Apple plans more job cuts
Posted by malebolgia on 07 May 2004 - 00:08 · 13 comments & 971 views
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(10 replies)
#1 Posted by threedaysdwn on 07 May 2004 - 00:26
- I think Apple should stop cutting jobs and just cut Jobs.
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#1.1 Posted by oik on 07 May 2004 - 00:43
- perhaps you forget what the days without (steve) jobs were like?
learn the facts before making a quick pun. -
#1.2 Posted by dp123 on 07 May 2004 - 01:23
- Not to mention the fact that Apple actually continues to grow, adding more staff. Just because they are announcing cuts in one department, doesn't mean they aren't hiring and are downsizing. The retail strategy alone will add many more than 148 jobs this year (not that these are substantial positions but still...)
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#1.3 Posted by MegaManXcalibur on 07 May 2004 - 01:26
- Heck I'm not even an Apple or Steve Jobs fan but I will say he has done wonders for Apple Computers. Since his return I've seen quite a few great things come from Apple (Better OS, better processors, iPod, iTunes music store, ect.). Steve has been very good for Apple if you ask me and getting rid of him would only hurt the company.
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#1.4 Posted by Mav Phoenix on 07 May 2004 - 01:34
- So Apple relies only on one man?
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#1.5 Posted by dp123 on 07 May 2004 - 02:08
- Who you talking about?
Ives?
Rubenstein?
Tevanian?
Dominic Giampaolo?
Pavel Cisler?
Timothy Martin?
Steve Sakoman?
Yes.
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#1.6 Posted by threedaysdwn on 07 May 2004 - 02:42
QUOTE (#1.1) perhaps you forget what the days without (steve) jobs were like?
learn the facts before making a quick pun.
But I like puns! And no one else had made one yet
But seriously... Jobs hasn't done any of what needs to be done to make Apple a player in the desktop market. If that's not his goal, fine. But most Mac fans think it should be.
I think Apple missed a big opportunity with OS X. That opportunity was the chance to easily move away from the PPC architecture. Now that OS X is established on the PPC platform, that move would be harder... if they were smart enough to take it. Apple could have been or still could be THE company to make open-source/Unix viable on the desktop. To do that, though, they'd need to drop PPC and go x86. Or at least x86-64.
They would immediately have vastly superior hardware available, MUCH better prices and value, far better interoperability... and a far easier migration path for current PC owners.
Even then they may not even make a truly significant dent in Windows' market share. But they'd have a much better chance... and at the least, they'd bring the first real desktop OS competition that Microsoft has seen in ages.-
#1.7 Posted by Boz on 07 May 2004 - 05:54
- But that's not the point. Jobs has always stood for Apple's total uniqueness and independence from all others. I think it has something to do with ego as well, but I don't think it's necessary a bad thing. My personal opinion is that if they switched to x86 platform and joined the desktop market, they would lose their advantage and would be just another Gateway. This way they have their own market and charge heavily for it. It's a type of monopoly.
But I guarantee that Apple will stop producing hardware completely in the not-to-far future and become exclusively a multimedia/music software and services company. They'll probably still keep some hardware, but not as nearly as they do now.
The whole hardware manufacturing is actually costing them a lot of money, and don't forget, IBM by introducing the new CPU (aka G5) will move it to other parts of the industry, and offer similar CPU modifications to the rest of the market, not just Apple. And that's where Apple steps in play with all the software and services. -
#1.8 Posted by Mav Phoenix on 07 May 2004 - 06:57
QUOTE (#1.7) But that's not the point. Jobs has always stood for Apple's total uniqueness and independence from all others. I think it has something to do with ego as well, but I don't think it's necessary a bad thing. My personal opinion is that if they switched to x86 platform and joined the desktop market, they would lose their advantage and would be just another Gateway. This way they have their own market and charge heavily for it. It's a type of monopoly.
But I guarantee that Apple will stop producing hardware completely in the not-to-far future and become exclusively a multimedia/music software and services company. They'll probably still keep some hardware, but not as nearly as they do now.
The whole hardware manufacturing is actually costing them a lot of money, and don't forget, IBM by introducing the new CPU (aka G5) will move it to other parts of the industry, and offer similar CPU modifications to the rest of the market, not just Apple. And that's where Apple steps in play with all the software and services.
I don't think they'd just be another Gateway, they'd still have their cool displays and cases, and most importantly the very nice OS.-
#1.9 Posted by threedaysdwn on 07 May 2004 - 12:48
QUOTE (#1.7) My personal opinion is that if they switched to x86 platform and joined the desktop market, they would lose their advantage and would be just another Gateway.
Since when does Gateway offer its own unix-based desktop OS?
When they switched to OS X, that was the ideal opportunity to switch platforms. Software developers had to rewrite their software anyway for the new OS as OS X completely broke compatability with older systems. So switching the hardware would've been a non-issue... It would probably would've helped developers a lot too who may have had an easier time porting PC and Linux apps to the OS X/x86 platform.
QUOTE The whole hardware manufacturing is actually costing them a lot of money, and don't forget, IBM by introducing the new CPU (aka G5) will move it to other parts of the industry, and offer similar CPU modifications to the rest of the market, not just Apple. And that's where Apple steps in play with all the software and services.
I'm not sure what you're getting at here. The development of the G5 chip for Apple seemed like it was more charity than anything else. It's a crippled single-core Power4 chip. IBM probably agreed to make it to help legitimize their new fabrication intiative. They were looking everywhere at the time for customers in that business (nvidia and AMD being the big two).
The biggest problem with Apple's moves into software apps/services/multimedia devices is that they're still clinging to their proprietary MO. I'd be much more interested in Apple's products (the ipod, itunes, iTMS, etc.) if they actually worked with non-apple technology. Microsoft has always done this right... their software is always built to be hardware-agnostic and very flexible when it comes to working with other systems.
Jobs wants to beat everyone and work with no one. Microsoft has proven time and again that the best way to dominate this industry is to work with everyone but do what they do only better.-
#1.10 Posted by bonoriffic on 09 May 2004 - 00:22
QUOTE (#1.1) perhaps you forget what the days without (steve) jobs were like?
learn the facts before making a quick pun.
Since Jobs return Apple has lost market share every year. Looking at G5 shipments, they decline every quarter. Great job Jobs. The facts are Apple is no better off with him than without him.
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#2 Posted by DrunkenMaster on 07 May 2004 - 13:42
- http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5152110.htm
I think cutting Jobs would be a great idea. Who could possibly use 90+ million in airfare over the next 10 years (prob the remainder of his stay)? Plus, they have to pay fuel and maintenance costs. 90 million would let these people - who've probably been working for Apple longer - a chance to keep their jobs.
Executives never getting axed. Makes me mad!!!!
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#3 Posted by cswadner on 07 May 2004 - 15:33
- Ok.... first off, the jobs cut last month from the Sacramento plant were due to them moving SOME manufacturing off site. They still have 3 other buildings in that complex that are still up and running just fine. Secondly, why should Steve Jobs get cut??? He is Apple. The company went downhill after he left in the 80's and thats why they asked him to come back. Yes they are giving him benefits that seem outragous but its worth it.
QUOTE But seriously... Jobs hasn't done any of what needs to be done to make Apple a player in the desktop market. If that's not his goal, fine. But most Mac fans think it should be.
I think Apple missed a big opportunity with OS X. That opportunity was the chance to easily move away from the PPC architecture. Now that OS X is established on the PPC platform, that move would be harder... if they were smart enough to take it. Apple could have been or still could be THE company to make open-source/Unix viable on the desktop. To do that, though, they'd need to drop PPC and go x86. Or at least x86-64.
They would immediately have vastly superior hardware available, MUCH better prices and value, far better interoperability... and a far easier migration path for current PC owners.
Even then they may not even make a truly significant dent in Windows' market share. But they'd have a much better chance... and at the least, they'd bring the first real desktop OS competition that Microsoft has seen in ages
Lets think here..... Apple is what it is why.... because they closed their doors and developed their own softare for their own platforms. That is how they have such clean running machines. Why does Windows have problems?? Because you have 3rd party software running on a Microsoft based product, running on a hardware manufactured and put together from all over. Now dont get me wrong... I am a windows user... but i have to get out with the truth. And one more thing.... since when does a PC have "vastly superior" hardware?? Last time i checked it didnt. Look at the differences between the logic boards, look at what Apple puts in their machines. The moment they open up to the rest of the world, and try to "compete" in the PC game... prices rise, because now Apple has to support all the PC based products on theirs, or their software on the PC market. It just doesnt work.
Apple said a reorganization of its sales and marketing efforts will result in 148 job cuts over the course of the current fiscal year, which ends in September. The cuts are in addition to 200 jobs that were eliminated when the company closed its Sacramento, Calif., plant in April. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company detailed the cuts late Thursday in its quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Apple took a $9.6 million restructuring charge last quarter, and the company said in the filing that it expects to take another $10 million charge in the current quarter, largely related to finalizing the plant closure.
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