Contents:
In a class at the company's internal training programme, the so-called Apple University, the instructor likened the 11 lithographs that make up Picasso's " The Bull " to the way Apple builds its smartphones and other devices. Apple designers strive for simplicity just as Picasso eliminated details to create a great work of art. Steve Jobs established Apple University as a way to inculcate employees into Apple's business culture and educate them about its history, particularly as the company grew and the tech business changed.
Apple used the Picasso artwork extensively, as a complete piece and as component elements. For the k and k Macs, the outer box contained the. Apple uses Picasso’s The Bull to teach new hires to think like Steve Jobs. In a behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s secretive training program, the New York Times reports that Apple uses the 11 lithographs that make up Pablo Picasso’s The Bull to explain the company’s design.
Courses are not required, only recommended, but getting new employees to enroll is rarely a problem. Although many companies have such internal programmes, sometimes referred to as indoctrination, Apple's version is a topic of speculation and fascination in the tech world.
It is highly secretive and rarely written about, referred to briefly in the biography of Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Apple employees are discouraged from talking about the company in general, and the classes are no exception. No pictures of the classrooms have surfaced publicly. And a spokeswoman for Apple declined to make instructors available for interviews for this article.
But three employees who have taken classes agreed to speak to The New York Times on the condition that they not be identified. They described a programme that is an especially vivid reflection of Apple and the image it presents to the world. Like an Apple product, it is meticulously planned, with polished presentations and a gleaming veneer that masks a great deal of effort. Unlike many corporations, Apple runs its training inhouse, year round. The full-time faculty - including instructors, writers and editors -create and teach the courses.
Some faculty members come from universities like Yale, Harvard, the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford and MIT, and some continue to hold positions at their schools while working for Apple. Want stories like this in your inbox?
The company may also offer a course tailored specifically to employees of Beats, perhaps including its founders, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.
Neither Apple nor Beats would comment. This was a topic of fierce debate among executives. Jobs hated the idea of sharing the iPod with Windows, but he eventually acquiesced to his lieutenants.
It turned out that opening the iPod to Windows users led to explosive growth of the music player and the iTunes Store, an ecosystem that would later contribute to the success of the iPhone. The rooms are well lit and built in a trapezoid shape; seats in the back rows are elevated so that everyone has a clear view of the instructor.
Randy Nelson, who came from the animation studio Pixar, co-founded by Mr.
In a version of the class taught last year, Mr. In the early stages, the bull has a snout, shoulder shanks and hooves, but over the iterations, those details vanish. The last image is a curvy stick figure that is still unmistakably a bull. Nelson occasionally teaches, he showed a slide of the remote control for the Google TV, said an employee who took the class last year.
The remote has 78 buttons. Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 9 January , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This image is in the public domain in the United States. This work of art is copyrighted in its source country until after 1 January Information on this image Creator, death date, etc should always be listed if known. This image should not be transferred to Wikimedia Commons unless it can be verified to be in the public domain in its country of first publication. Do not copy this file to Wikimedia Commons.