Apple Main Failures In 2012

Apple which is still the most expensive IT-corporation in the world didn’t pass any failure when it was ruled by Steve. But 2012 the company has gone through several ups and downs.

Last year was different for the whole IT-industry, and Apple is not an exception. On the one hand, the company has released two fully-formatted iPads, unveiled a mini version of its tablet, and updated the mobile and desktop versions of its OS – iOS 6. On the other hand, there were a legal saga with Samsung, uneasy personnel issues and problems with the new devices.

I have chosen the top 5 of last year Apple failures. Some of them have an adverse impact on the reputation of Apple, while others affect the financial results will be “felt” in the near future.

#5. The Ping failure.

Several years ago, Apple wanted to enter and conquer an unusual market. In 2010 it announced the Ping social network. Steve Jobs promised almost a revolution in the music industry and promised to compete with giants like Facebook and Twitter. Users were shown how it is easy to track Madonna’s songs, watch the changing musical tastes of the friends, to make personal charts and more.

The day after the launch the social network flooded with spam and fake profiles of musicians. Some of the journalists have called it one of the most high-profile failures in 2010. The audience was in no hurry to Ping either: there were not so many musical artists in the network, besides it was available only in a couple dozen countries.

In the spring 2012 Tim Cook acknowledged the project failed, and on September 30, after two years the social network quietly died. Apple has to accept the domination of Facebook and Twitter.

#4. HR policy.

Last year Apple has lost several key executives and engineers. First, over half a dozen of engineers and programmers who were working on iPhone and iPad development left the corporation. All of them were allegedly succumbed by Facebook, which intends to develop the mobile direction seriously.

In the summer Bob Mansfield, the company vice-president who oversaw iPhone and iPad engineering, and before it who was responsible for the development of the Mac, informed about his intention to leave. He is not just a top manager; he is one of the leading representatives of the leadership Apple.

The Company managed to keep Bob Mansfield at great cost ($ 2 million salary and a large package of shares).

But Scott Forestall and John Brouett (the vice-presidents) were conversely asked to leave the company. Scott Forestall refused to sign a letter of apology for the defects of the iOS 6 built-in map service.

John Brouett was responsible for retail sales, and was the victim of employee dissatisfaction with Apple Store. The Vice President was not forgiven for downsizing stores.

#3. Violet shade.

iPhone 5 has been criticized for the camera. The users first discovered that purple halo appears with the backlight around the objects in the photos. Within days, almost every owner of a new smartphone checked for the presence of its acquisition of “violet defect.”

The situation got worse after tech support answer. The company said that “purple effect” should exist, as it is typical for small cameras of any smartphone. The problem, they say, was not in the photo module, but in a way how the user photographs. Moreover, Apple has once again begun to teach users how to hold iPhone.

It is fair to note that the “violet defect” is not always apparent in the new unit shipments meaning something in the camera module or program part was corrected.

#2. Shabby iPhone 5 housing.

Another, much more serious and obvious than the camera, the iPhone 5 defect is connected to the housing. The buyers from different countries could not believe that “the highest quality in the world of” smartphone peeling off in no time, like Chinese “dialer” for $30. Moreover, almost every other unit was is damaged in a box.

Apple executives could recognize the problem or to keep quiet, as it has happened many times. But instead, the company bosses have made another mistake. “It’s OK” – said Apple vice president Phil Schiller about the situation with shabby iPhone 5. “Any aluminum unit can be scratched during use, exposing a silver paint,” – he added.

#1. Apple Maps.

The new version of iOS abandoned good old Google maps and presented some new crude, “buggy” and laughable map service. The wave of criticism washed Apple over from head to toe.

Corporate management has almost immediately admitted his guilt. A formal apology was made by Tim Cook. He advised users to migrate to competitive services and promised to make Apple Maps service world class someday.

We have listed the most notable and notorious failures Apple, that affected the company in the past year. There were also problems with “patent trolls”, “stolen” clock from the Swiss railway, problems with Retina-screen in the new MacBook.

This year promises to be very difficult for the corporation headed by Tim Cook. While Apple continues to set record after record, but investors and analysts are concerned with the market saturation and declining of growth rates. We can only observe the further activities of the company and wait for the announcement of new products.