If the Apple is What

You Want, Learn to

Shake the Tree
Sevren Gail
California State University Monterey Bay

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Software engineering can be both lucrative and fulfilling in this high tech society.
Getting into such a field, however, can be tricky. It involves diving into the industry,
choosing and thoroughly researching a company, then choosing appropriate means to
get hired. That coercion involves acquiring experience and an appropriate education for
the chosen company and goal position and employing techniques to break the ice.
The software engineering community is ripe with star heavy hitters. Business
Insider says that Google is still an awesome place to work and rates Facebook as the
top tech company of 2013 (Dickey, 2013). Mashable quotes an Intuit employee as
saying that the company values their employees and has the best attributes of Silicon
Valley companies and puts Twitter on the top of the list of tech companies to work for in
2014 (Singh, 2014). These are companies that have a foothold in peoples lives
because they recognize that people want technology that is personalized for them.
Among every list of high-rated tech companies lies a giant who has also been
known for following those ideals as far back as 1976: Apple. Apples diverse past and
capacity for making a big impact with their product line has earned it the focus of this
analysis. Learning Apples history is critical in understanding its strength and reputation
as a company, which will lead to a clear analysis of Apples position as an employer.
Apples History
In the mid 70s, Steve Wozniak, electronics hobbyist and HP hardware designer,
saw an opportunity hed been waiting for come to fruition when MOS Technologies
started selling a single Mhz 6502 microprocessor for just $25 (Weyhrich, n.d., chap 2).
This allowed Wozniak to build a microcomputer for considerably less than market value.

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Wozniak showed off his technical and frugal prowess to several of his
acquaintances, including a young man who had met Wozniak when the young man was
working a summer job at HP, Steve Jobs (Beetz, n.d.). Recognizing a marketable
product that could really personalize computers, Steve Jobs lined up a deal with a
computer store and the two entrepreneurs began producing their product, the original
Apple computer, in 1976, the first of many computing devices from Apple (Weyhrich,
n.d., chap 4).
The fledgling company transformed into a tech giant in the next few years. After
Apples IPO in December 1980, the companys stock rose from $2.75 to $8 a share in
fewer than three years, grossing about $1 billion in 1983 (Elmer-DeWitt, 2012). In 1984,
Apple released Jobs pet project, the Macintosh, but Jobs wouldnt be able to appreciate
its success due to a falling out between him and John Sculley, the CEO hed hired two
years earlier, that resulted in Jobs leaving the company in 1985 (Coursey, 2012).
Following his resignation, the company stock dropped below $2 a share (Elmer-DeWitt,
2012).
Jobs stayed busy in 1986, starting a new computer company called NeXT, where
he set out to build the computer he couldnt build at Apple (Beetz, n.d.). The NeXT
computer, released in 1989, had hardware was built for beauty as well as function, with
a very expensive flawless metal casing (Beetz, n.d.). The Unix-based NeXTSTEP OS
was secure and stable, with innovative pre-built framework objects to help users interact
with the Unix Shell and protected memory that meant that a single program crash
usually wouldnt take the OS down with it (Foresman, 2012). It was in many ways the
computer of tomorrow.

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While the computer was visionary, NeXT lacked the infrastructure to continue
producing them. The high price of the computers forced Jobs to abandon his hardware
producing ventures by 1993 (Beetz, n.d.). Meanwhile, Apple was also experiencing
trouble. The Apple board forced Sculley out of leadership in 1993 after seeing profits fall
considerably, but the failures of the next two CEOs, Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio
lead Apple to even darker times (Apple Computer, Inc. History, n.d.).
When Apple purchased NeXT for $377 million in 1995, Jobs took control and
immediately removed his predecessors failing business products, including printers,
scanners and portable digital assistants (Apple Computer, Inc. History, n.d.). He set
about doing away with the old Macintosh and continued where he had left off in 1985.
His NeXTSTEP OS got adjusted and rebranded as the Mac OS X and the pre-built
framework objects evolved into the AppKit for the Cocoa framework (Foresman, 2012).
The generic beige and gray boxy cases gave way to more colorful and innovative styles
and shapes, eventually mutating into the titanium casings, not unlike the magnesium
NeXT chassis (Beetz n.d.).
Jobs lead Apple to a new era of success. Apple computers began taking on a
more personal form, and the company also began reinventing other technologies (like
music players, phones and the previously unsuccessful tablet) into high quality personal
devices (Elgan, 2011). In 2011, Steve Jobs passed away, leaving Tim Cook to lead the
charge as CEO of Apple (Swartz, 2012).
Apples Reputation
Over the years, Apple has had its ups and downs. Apples good times seems to
correlate with presence of Steve Jobs, while the companys Jobs hiatus lead to near-

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disaster. One might ponder whether Apple will suffer a similar fate now that Jobs has
taken his final leave of absence. In fact, its a question that many are asking even years
later.
Based on the companys history, its clear that Jobs knew how to make Apple
successful, but can Cook or anyone else run Apple the way Jobs did? Jobs was known
for being charismatic (when he wanted to be), innovative, secretive and severe, almost
like a modern-day P.T. Barnum. Some would say that Apple has achieved success in
the past through the power of mystique, aspiration and industrial design; through, in
short, the narcissistic, brutally competitive aesthetic obsessiveness of Steve Jobs
(Appleyard, 2013). Replacing someone with such a specific yet widespread list of traits
is unlikely at best.
Answering the question of Apples fate may be more involved than simply
analyzing the companys ability to replace Steve Jobs. For example, when Jobs left the
company the first time, he left behind a CEO with very different ideals, a board who had
rejected him and a company full of employees who wanted little to do with him (Beetz,
n.d.). After his return in 1997, he was chosen to be the CEO by the board of directors
and, while he was still ruthless to his employees, Tim Cook reassured them when he
took over by saying that "Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in
the world and we are going to stay true to that (Kane 2014). This time his absence is
incomplete, and those who remain follow his legacy rather than cursing his name. He
left behind an example of what the company needs to achieve and a group of people
willing to follow in his footsteps.
Tim Cook may not be as eccentric as his predecessor, but his recent unveiling of

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new technologies shows that he can put on a show. In introducing the Apple Watch,
Cook conjured the stagecraft practiced by Jobs and perfected over the years by Apple
executives, claims the Los Angeles Times (Chang, OBrien, 2014). He also hosts a
friendly work environment. Apple employees say that, while the secrecy regarding new
technologies can be oppressive, Apple is a family oriented place when an employee is
treated as a person (Dickey, 2013). Employees also note that everyone working for
Apple shares a common goal to make the best products for the consumer (Singh,
2014).
Tech Jobs at Apple
Those interested in becoming an Apple software engineer must take Apples
history and reputation into consideration, but there are other considerations as well.
One important thing to note is that while Apple offers several hundred tech positions,
virtually all of them are in Santa Clara Valley (Jobs at Apple, n.d.). To work for Apple,
one would have live near or move to a place near the corporate offices.
After deciding to pursue a career with Apple, the next phase is to convince Apple.
This is not as easy as simply getting a software engineering degree and knocking on
the front door. To ensure interest from the company one would be wise to tailor their
skills to what Apple needs. A good way to do this is to start with Apples product lineup.
Apple sells Macintosh desktop and laptop computers, Apple TV streaming
devices, iPod music players, iPad tablets, iPhones, a series of auxiliary devices like
keyboards, mouses, monitors and wireless routers, the new iWatch, and the operating
systems and software that makes them work (Apple - Press Info - Product Images &
Info, n.d.). Familiarity with these products would befit a person interested in working for

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Apple. A significant aspect of these devices is that the ones that are released have
Unix-based operating systems employing either Cocoa or Cocoa Touch frameworks
(Foresman, 2012). Knowing how to work in these languages and the Objective C they
are largely compatible with would behoove anyone interested in developing software for
Apple. Another concern to Apple software engineer hopefuls is the new language that
Apple recently released that may one day replace Objective C: Swift (Timmer, 2014).
The next item someone hoping to become an Apple software engineer should
acquire is a degree in software engineering. Now that the necessary skills are identified,
finding a good degree program means isolating a program that teaches the appropriate
courses. Some of these classes should teach Unix, Objective C. C or C++ might be
suitable alternatives for Objective C, as Objective C and C++ are based in C
(Foresman, 2012). A potential software engineer also needs to chose a pathway that is
closely linked with his or her goals at Apple, for example choosing a program that
focuses more on operating system development rather than application program
development.
To get ones foot in the door, Apple will want to see evidence that the potential
hire has the necessary skills and experience. To accomplish this, the hopeful should
assemble a portfolio showcasing his or her skills. This gives Apple the opportunity to
see that the software engineer is not just an inexperienced graduate, but a capable
programmer who knows how to both start and complete projects.
Finally, an Apple employee hopeful should make every effort to network,
particularly with employees of Apple and with people working in the industry. According
to one survey, networking scored a 3.98 on a 1 to 5 scale of importance among human

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resource executives (Rangwala 2012). Networking can be done through a variety of

means and can produce a number of leads and references that may help an individual
get hired and perhaps avoid introductory programs like internships.

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The process of getting hired as a software engineer can be an involved one. It is

beneficial to consider a variety of aspects before college, including finding a target
company, becoming educated in companys history, reputation and product line and
using the information gathered to plan ones education. After school, using techniques
like portfolios and networking can end the journey to success. References
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