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AAPL Stock: 501.2 ( -1.01 )

Apple Creates New iPod Division, Shuffles Execs

updated 09:50 pm EDT, Wed May 19, 2004

AAPL creates iPod Division


Apple has to sell, promote, and develop its popular iPod, the market leading digital music player, the company said on Wednesday. Jon Rubenstein, who has led the company's hardware engineering efforts, will run the new division, an Apple spokesman said. Timothy Cook, head of Apple's worldwide sales and operations, will lead a newly organized Macintosh division, Apple said. Tim Bucher, now in charge of Macintosh system development, will head up the Mac's hardware engineering. The moves were announced in a company-wide internal e-mail sent by Steve Jobs, Apple's chairman, chief executive and co-founder.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. iKenny

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2002

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    05/19, 11:00pm | report spam | Reply |

    Good

    Now that the iPod is a little more separate from the computers, maybe they can focus more on marketing the real money maker. I'd like to see Apple do some serious OS X marketing before MS floods the airwaves with Longhorn ads.

  1. gunnar

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Feb 1999

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    05/19, 11:21pm | report spam | Reply |

    i agree with the OS X ads

    something like:

    "Longhorn's still 4 years away..."
    "Why wait, when you can have all that good stuff now..."
    "Mac OS X"

  1. phillymjs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2000

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    05/19, 11:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    So does this move...

    ...set the stage for a possible eventual spinoff of the division into "iPod & iTMS, Inc."?

  1. paulgunn

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2001

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    05/19, 11:57pm | report spam | Reply |

    New Ad. Dept.

    I think what Apple needs the most is a new Ad department for their computers. I saw an HP computer ad with the use of the "Shrek" Donkey and it was very effective. If Apple computers is suppose to be a "niche" for the creative people then tout it as such. The idea that a windoze machine can do it better is sad. If Apple put in the same amount of effort to advertize their computer as they do their Ipod. More people might actually believe that they're a real computer company and worth a look at.

  1. JeffHarris

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    05/19, 11:58pm | report spam | Reply |

    Good Move

    Agreed. Apple really does need to PUSH Mac OS X. And the G5. And PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs, iSight, etc.

    AND they really need to focus on solid developement... bug squashing and security issues need to be dealt with. The MS shill "press" is having a field day lately.

    Add features and TELL people about them. It seems that only we MacGeeks know anything about all the underlying cool stuff in OS X. EVERYONE should know!

    By the way, where the HECK is AppleWorks 7?

  1. scotty321

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

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    05/20, 01:55am | report spam | Reply |

    iSync & .mac

    There's never even been ONE marketing push by Apple to the general public for iSync and .mac -- one of the greatest technologies to ever come out of Apple. The ability to synchronize your bookmarks & address book & calendars hourly across multiple machines, and have access to them via Apple's .mac website from any computer in the world is just amazing... and I would guess that most Mac users (and 100% of non-Mac users) don't even know this technology exists.

  1. dru

    Senior User

    Joined: Apr 2002

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    05/20, 06:18am | report spam | Reply |

    Rubenstein now wasted?

    He came from NeXT with Steve and Avi, does this mean Apple's shifting focus to iPods over Macintoshes? This is very significant in my voice. Does this indicate the major design planning for the G5 generation is complete? Will it mean Apple becomes the iPod company rather than the Macintosh company? Does this exec shuffling disturb anyone else?

  1. Grrr

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Jun 2001

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    05/20, 06:59am | report spam | Reply |

    Hmm..

    Seems like a cunning plan to me.. To distance Apples music related products from the 'Apple' name.. Why? Apple of course are currently in a legal wrangle with the Beatles 'Apple corp' record label. Some people may remember that some years ago, Apple computer had been required (by court injunction of some kind) not to enter the music industry. But iPods and iTunes certainly did enter the music industry under the Apple name.
    By doing all the music related stuff under a different name/division of the company, they will (hopefully) evade the wrath of the seemingly rather greedy McCartney mob.

  1. ethical_paul

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2002

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    05/20, 08:53am | report spam | Reply |

    greedy mob?

    Hardly. Apple made the deal way back to not enter the music business, don't blame the folks who already had the name. Apple is nearly as bad as MS when it comes to respecting existing trademark rights. They got in trouble with Macintosh too, from the stereo maker (which had actually spelled it right)

  1. 83caddy16v

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    05/20, 09:14am | report spam | Reply |

    spin offs

    If I remember correctly, didn't Apple spin off Filemaker? or was Filemaker always a separate company with a majority share owned by Apple?

    Not sure how Filemaker as a company is doing but perhaps the iTunes/iPod franchise will follow the same path. Perhaps more Windows, Linux or other OS development could take place if iTunes/iPod were a separate company.

    As someone else mentioned, this may be part of a future legal settlement with the Beatles' Apple music company.

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