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CommentApple’s new retail chief announces three month advance on employee pay raises
In a video sent directly to Apple Store employees, newly appointed Senior Vice President of Apple Retail John Browett has promised a three month advance on employee salary raises. Apple Store employees were previously scheduled to see their raises on September 30th of this year, but now these raises will come on June 30th. These raises come in addition to the Mac and iPad discounts promised by Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier this year.
These employee raises are said to work on a “1-5 scale.” Depending on individual store sales performance during a designated time period, employees will be given raises between 1% and 5% of their current salary. This three month advance is apparently a one time internal promotion, so the raises for 2013 will likely come during the later part of the year, not June.
John Browett previously sent employees a letter to introduce himself:
At last I’ve officially started at Apple, and it’s great to be here. I’ve had the chance to meet many of you at stores in the U.S. and across Europe, and one of my top priorities for the coming months is to meet many more people on our team around the world. It’s incredibly impressive to be on the inside of Apple Retail. Many of my friends, relatives, and former colleagues have written to tell me how lucky I am to be working with such a great group of people, and I couldn’t agree more. While our stores are fantastic and our products are amazing, it really is our people who make the difference in creating the best retail experience. There will be much more to share in the weeks ahead, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone over time. I am thrilled to work with all of you as we build the future of Apple Retail together.
Browett reportedly reiterated some of that letter in this first video to retail employees. Browett officially joined Apple in April of this year, and he is the successor to Apple Retail pioneer Ron Johnson. Johnson left Apple in November 2011 to become the CEO of J.C. Penney. Browett comes from Dixons, a United Kingdom-based retail chain, where he was the CEO. Former retail chief Ron Johnson occasionally sent videos to the Apple Retail teams, but this three month advance on raises makes an interesting and unique gift from Browett.
Apple Stores begin receiving the Nest Learning Thermostat, to go on sale soon
News broke yesterday that former Apple Senior Vice President Tony Fadell’s Nest Learning Thermostat will soon go on sale at Apple Stores. iLounge reported it first, but 9to5Mac immediately confirmed the claim.
A trusted source provided a first-hand look at the Nest packaged at an Apple Store today—complete with the part number. Priced at $249.99 (the same as Nest’s price through its online store), the Nest has a part number of H9279ll/a in Apple’s systems.
Our source was not able to say when the Nest will go on sale at Apple Stores, but the source indicated it will be soon. Deliveries of the Nest are now being made at multiple Apple Stores. However, we are hearing whispers that the thermostat may not go on sale at all stores simultaneously.
For those unfamiliar, the Nest is a revolutionary new digital thermostat with an intuitive temperature dial. It is controllable by iOS devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. A photo of the back of the box (complete with Apple’s price tag) is after the break.
Apple releases revised iOS 5.1.1 build for GSM iPhone 4, available for new installs
Apple has pushed out a revised version of the recently released iOS 5.1.1. The original public build of iOS 5.1.1 is labeled build 9B206, while this new build is labeled 9B208 (direct download). This is only two builds newer, and probably represents a small fix in the software. Whatever Apple needed to fix was specific to the GSM iPhone 4 (iPhone 3,1) as no revised builds for other iOS devices have been released (perhaps yet). The new build is only available for new iOS 5.1.1 iPhone 4 (GSM) installs and will not be available as an update for users currently on the original build. Apple has not described the changes that are included in the revised release.
Sotheby’s to auction 1 of 6 working Apple I’s and rare Steve Jobs memo
Sotheby’s plans to auction two pieces of Apple history on June 15 in New York, including a rare document penned by Steve Jobs while working at Atari and an operational Apple I motherboard expected to fetch up to $180,000 USD. An excerpt from Sotheby’s description for the Apple I lot is below, and it claims less than six Apple I’s in working condition are known to exist:
As the first ready-made personal computer, the Apple I signaled a new age in which computing became accessible to the masses. The interface of circuitry and software that Woz created enabled users to type letters with “a human-typable keyboard instead of a stupid, cryptic front panel with a bunch of lights and switches,” as he explained to the Homebrew Computer Club. Even so, it was sold without a keyboard, monitor, case, or power supply, An exceptionally rare, working example with original Apple cassette interface, operation manuals and a rare BASIC Users’ Manual. It is thought that fewer than 50 Apple I Computers survive, with only 6 known to be in working condition. Read more
Apple Stores reportedly to begin selling Tony Fadell’s Nest Learning Thermostat
According to iLounge, Tony Fadell – a former Apple Senior Vice President – will soon find another place to sell his new Nest Learning Thermostats: the Apple Store. According to the report, the Nest will run for $249 at the Apple Store (the same as Nest’s price through Nest’s online store). The Nest is a digital, easy-to-setup and use thermostat, and its user-interface, design, and setup process are all what is to be expected from the “father of the iPod.” The device can even be controlled by iPods, iPads, and iPhones.
Update: We can independently confirm that Nest Learning Thermostats are coming to Apple Store locations very soon. The systems are already listed in Apple’s internal inventory database.
Update 2: A Nest spokeswoman declined to comment.
Is Siri a success for Apple? [Poll]
Oh, Siri. Apple’s little voice-activated personal assistant in iOS can handle questions, give recommendations, and delegate requests, but does it really live up to expectations?
The folks in Cupertino like to roll out advertisements that show Siri capable of compiling individual preferences with personalized results, and even completing basic tasks like finding a nearby restaurant, but the software met very mixed reactions after it Beta-débuted on the iPhone 4S in October. Those who felt misled by Siri’s functionality depicted in commercials eventually sought reimbursement by filing a class action lawsuit against Apple earlier this year.
Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky wrote about how chief executive Tim Cook is changing Apple in an interesting piece this morning, but he also touched upon the contention surrounding Siri. He noted Apple’s future relies on the quality of its products, which holds true for any company, but then he pointed to the iOS-maker’s knowledge navigator:
“Those looking for deficiencies have found them in Siri, a less-than-perfect product that Apple released with the rare beta label in late 2011, a signal that the service shouldn’t be viewed as fully baked. Siri’s response time has been slow, meaning the servers and software powering it are inadequate. ‘People are embarrassed by Siri,’ says one former insider. ‘Steve would have lost his mind over Siri.’”
It is interesting that an unnamed insider claimed Jobs would “lose his mind” over Siri, especially because it is well-known the late CEO worked with former Siri founder and subsequent Apple Engineering Director Dag Kittlaus on the project. Kittlaus admitted last March at Network World that Jobs felt they “cracked it” in regards to Siri, which alludes to the chief’s satisfaction with the voice assistant and contrasts with the insider’s opinion.
The poll is after the break.
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