Apple Hires Senior Gap Marketer as Director of Global Marketing Communications [iOS Blog]

Apple is continuing to make hires from the retail/fashion industry, most recently taking on Marcela Aguilar, former senior global director of marketing and communications at Gap. According to Ad Age Aguilar will be taking on the role of director of global marketing communications at Apple.



Apple has been snapping up several employees with both retail and fashion experience as it prepares to launch its new Apple Watch, which it it is aiming to position as a fashion accessory. The Apple Watch, which the company calls the "most personal product" it's ever made, is available in two sizes with several different casings and a wide array of band options.



Prior to joining Apple, Aguilar worked on reimagining the Gap brand, increasing sales and introducing "fresh marketing." According to Gap's Global CEO, Aguilar was a "major part of the journey to return the brand to iconic status."

"Apple is getting a tested professional. Working on a major American brand like Gap means you are on a big stage, in bright lights, every day. That experience is priceless, and Apple demands people who know how to play at a high level," Mr. Farbman added. "Also, her experience in simply communicating the value of meaningful design and developing ideas that create an emotion -- rather than just communicate a product benefit -- should serve her well at Apple."

Along with Aguilar, Apple's other prominent fashion-oriented hires have included Angela Ahrendts, the former Burberry CEO who now serves as Apple's retail chief and Paul Deneve, former Yves Saint Laurent CEO who now works on "special projects." Apple has also picked up Patrick Pruniaux, a former Tag Heuer Sales Director, and Musa Tariq, Nike's former director of social media and community. Most recently, the company hired famous designer Marc Newson, who will be working under Jony Ive.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:40PM, September 10

Apple Blogger John Gruber Hints at NFC For iPhone 6

Following a report from Wired suggesting NFC-based mobile payments will be a "hallmark" feature of the iPhone 6 and a confirmation from Re/code, Apple blogger John Gruber has now thrown in his two cents, with a cryptic post hinting Apple is indeed planning on including NFC in the iPhone 6 as part of a new mobile payment solution.



Gruber's post references an earlier "joke" that pointed towards a wearable device debut in September, which turned out to be accurate in light of recent rumors also suggesting a September introduction for the device.

I've been working on a new joke -- about NFC and a new secure enclave where you can store your credit cards, so you can pay for things at brick and mortar retail stores just by taking out your iPhone, but only if it's one of the new iPhones -- but no one seems to get my sense of humor.

Gruber suggests Apple's NFC-based mobile payment solution will take advantage of a new secure enclave coprocessor built into the company's new A8 chip, which is in line with previous reports. The secure enclave would likely store credit card details, allowing users to pay for physical goods with their iPhones and it would presumably work in conjunction with Touch ID.



Though rumors of NFC support in the iPhone have occurred for every new iPhone release over the past several years, NFC rumors have been especially prevalent ahead of the iPhone 6 launch. Back in April, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the iPhone 6 would include an NFC chip, as did a follow up report from BrightWire.



At the same time, multiple reports have suggested Apple is gearing up to launch a mobile payment solution designed to leverage credit card data stored in millions of iTunes accounts. Apple is said to be partnering up with major credit card companies like Visa, and the company has also been interviewing senior payments industry executives to take on new roles within the company.



While Apple has previously viewed NFC as "not the solution to any current problem," it may be changing its opinion on the subject in light of its new mobile payment initiative. The company is expected to debut the iPhone 6, and possibly its new payment solution, at an upcoming event on September 9.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:40PM, August 28

iPhone 6 sales seen topping a crazy 10 million in just the first week

Apple is getting ready for its most massive product launch yet with the iPhone 6, with Business Insider pointing to a new RBC note to investors that says the upcoming smartphone will be a smash hit for the iPhone maker.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 10:40PM, August 19

FCC Questions Verizon Plan to Throttle Some Unlimited Data Customers

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler today sent a letter [PDF via Gigaom ] to Verizon Wireless, questioning its plan to throttle customers that have unlimited data plans during peak usage times. Verizon first announced its intention to throttle high-usage customers on grandfathered unlimited LTE plans last week.



In the letter, Wheeler says that he is "deeply troubled" by Verizon's decision to throttle its unlimited users, as the company described its efforts as necessary for "Network Optimization." Wheeler stated that he does not believe slowing the data speeds for select users falls under the "reasonable network management" umbrella.

"Reasonable network management" concerns the technical management of your network; it is not a loophole designed to enhance your revenue streams. It is disturbing to me that Verizon Wireless would base its "network management" on distinctions among its customers' data plans, rather than on network architecture or technology.

Wheeler goes on to ask Verizon to answer a series of questions, requesting that the company explain its rationale for treating customers differently based on data plan type and questioning whether Verizon's new throttling policy is justified under the FCC's Open Internet rules. Wheeler also questions the necessity of cutting data speeds on the much more efficient 4G LTE network.



In a statement to The Wall Street Journal Verizon said that it would respond to the Chairman's letter following a review of the content.

"We will officially respond to the Chairman's letter once we have received and reviewed it," Verizon Wireless said in a statement. "However, what we announced last week was a highly targeted and very limited network optimization effort, only targeting cell cites experiencing high demand. The purpose is to ensure there is capacity for everyone in those limited circumstances, and that high users don't limit capacity for others."

Verizon plans to begin throttling high-usage LTE customers accessing congested network cells beginning on October 1. The company says the change will only affect users with grandfathered unlimited plans not under contract who rank in the top five percent of data users.



At the time of its announcement, Verizon said that the top five percent consisted of customers who used 4.7GB of data each month, and those customers may experience slow data speeds "when using certain high bandwidth applications, such as streaming high-definition video or during real-time, online gaming" when connected to a cell site "experiencing heavy demand."



Verizon, which has long restricted 3G data usage for unlimited users, is not the first wireless carrier that has implemented LTE usage restrictions for customers on grandfathered unlimited plans. Other carriers, like AT&T, have similar policies and restrict key features from unlimited data plan holders in an effort to encourage them to switch to pay-by-usage tiered data plans.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:40PM, July 30