“A leaked email from the Sony Pictures hack indicates Snapchat set aside 0.11% of its stock for former Apple head of iOS Scott Forstall to be an advisor,” Josh Constine reports for TechCrunch.
“When asked about the company’s relationship with Forstall, Snapchat didn’t deny the connection, simply replying ‘We have a number of advisors, but we don’t comment on the specifics of their relationship with the company,'” Constine reports. “Given Forstall’s prestigious pedigree and fame for leading Apple’s iOS division, he was granted a wopping .11% fully-dilluted for merely being an advisor, with the options vesting over 24 months.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Make that camera button look like a real shutter release.”
Ca-Ching!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
The Scott Forstall mystery – December 18, 2014
After Tim Cook gave him the ol’ heave ho, Scott Forstall spent a year traveling – December 9, 2013
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
Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, to retire; Dan Riccio to take over – June 28, 2012
I’m just happy he’s not in the unemployment office anymore.
The scenario reminds of the Jim Carrey SNL skit impersonating Matthew McConaughey’s Lincoln commercial:
“Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards…. Waaaay back…. Like going from being a potential future CEO of the worlds most valuable company to becoming a Snapchat advisor.”
MDN take is stupid.
OS X started the realism look interface, iOS just followed.
I, like many truly dislike the flat iOS look, however the look does not effect functionality. Hence nor did realism.
I believe Apple merely toyed with flat to see if the competition would copy.
Keeping busy at Snapchat has effectively stopped Scott from posting “Fire Tim Cook!” on MDN’s website.
Cook is CEO, who should over see everything and be responsible for everything. Cook has made many poor decisions yet remains the one and man to lead. Keep up the great work Tim. Still, Apple is a team and to place singular blame on Scott resulting in forcing him out was – wrong.
I liked Scott Forstall. I didn’t like the skeuomorphic UI, but there was more to him than that.
I liked the skeuomorphs. I always did. It is, after all, part of what an icon is in the first place – a representation of what the thing does. Which is what made Apple Computers way back in the day. And guess what, folks – it is still there. Just because they are modernized doesn’t mean it isn’t still skeuomorphic.
Let me make a quick survey…
Camera. Check – looks like a camera.
Videos. Check – looks like a board used on a set.
Messages. Check – looks like a dialogue balloon from a cartoon.
Mail. Check – looks like an envelope.
Photos. Nope. And I don’t like that one. Go figure.
Okay, even calling some of this modernized doesn’t quite work. What does an envelope have to do with *e*-mail? When was the last time you saw a digital camera that looked like that? To me, it looks like an old 35mm camera. So all that really happened is the faux-leather textures were replaced by color gradients. And best I recall, lots of folks complained about the color palette as much as they did the textures that came before.
Today’s isn’t better or worse. It is just different.
Most people do not object to (tasteful) icons. However, this does not extend to “faux-leather address books” and “faux-wood book shelves”, which are simply poor taste. I balked at using iCal after it went “iLeather”. It was just too sophomoric.
I’m not talking about the icons. I’m talking about stupid things like leather framed calendar app and contacts app. That was dumb. The icons should be made to look like the physical object that the app represents, but we don’t need stupid things like leather and ripped paper edges, etc.
There is no proof that a skeuomorphic UI works less than a flat boring UI.
Marketing wise, the iPhone product design and materials do lead to a highly sophisticated need for a crisp clean stylish UI – however – Apple screwed that up.
When seriously looking at this matter, we must see that OS X came first. iOS merely followed. OS X was purposely refreshed and decked out – fully dressed as modern skeuomorphic OS to free us from the past flat iconology of OS 7, 8 and 9.
With deeper thought, when iOS adopted the skeuomorphic UI of OS X, it truly made sense for the iPad market. A super simple User Interface with highly recognizable icons… made iPad easier to use for those who had computer phobia or never used a computer before. From 1 years olds actually using iPad to 90 years olds, the iPad obliterated the age group segment. Android is not only fragmented, but difficult to use when tested on 1 year olds and 90 year olds. With all the edges swappable and confusing methods of use, and the rather difficult file hierarchy and folder understanding of computers in the past. For Apple to adopt some of these things from Android was foolish.
Skeuomorphic has no negative effect on user experiences, where flat does. Flat limits the creative flexibility of the UI graphically and lacks in easier recognition and familiarity of what a button may be purposed for (an app to do something) — due to being basically 2D shadow work, flat really loses all those 1 year olds hindering on their usage and 90 years olds becoming empowered in computing.
I think Scott, like Steve before him, needs the humbling — maybe even a bit more so, since I always got the vibe that Scott saw himself as the next Steve.
Whereas Steve always viewed himself as Steve. Scott needs to try being the best Scott ever.
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde
Scott gave great stage presence. Something I think Apple has lost.
Admittedly, I like Craig’s presentations. Hair Force One. COME ON! lol
If history rhymes, then this should be Forstal’s time in the wilderness before his “second coming” return to Apple, no? He can take the reins when Cook steps down in 10 yrs time.
Instead of NeXT, he should probably kill some time and start a firm called AgAIN or something…
Just sayin’
Forstal is missed. This man practically gave us iOS.
Flat iOS8 looks sh_t still to this day – yet iOS remains strong.
Brilliant idea for a startup AgAIN.
Forstall was screwed by Tim Cook and that overblown gasbag who pretends everything he designs isn’t copied from the Germans.