companies including Microsoft and Apple, has left his post as an analyst at Gartner Inc. to take a job with Apple,” Connie Guglielmo reports for Forbes.
“Gartenberg didn’t immediately reply to a voicemail message left at his office at Apple asking him to talk about his new role for the Cupertino, California-based company,” Guglielmo reports. “He is working on the marketing team under Apple’s global marketing chief Phil Schiller, according to sources.”
Guglielmo reports, “This isn’t Gartenberg’s first time jumping into one of the technology companies he tracks — though his last foray lasted less than a month. In Feb. 2007, he joined Microsoft as an ‘enthusiastic evangelist’ …But he left Microsoft in March 2007 and resumed his role as a tech analyst, saying ‘at my core, I am an analyst. It’s what I do and I do it well and after much thought, I realize I’m just not ready to stop doing that job just yet.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Gartenberg is/was a top notch Apple analyst from the rarified league which includes just a handful of names, including the likes of Tim Bajarin and Carl Howe. Good luck inside the Mothership, Michael! (May it be far better than that hellish month you spent inside the belly of the Borg.)
Related articles:
Gartenberg: If you think Apple is all about Steve Jobs, you have forgotten something – September 25, 2011
Gartenberg: The Mac is back; why Apple’s computer platform isn’t going anywhere but up – November 20, 2010
Gartenberg: ‘The misplaced schadenfreude of antennagate’ – August 16, 2010
Gartenberg: Apple’s iPad launch offers four important lessons for the market – February 1, 2010
Gartenberg: Apple’s iPhone a Trojan horse for other Apple devices and services into the enterprise – August 4, 2008
About-face! Gartenberg abruptly quits Microsoft, returns to Jupiter – March 7, 2007
Michael Gartenberg sells out, joins Microsoft as ‘Enthusiast Evangelist’ – February 16, 2007
Let us not forget Horace Dediu either.
Indeed, and PED is certainly deserving of some accolades as one of the few analysts that is willing to take down the paid FUD slingers and other assorted ignoratti.
Apple would never hire Connie Gugliemo
Maybe Carla Gugino, but never Connie Gugliemo.
An “enthusiastic evangelist” for microsoft products? Say it ‘aint so Phil.
Give him a break. Aside from Ballmer and his family, who else on Earth could possibly be an enthusiastic evangelist for Microsoft.
He lasted as long as a month before he gave up? Masochist!
Thanks for the chuckle.
Billy G.
… and his wife Melinda, mother of “Bob”.
Microsoft “enthusiastic evangelist”: contradiction in terms 😉
The fact that he was an enthusiastic evangelist for Windoze and Microsoftopoly as late as 2007 would keep me from hiring him.
Why? I was as big a Windows mark as they come in 2007, and thought Apple was nothing but high-priced toys for snobbish geeks. Now, I’m firmly in the Apple camp. Gotta remember, it’s 2013 now.
Sometimes those crossing over from the Dark Side are even more enthusiastic over Apple.
Any guesses as to what they need him for on the marketing team?
Contrast?
Methinks he’d give data to the team about who likes/uses the products and why. Since they don’t typically do surveys his data could be very valuable to them. He’ll likely keep being an analyst, just for Apple herself.
Baloney. This is all about how to kowtow to the likes of Gartner. Info on where the grease must go.
If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em? Maybe?
I’m also going to nominate Daniel Eran-Dilger, although he is less of an analyst and more of a commentator. His comments are generally spot on, and he is an Apple Evangalist.
I agree- Tim Bajarin is one of the good ones.
A shakedown by any other name would smell as sweet.
So it begins. WS always gets it way. Shame on you MDN. You know the truth about the likes of Gartner.
I’m not sure about this recent hire but with billions and billions and billions of dollars in the bank Apple has no excuse for not having the world’s best marketing team. Already in place! What does this current team do anyway? And it’s not like Apple has run a lot of print, radio and TV ads in the past either. But this isn’t 2007. Apple has competition now. I can’t understand why they sit on their hands and do nothing. Run more iPad ads. You’re way ahead so try to stay there as long as you can. That’s what advertising is all about. You don’t have a larger iPhone to compete with other manufacturers? Well, that’s when your marketing team earns its money. Innovate! Think of something unique to the iPhone! Do something! Quit sitting on your ass twiddling your thumbs! Sure, you can start running ads when you have a larger iPhone or a more affordable smaller iPhone or a new iPad or something brand-new. Damn! Anybody can start running ads then. It doesn’t take any great marketer to do that! Phil, what the hell are we paying you millions and millions for?
Apple is a productive inventor’s company. There is a vast majority of people in marketing who not only cannot comprehend being productive or inventive. This crowd is well known for going on Seek And Destroy Missions to STOP both productivity AND invention.
This is why you NEVER EVER let anyone in marketing run a division or run a company. I call it ‘Marketing As Management’ and it is CERTAIN DEATH unless a company reaches a nexus moment of decision and runs the marketing leadership off the ranch.
Apple saved itself from ‘Marketing As Management’ the moment they returned Steve Jobs to the CEO position.
Sony will continue to spiral further down into the pit of its own self-destruction UNTIL it also boots out their Marketing-As-Management current CEO. Until then, expect the worst.
M-A-M killed Kodak. I was there and got to watch the gory details.
Conclusions:
1) If someone wants to climb the corporate ladder to the top of Apple as a marketing specialist: Give Up Now. Go find a stupider company to infiltrate and ruin.
2) Therefore, marketing experts who foolishly want to become leaders DO NOT want to work for Apple. And that’s EXCELLENT.
*** However, confusing marketing with leadership doesn’t stop someone from being great at marketing. Those specific great marketing people aren’t going to work for Apple. It’s not Apple’s loss! But it’s not Apple’s gain either.
You are not referring to our true friend Ballmer T Clown are you?
*DING*DING*DING* You win A NEW CAR!
Yes, i believe Steve himself cautioned against that (putting Marketing in charge) in an interview I saw, and I think he even used Microsloth as a shining example of what happens.
I have to hand it to John Sculley for recognizing that he, as a Marketing-As-Management CEO, was NOT who Apple needed. Sculley’s vicious ruination of Jobs was CLASSIC retribution by a Marketing-As-Management CEO with CLASSIC results: Apple fell on its face.
Stay entrepreneurial or die. That’s the modern mandate for successful businesses. Anything less is self-destruction.
his last foray lasted less than a month. In Feb. 2007, he joined Microsoft as an ‘enthusiastic evangelist’ …But he left Microsoft in March 2007
What A Horror. My sympathies for your foolish blunder Mr. Gargenberg. Better luck this time.
I hope he can contribute well to Apple.