Eddy Cue

Apple’s content king Eddy Cue also attending 2013 Sun Valley retreat

The Sun Valley tech and media conference is kicking off today. Apple's CEO Tim Cook arrived to Idaho-based Sun Valley Resort earlier today and was unexpectedly accompanied by Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue.

More than 300 executives from technology and media companies are slated to attend the annual conference, which runs through Friday and is hosted and wholly independently funded by private investment firm Allen & Company.

Cook was in attendance of last year's retreat, but this time around he's brought Cue with him, perhaps to kick the show up one more notch and cut lucrative new content deals...

Eddy Cue talks Steve Jobs, page curls and iBooks launch at e-book hearing

Eddy Cue once again took the stand today in Apple's ongoing antitrust case with the Department of Justice. The company's SVP of Internet software and services took the stand on Friday to talk about Steve Jobs' involvement in Apple's iBooks project. And this morning, he offered up a few more details.

Cue spoke more candidly on the witness stand today, providing several interesting tidbits about Jobs' participation in Apple's iBooks launch back in 2010. Apparently, the then-CEO had a big hand in the project, doing everything from designing minor UI details to choosing which book to offer for free...

Steve Jobs originally didn’t want to enter the e-book market

In a dose of irony that shouldn't be lost on anyone and at a time when Apple's Eddy Cue is being hauled before the U.S. Department of Justice in Manahattan, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services has admitted that Apple co-founder and then CEO Steve Jobs didn't even want to sell e-books in the first place.

Speaking whilst testifying during the ongoing price fixing case yesterday, Cue said that when first approached about the idea of launching iBooks, Steve Jobs was not keen on it, leaving Cue to bide his time before broaching the subject again.

In fact, it was only with the release of the iPad fast approaching that Jobs realized that iBooks may be a good idea after all, and the rest as they say, is history...

Tim Cook and Eddy Cue met with Beats CEO last month over music service

Earlier this year, an interesting story surfaced alleging that Interscope-Geffen-A&M chairman and Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine spent years trying to convince Steve Jobs to do a subscription-based music service. Obviously, Jobs never succumbed.

But the conversation wasn't over. Fast forward to today, a new report says that Iovine met with Tim Cook and Apple's internet software and service guru Eddy Cue last month to discuss—surprise!—his new subscription-based music service...

Apple announces iTunes U downloads topped 1 billion

It could be the largest educational institution which never handed out one diploma. More than one billion downloads of class lectures, quizzes and assignments were downloaded from iTunes U, Apple announced Thursday.

In a press release, the technology firm unveiled class attendance numbers that would make even the best Ivy League schools jealous - if they weren't already offering part of the service.

More than 250,000 students are enrolled in the service with content from 1,200 colleges, universities and K-12 schools. While Yale, MIT and Stanford are among the U.S. schools involved, a growing majority of schools from outside the U.S. are also taking part, the iPhone maker said...

Despite financial roller-coaster, Apple brand value tops Samsung

It's hard to describe a company worth billions as 'scrappy,' but that's the image Apple has gained recently. To emphasize the point, a brand rating service Monday announced the iPad and iPhone maker was able to top rival Samsung despite a string of financial and competitive reversals. Apple's brand value rose to $87 billion, up from $70 billion.

And according to Brand Finance, the Cupertino, California company also saw its brand rating slip from AAA+ to AAA. In addition, Ferrari - not Apple - was named the word's most powerful brand...

Why Apple could buy the upcoming Mailbox app

Over the past year, Apple has seen some of the most beloved third-party iOS apps swallowed by Google. To name just a few such acquisitions: in June 2012 mobile productivity suite Quickoffice became a Google property, the following month email client Sparrow was acquired by the Internet giant and in September 2012 the search firm snapped up developer Nik Software, the maker of the popular photography app Snapseed.

The Mailbox app was announced in December as a fresh take on iOS email and yesterday the team started accepting reservations ahead of the official launch. Orchestra, the company behind the software shares interesting ties with Apple that could signal a possible acqui-hire down the road...

Apple’s Eddy Cue cashes in $9 million in company shares

Following in the footsteps of Bob Mansfield and other executives, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, and new head of Maps, Eddy Cue sold 15,000 shares of company stock last week. The selloff, which netted Cue nearly $9 million, was detailed in a filing published by the US Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday...

Another head rolls over the Maps debacle as Apple seeks advice from TomTom

Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, is reported to have fired Richard Williamson, an executive who oversaw the team that created Apple's own and troubled iOS 6 mapping service. The development marks the second high-ranked management departure of an Apple executive over so-called Mapgate, following the ouster of iOS boss and Steve Jobs confidant Scott Forstall last month after a CEO apology over the glaring flaws in Apple's mapping software.

“We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps better”, Cook wrote in lat month's letter of apology. In an effort to win back trust of its users, Apple is now understood to be seeking outside help to fix Maps. Jump past the fold for the latest info...

Apple’s Eddy Cue joins Ferrari’s board

Apple's SVP of Internet Software & Services, Eddy "The Fixer" Cue, has joined Ferrari's Board of Directors. In one design leader complimenting another, Cue said he has long admired the Italian luxury auto manufacturer. However, does Wednesday's action have any relevance to Apple fans likely owning something a bit less drenched in high-octane? Possibly.

While Ferrari was not among the list of automakers which plan to participate in Apple's 'Eyes Free' initiative launched earlier this summer, integration of the Siri voice-recognition feature is expected to show up in GM's Chevrolet Spark, as well as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar at a later date...

Why Eddy Cue is the right guy to fix Maps and Siri

Senior Vice President Eddy Cue is known as the fixer at Apple, a reputation he built back in 2008, when Steve Jobs appointed him head of iTunes and online services after giving Apple's cloud team a serious dressing down over the MobileMe(ss) debacle. This 23-year Apple veteran immediately retired the flaky service, built iCloud from the ground up and took control of Apple's iTunes and App Store infrastructure.

Last September, CEO Cook appointed Cue Apple's new SVP of of Internet Software and Services, the role that encompasses the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, as well as the iAd advertising platform and iCloud services.

Monday, Cue assumed Maps and Siri responsibilities after Cook fired iOS chief Scott Forstall for shipping buggy software prematurely, clashing with his peers and refusing to apologize personally for Mapgate (it was Cook who eventually signed the public apology instead). We, of course, already knew all of the above. Today, CNET runs an interesting profile which reveals a couple previously unknown tidbits about this able exec...