Terrific, thoughtful piece about Angela Ahrendts’ departure and Deirdre O’Brien’s appointment.
One highlight (of many):
Across the U.S., retailers struggle to make ends meet. Since Ahrendts began at Apple in 2014, legendary brands like Sears, Bon-Ton, Toys R Us, RadioShack, and countless others have filed for bankruptcy. Mall operators face the challenge of repurposing massive vacant anchor stores. Yet Apple stores are consistently filled to the brim. The same success that has allowed Apple to thrive amidst a sea of store closures has become a lightning rod for retail woes.
It’s true that making an appointment at an Apple store often means days of waiting for an available slot, and walk-ins are almost impossible. Since 2014, Ahrendts has guided the launch of the Apple Watch, iPad Pro, AirPods, HomePod, and yearly iPhone models. Each of these products have led to growing customer demand even as Apple increases its store footprint globally. This strain on resources would’ve occurred no matter who was at the helm. Simply increasing the number of Apple stores worldwide brings with it a new list of problems long enough to fill another article.
Great read.
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THANK YOU. The idea that she was somehow fired (with 8 weeks notice….??) because Retail is underperforming was and is ludicrous and usually contradicted in the same stories or comments that propose the notion…. “yeah she wasn’t doing a good job… too many people are in the stores”
Agreed. For some reason there are lots of critics of her on the rumor sites, but the reality is Apple today is so, so much larger and more in demand than the Apple of Ron Johnson’s day. The iPhone didn’t even exist when he and Jobs launched the stores. That they are more busy and in-demand isn’t a fault on her, just as launch-day order backlogs aren’t a blemish on Cook.
Also amused by those same critics trying to blame her for product delays, as if she had anything to do with that. Clueless dudes (and they’re all dudes).
I’m grateful for Angela’s “magic touch” while she was at Apple. She was a great find five years ago when she was sorely needed. And thanks to Tim for his compelling recruitment of her. “Passing the baton” is a good analogy for her moving on.