Bloomberg

Apple’s Angela Ahrendts was highest-paid female executive in the US last year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s recently-hired senior vice president of retail and online stores, was the highest-paid female executive in the United States last year. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, Ahrendts was awarded $82.6 million in 2014, including a sign-on bonus and a make-whole grant for money she left on the table at Burberry.

Coming in second on the list was Oracle’s Safra Catz, who raked in $71.2 million in fiscal 2014 for her role as chief financial officer and co-CEO. Rounding out the top 3 highest paid female executives was Yahoo!’s Marissa Mayer who, at 39-years-old, was the highest-paid female chief executive last year, with a salary of $59.1 million.

Samsung creates 200-people team exclusively building screens for Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2015

Samsung's has devoted a team comprised of two-hundred skilled engineers to build mobile displays exclusively for Apple. The move indicates that the two technology giants are strengthening business ties, patent disputes notwithstanding, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The team formed April 1 and also helps with sales, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. In addition to the improved business relationship, analysts think the exclusivity of the business arrangement might indicate that Samsung Display could win more screen orders from Apple in the near future.

Apple also bought UK data analytics company Acunu

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 26, 2015

Bloomberg is shedding more light on Apple's recent acquisition of database firm FoundationDB, with a report Thursday revealing that the iPhone maker had secretly snapped up U.K.-based data analytics company Acunu, presumably to help bolster its iCloud and web services.

The transaction for an undisclosed sum occurred in late 2013. Together, the Acunu and FoundationDB acquisitions inject some fresh blood into Apple to help bulk up the company's data and cloud-computing capabilities.

Apple meets with Mexican regulators ahead of Watch launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2015

Five executives from Apple met last Wednesday with Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute President Gabriel Contreras and other commissioners to “discuss advances in health-care devices”, according to an agenda published on the regulator’s website relayed yesterday by Bloomberg.

Not only does the meeting signal plans to make the Watch available internationally, but also highlights efforts to ensure the Watch's ability to collect health data complies with local regulations.

Samsung to outwit Apple with 3-sided Galaxy S6 screen and all-metal enclosure?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Bloomberg is reporting Wednesday that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship smartphone, developed under the “Project Zero” codename, will come in two flavors, including a model with a display covering three sides. The other model will have a regular screen that doesn't stretch down either side.

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to the news organization report that both editions of the device rock 5.1-inch screens, are encased in all-metal bodies and run “Samsung’s most advanced processor chips.”

We recently reported that Samsung in a last-minute move dropped Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 810 silicon which overheated during testing.

Foxconn building $2.9 billion plant to churn out displays exclusively for Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 20, 2014

Foxconn, the world's top contract manufacturer and Apple's favorite gadget assembly shop, is planning on burning NT$80 billion, or approximately $2.6 billion, on a brand new manufacturing facility in Taiwan that will produce displays exclusively for Apple, Bloomberg reported Thursday morning.

The plant will employ more than two-thousand workers and is being built after “an urgent request for exclusive capacity” from Apple, indicating that the iPhone maker is anticipating growing demand for its devices in the coming years.

Nike CEO discusses collaboration with Apple on fitness wearables

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Even though he stopped short of offering any specifics, Nike CEO Mark Parker in an interview Thursday with Bloomberg's Stephanie Ruhle kinda confirmed that partnering with Apple on things “we couldn’t do independently” is ”part of our plan”.

The iPhone maker recently hired a pair of engineers from Nike’s FuelBand team.

These hirings came after the media reported that Nike was significantly downsizing its wearables team and refocusing its strategy. Two months ago, the California firm made more high-profile hires as Ben Shaffer, Nike’s design director for wearables, and the widely recognized fitness expert and key Nike FuelBand developer, Jay Blahnik, both joined the Apple team.

Now Director of Fitness, Health Technologies at Apple, Blahnik can be seen explaining the benefits of Apple Watch in Apple's Health and Fitness promotional video.

Bloomberg: iPad Air 2 to be offered in Gold, 12.9″ ‘iPad Pro’ due next year

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2014

Apple's second-generation iPad Air will be offered in Gold, in addition to Space Gray and Silver colorways, according to a Bloomberg report Wednesday corroborating earlier rumors. Adding a gold color option is one way to “goose sales,” according to people familiar with the plans.

The iPad Air 2 should be unveiled at a media event expected sometime in October. Bloomberg's sources with knowledge of the situation have also added that a rumored 'iPad Pro' with a 12.9-inch display “won’t be introduced until next year”.

Bloomberg talks to Tim Cook, Jony Ive, and other execs about Apple Watch and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 28, 2017

"With an Apple Watch wrapped around his hand brass-knuckle style, Ive reveals that the project was conceived in his lab three years ago, shortly after Jobs’s death and before “wearables” became a buzzword in Silicon Valley." This is just one of the many interesting anecdotes in Bloomberg's new piece on Apple.

Bloomberg Businessweek's Brad Stone and Adam Satariano interviewed several Apple executives, including Tim Cook, Jony Ive and Jeff Williams, after their big event last week. The conversations cover a wide range of topics, including the new Apple Watch, iPhone 6, and how the culture is changing in Cupertino.

Bloomberg: Apple to keep Beats as a separate brand, improve headphones design

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

A report last Thursday by The Financial Times on Apple's alleged $3.2 billion purchase of Beats Electronics, LCC. - potentially Apple's most pricey acquisition to date - has taken the technology industry by surprise.

And as pundits continue to assess the rationale behind Apple's purported move, Bloomberg on Monday ran a revealing story explaining that the two firms share more commonalities than meets the eye, despite a world of difference in terms of corporate culture.

Moreover, Apple apparently intends to keep Beats hardware around while improving upon the design of the startup's pricey headphones...

Flextronics joins Apple’s supply chain as assemblers of ‘Made in USA’ Macs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

As part of the 2014 Supplier Responsibility Report that was published yesterday, Apple has refreshed its Supplier Responsibility website with a newly updated list of component suppliers and major manufacturing locations where Apple's gadgets are being assembled.

Bloomberg analyzed Apple's public documents and discovered that Flextronics International Ltd. has now joined the company's supply chain as assemblers of 'Made in USA' Macs. Although Flextronics now gets to assemble Macs in Apple's $100 million Austin, Texas plant, Foxconn remains the largest manufacturer of Apple products, with seven assembly locations in China and Brazil...

Bloomberg profiles head of Apple University Joel Podolny

Cody Lee ∙ February 13, 2014

Earlier this week, Apple announced that it was promoting its retail HR head Denise Smith to lead its human resources department company-wide. Smith replaces Joel Podolny, who will now focus all of his energy on a top-secret executive training program known as Apple University.

Not much is known about the project, other than that Steve Jobs hired Podolny—the former dean of Yale's School of Management—to put together a program to teach his methods to future execs. But a new Bloomberg report helps shine some light on the University, and its new leader...