Apple hires former CableLabs exec, sets TV rumor alert level to mauve

Until Apple actually produces a new TV related device, rumors about what it might be working on will continue to flow, with no end in sight. While we still don’t know what’s next out of Cupertino, Multichannel News reports the company has hired a former CableLabs executive for the job of engineering director. Jean-François Mulé served as senior VP of technology development at CableLabs for the last two years, and MCN indicates that before that he worked on a number of IP-based projects like DOCSIS 3.0 and second screen technology. It’s still hard to say what Apple may want to build for the living room, but apparently this is the kind of person needed to fill out that “vision of the future,” especially if that means working with existing cable and satellite TV services.

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Via: GigaOm

Source: Multichannel News

Graphics chip designer Raja Koduri heads back to AMD after four-year stint at Apple

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Well, it looks like AMD had a bit of news up its sleeve that it chose not to drop during its earnings call yesterday. The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that famed graphics chip designer Raja Koduri is heading back to the company, which he left in 2009 to take on the graphics CTO role at Apple. Presumably, Koduri will again be performing some similar duties at AMD, but the company isn’t offering any further details just yet apart from saying that it’s “very pleased” about the move.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

Facebook Hires Ex-Apple Maps Chief Richard Williamson

Facebook Hires Ex Apple Maps Chief Richard WilliamsonThe world of technology might be a vast one, but some names just tend to go around the market from time to time, simply because their expertise in a particular situation is always valuable. You know what they say – one man’s meat is another man’s poison, and one of those folks who were affected in the fallout due to Apple’s iOS 6 Maps snafu was project head Richard Williamson, who was speculated to have been dropped from Cupertino at the end of last year. While these are just speculations with no actual details (at least until now), Williamson might soon be back on a payroll as Bloomberg’s sources point out that Williamson has already joined Facebook’s mobile software division over the past fortnight.

Needless to say, it remains to be seen just what Williamson will churn out for Facebook, although one would be wise not to question the pedigree that Williamson brings with him where interface development is concerned, considering how he helmed that segment for key iOS apps as well as played quite a sterling role in assisting Safari to get off the ground.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Cooler Master Unveils Quickfire Stealth Mechanical Keyboard, Chrome Makes Itself More Useful At The Office,

    

Apple snags Amazon’s A9 head to lead Siri team

Apple snags Amazon's A9 head to lead Siri team

Companies poach each other’s employees and execs all the time. But, Apple’s latest score, William Stasior, is a pretty substantial one. For the last six years he has served as president and CEO of A9, Amazon’s search and ad subsidiary. Before that he held other search-related roles at Amazon and worked at AltaVista, departing around the time of the Yahoo! acquisition. In his new role at Cupertino, Stasior will be leading the Siri team. The MIT Ph.D will be taking the helm of the voice-powered virtual assistant, which has led some to speculate that Apple could be stepping up search and advertising game. Considering the on-going drama between Mountain View and the purveyors of all-things-i, we wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see the two go head to head on Google’s home turf. But we’d say such a move would be a long term goal, at best.

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Apple snags Amazon’s A9 head to lead Siri team originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Low-power chip guru quits Samsung for Apple, with heavily implied implications

Lowpower chip guru quits Samsung for Apple, with heavily implied implications

The iPhone 5 already proved Apple’s desire to move away from existing processor designs and exert more control over these fundamental components. Is it too crazy to imagine that Cupertino would like the same sense of freedom with its laptops? Perhaps not, especially since the biggest company in the world just hired a guy called Jim Mergard, who helped to pioneer AMD’s low-power Brazos netbook chips and who had only recently moved to Samsung. A former colleague of Mergard’s, Patrick Moorhead, told the WSJ that he would be “very capable of pulling together internal and external resources to do a PC processor for Apple” — possibly based on a mobile-style SoC (system-on-chip) rather than a traditional PC approach. That’s pure speculation of course, but funnily enough it’s where Intel seems to be headed too.

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Low-power chip guru quits Samsung for Apple, with heavily implied implications originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO

New Fisker CEO Tony Posawatz

Fisker hasn’t had what you’d call the best year so far, but it may have found the ticket to turning its hybrid vehicle business around. Meet Tony Posawatz, Fisker’s new CEO — and, until just weeks ago, GM’s Vehicle Line Director. Despite being the second new chief executive at Fisker since Tom LaSorda arrived in February, Posawatz needs little explanation for his sudden rise to power. He’s an original member of the Chevy Volt leadership structure and could very well know a thing or two about developing a hybrid car from start to finish. His influence might only be keenly felt when the Atlantic wheels its way towards driveways in 2014, but there’s no doubt he’s onboard to right the good ship Karma and improve Fisker’s reputation in the short term. We wouldn’t want to be in GM’s shoes as it watches one of its EV-friendly veterans so publicly jump ship, however.

Continue reading Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO

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Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD poaches Apple’s platform architecture lead to head up CPU team

AMD poaches Apple's platform architecture lead

We suppose after a reasonably high-profile defection of one of AMD’s own to Apple, the Sunnyvale company had to exact revenge. That payback was announced today in the form of Jim Keller, the now former platform architecture head in Cupertino, who will be joining AMD as corporate vice president and chief architect of its microprocessor unit. In a statement, the company said that Keller will be leveraging his “low-power design expertise,” possibly as part of its oft-rumored ARM plans. Keller previously worked as VP of design at P.A. Semi before being brought into the Apple fold where he played an important role in the development of the processors inside the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. With AMD struggling to keep pace with Intel in both the desktop and laptop space, a move into low-powered mobile chips could be a plan to stave off more dire days. Check out the PR after the break.

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AMD poaches Apple’s platform architecture lead to head up CPU team originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google hires designers from Cuban Council to work on Google+

DNP Google hires designers from Cuban Council to work on Google

The folks at Mountain View have worked with the well regarded designers at Cuban Council before, but now Google is taking the partnership one step further by hiring several of the firm’s employees. The search giant has acquired the contracts of a number of the company’s designers explicitly to work on Google+. The details of the deal haven’t been revealed, so we have no idea how many members of the staff will be setting sail for the shores of Goog or how much the psuedo acquisition set the company back. But, we do know that at least some of the firm that once designed the Facebook logo, Evernote’s website, Rdio’s mobile apps and helped define the beautiful WebOS UI will now be dedicated to keeping Google+ ahead of the aesthetic curve.

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Google hires designers from Cuban Council to work on Google+ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC picks former AT&T exec Mike Woodward as North American president

HTC picks former AT&T exec Mike Woodward as North American presidentHTC has been fighting to get a better relationship with US carriers lately, and it may have just chosen a clever (if roundabout) approach: hire one of their executives. As of today, AT&T’s former phone portfolio VP Mike Woodward is now HTC’s president of its North American division, reporting directly to worldwide sales head Jason Mackenzie. The new position won’t necessarily get him any privileged access, but it certainly gives HTC someone who’s well versed in what carriers want out of a device launch. We’ll have to wait awhile to see what Woodward’s strategy will be; suffice it to say that the company wants more One X-level anticipation and fewer of those bumpy, Inspire 4G-like releases.

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HTC picks former AT&T exec Mike Woodward as North American president originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo takes on Disney veteran as senior VP for digital in US, gets serious about this whole internet thing

Netflix on Wii U

Nintendo hinted it was improving its notoriously rudimentary online access with word of the Nintendo Network early this year, and was even more adamant at E3 about making a big push into digital video. Some have accused the company of nothing but flag-waving — if that’s true, the waving is about to turn into a full parade through a new hire. As of July 1st, Nintendo is bringing on Disney’s former Interactive Media Group senior VP Duncan Orrell-Jones to take on the just-minted role of senior VP for the company’s Network Business group in the US. He’ll be handling the overall American digital strategy, which covers both gaming as well as content. We’ll need to wait awhile before we see the results, but if it helps make sure friend codes never rise from the dead to haunt our Wii U, we’re all for it.

Continue reading Nintendo takes on Disney veteran as senior VP for digital in US, gets serious about this whole internet thing

Nintendo takes on Disney veteran as senior VP for digital in US, gets serious about this whole internet thing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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