Is Apple laying off or staffing up?
It's hard to make sense of the conflicting reports of recent layoffs at Apple (AAPL). Valleywag's gossip editor in two separate posts said as many as 50 employees were laid off here and there. Apple PR flatly denied the first report and went semi-mum about the second. Then CNET's Tom Krazit interviewed several unnamed sources who said they were indeed called into a conference room and handed white manila walking papers in the presence of plainclothes security officers. (link)
It's all quite puzzling. Why would Apple bother to comment on rumors of a few dozen purported layoffs — out of a full-time workforce of roughly 32,000 — when, for example, Cisco (CSCO) is laying off a couple thousand workers, IBM (IBM) a couple thousand more, and Microsoft (MSFT) at least 5,000? (link)
It makes even less sense when you look at whom Apple is hiring. Apple's Job Opportunities list is publicly available here and always makes for interesting reading.
For example, a quick search of the current listings shows that Apple has posted 338 new job openings since Jan. 1, 2009, the vast majority for full-time positions. While the sun was still rising on the East Coast Wednesday there were already a dozen new listings for jobs in Ireland and Austin, Texas, ranging from AppleCare customer relations to royalty accountant.
On Investor Village's AAPL Sanity board (registration required), Dan Butterfield, publisher of iPhonAsia, posted a snapshot of some of the job openings that Apple listed on Tuesday. They include a tooling engineering manager, a product design engineer, a compiler back-end engineer, a principal panel electronics architect, a couple engineering project managers and an application specialist, Chinese. (See below.) As Butterfield writes, "Apple is clearly NOT crawling into a shell to wait the the 'doom and gloom' reports to abate."
Apple has not yet responded to our request for comment.
Apple needs to buy Sun instead of letting them go to waste at IBM. If Apple buys Sun they have instant credibility in the Enterprise.
Let go of 50 and to bring in Sun. Sun would strengthen Apple.
Apple needs to buy Sun instead of letting them go to waste at IBM. If Apple buys Sun they have instant credibility in the Enterprise.
Let go of 50 and to bring in Sun. Sun would strengthen Apple.
Update on the server supply issue:
Today I received an email telling me that the xserve will ship on the 6th of April.
!! So that means it will take Apple one month to get the machine in the post. Not 6 days, and not the 4 days they claim on their website. One whole month.
What a colossal farce.
Shareholders, you are running a welfare system in the UK.
Update on the server supply issue:
Today I received an email telling me that the xserve will ship on the 6th of April.
!! So that means it will take Apple one month to get the machine in the post. Not 6 days, and not the 4 days they claim on their website. One whole month.
What a colossal farce.
Shareholders, you are running a welfare system in the UK.
your post cracked me up, cynik.
I think you are on to something though. I dont think its that they dont care about the corporate world — Its just that they are arrogant due to their success and dont need that arm of their business yet. When they decide they want to make money in that area you will see a spin up in corporate customer service. Until then their MO will stay the same: "We determine policy, the customer just gives us money"
ps: I am an Apple fan, I am not bashing.
Cynik, if it's any consolation it probably would take me 6 days to get a case of Heinz spotted dick here.
Whoops, Amazon can deliver that next day!
Perhaps your problem is simply that English culture is, um, not traditionally customer-service driven?
Cynik, if it's any consolation it probably would take me 6 days to get a case of Heinz spotted dick here.
Whoops, Amazon can deliver that next day!
Perhaps your problem is simply that English culture is, um, not traditionally customer-service driven?
I'm hearing you regarding the mac mini and the normal power macs, but this was a corporate client. They already have rack mounted servers, so how tin pot would I look suggesting they get a mac mini?
Plus the xserve can be fitted with dual power supplies, and comes with Server software pre installed, and some other things as well.
I don't know about other folks, but my experience is that apple is simply not serious about the corporate market. Their people are not interested, they just do not seem hungry for company business.
Now that seems weird to me. Why build an xserve if you are not serious about selling it? Why bother at all?
If I were not so confident that I can write my own code for this company and get their IT structure working the way it needs to work, I would be having very grave doubts about using Apple machines. That is not based on the machines or the software. It is based on the people Apple have selling to business. Six days to get the entry level unit in your hand?
They may as well put up a sign saying "Closed for Business Customers".
In regard to the comment about the delayed availability of Apple's Xserve product in London, I think the reason for this is because most business customers of Apple opt to use its standard machines rather than the more "custom" and expensive Xserve.
Any Mac product include its laptops and Mac minis can function very well as a server, with much of the software built-in. Additional accessories can be purchased at reasonable prices.
Because the Xserve is not very common, many IT admins actually prefer to use the off-the-shelf Macs, and have less problems with them, than with Xserve which because of its limited installed base, has more potential issues.
I run a major website network with hundreds of thousands of visitors per month on a low-end Mac laptop, and it never slows down a bit. I'd recommend Macs highly for absolutely any application. Those who choose to use them for business applications will be impressed. Just realize the Xserve is not necessary to do this, and may even be a hindrance.
Try a regular Mac mini, and just configure it properly to be a server.
In regard to the comment about the delayed availability of Apple's Xserve product in London, I think the reason for this is because most business customers of Apple opt to use its standard machines rather than the more "custom" and expensive Xserve.
Any Mac product include its laptops and Mac minis can function very well as a server, with much of the software built-in. Additional accessories can be purchased at reasonable prices.
Because the Xserve is not very common, many IT admins actually prefer to use the off-the-shelf Macs, and have less problems with them, than with Xserve which because of its limited installed base, has more potential issues.
I run a major website network with hundreds of thousands of visitors per month on a low-end Mac laptop, and it never slows down a bit. I'd recommend Macs highly for absolutely any application. Those who choose to use them for business applications will be impressed. Just realize the Xserve is not necessary to do this, and may even be a hindrance.
Try a regular Mac mini, and just configure it properly to be a server.
I think they laid-off some sales people.. I think Apple realizes that they need only one sale guy.. and his name is Steve Jobs…
I think they laid-off some sales people.. I think Apple realizes that they need only one sale guy.. and his name is Steve Jobs…
Could be that those 50 employees deserved to be terminated (weren't performing up to Apple's standards), and not by restructuring of the business. If there was a restructuring, and these employees were in good standing, they might have been given the option to re-locate.
I wouldn't be too concerned yet.
If there was reason to worry, it would have been made public knowledge by now. A few dozen employees either being let go or leaving on their own means a)looking for cheaper employee to fill role or b)employee found higher paying job and is leaving after collecting bonus (common practice all over). And as for the 338 job postings, they are just job postings. There may very well be only 50 jobs available. Even if a group has 20 open job reqs, only 25% of them may actually be filled, if any at all.
If there was reason to worry, it would have been made public knowledge by now. A few dozen employees either being let go or leaving on their own means a)looking for cheaper employee to fill role or b)employee found higher paying job and is leaving after collecting bonus (common practice all over). And as for the 338 job postings, they are just job postings. There may very well be only 50 jobs available. Even if a group has 20 open job reqs, only 25% of them may actually be filled, if any at all.
Perhaps Apple is doing the smart thing and upgrading their talent pool in areas they feel they can improve. I personally think it would be a great time as a company to go shopping for talent on the cheap. When the economy turns around these same people will likely command a premium as companies start trying to hire again. From a image perspective Apple looks like a company that truely cares about people/employees while not announcing massive layoff and still hiring during this time. This in turn may reap additional benefits as employees are likely to display more loyalty to the company and perhaps work harder as a way of expressing gratitude for Apple's loyalty to them during these times.
Perhaps Apple is doing the smart thing and upgrading their talent pool in areas they feel they can improve. I personally think it would be a great time as a company to go shopping for talent on the cheap. When the economy turns around these same people will likely command a premium as companies start trying to hire again. From a image perspective Apple looks like a company that truely cares about people/employees while not announcing massive layoff and still hiring during this time. This in turn may reap additional benefits as employees are likely to display more loyalty to the company and perhaps work harder as a way of expressing gratitude for Apple's loyalty to them during these times.
I am not an apple shareholder, but I have some news that might be interesting to those who are.
I recently convinced the owner of a company in the UK to junk his IT system and instal Apple servers, Apple laptops, and Apple desktops. Everything Apple, all databases running from the server setup.
Great for Apple, right? I mean, tens and tens of thousands of dollars worth of profit, right?
Right. Well, we were in this small town, you might have heard of it. Called "London". Has about 20 million folks living there.
And the machine we really needed to begin the transition to Apple was the standard business machine: the SERVER. the Xserve, it is called.
So I have five days before I have to be back in Switzerland, right? Five days. We go into the largest Apple store in London, at Regent St. We explain that we want to spend tens and tens of thousands of dollars (pounds but now pretty much the same thing).
The guy behind the counter tells us that he doesn't have any Xserves. NOT ONE. He hasn't sold out, they just, you know, don't stock them. But he can "get one in". It will only take about 6 days.
!! Now this is Apples ONLY dedicated business machine. It is not that we were asking for something special. We just want one of the standard products. Nothing fancy, nothing special. 6 days!!!! MAYBE. For the biggest store in Europe!!
So I can't do six days, and I figure, OK, this guy is a retard and his boss is a retard. It happens. So I call the online Apple store guy who is always sending me these matey matey emails asking how he can make my life even better and so on.
Can he sell me an Xserve. Sure he can. He can have that sent to me right away, and I should have it in…. DEFINATELY within 10 days. I am like "I have five days." He is like "Hang on i will call you back."
End result is he can't do 5 days. He might be able to do it, but he can;t promise me anything. OK, so he is a good guy, he tried, and he is not telling me bull. He also gets me a nice discount. Sweet.
But the moral of the story here is that Apple don;t know what they are doing, in the business world. Dare I suggest that time is money?
How long would it take for me to buy a PC based server, running windows server, in London?
5 minutes? 10 minutes?
6 days. I still can't believe it. It is the ONLY business machine they sell.
I could track down the guy who is charge of Xserve for europe, skin him like a rabbit and wear his face like a hat in six days. In six days, I could walk to the Apple store depot in Scotland and set myself on fire outside. In six days I could swim halfway to the states.
OK, this is england, and folks there don't work because that is evidence they are from the lower classes, but even so. this is still an American company.
So you shareholders, be warned. Apple is running a big social welfare system in Europe. My advice? Sack everyone and start again.
Except the guy on the phone who sends the deep throating emails. He's OK.
There are many reasons to terminate employees, where the reasons are private and nobody's business except for those who are involved.
This article is not news.
There are many reasons to terminate employees, where the reasons are private and nobody's business except for those who are involved.
This article is not news.
Ummm… Sorry, but this doesn't mean any increase in headcount.
All that shows is that some people are leaving Apple (as employees always do), and the company doesn't have a hiring freeze with regard to replacements. It's just the normal churn of business. 338 vacancies doesn't mean they're increasing headcount at all.
So having vacancies is entirely compatible with having layoffs, and even with reducing overall headcount.
Ummm… Sorry, but this doesn't mean any increase in headcount.
All that shows is that some people are leaving Apple (as employees always do), and the company doesn't have a hiring freeze with regard to replacements. It's just the normal churn of business. 338 vacancies doesn't mean they're increasing headcount at all.
So having vacancies is entirely compatible with having layoffs, and even with reducing overall headcount.
Must be a slow news day. Now, Apple laying off large numbers WOULD be news, but – a few dozen???
Actually, the real news is that this company is SO sttrong that it's hiring several hundred.
BTW, I had cause to go by the Apple store this Saturday evening, and while it isn't the droves that hit at Xmas, I'd estimate 30 to 40 customers in the store at any given moment. Not bad, Apple!
Great article. Even if they let 50 enterprise sales people off, they are hiring where their company is growing. Hiring well more than 50 people. "Investing thru the down time" as Steve Jobs said.
so you don't like what someone has to say and you think it's okay to call them a retard? that is just so wrong.