Angela Ahrendts has officially left Apple

February 15 was Angela Ahrends' last day at Apple. She is leaving the company as director of Apple's retail stores, and in the eyes of many fans, the person who tried to steer it in the wrong direction is leaving the company.

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Angela Ahrends came to Apple in 2014, from her original position at the fashion house Burberry, where she held the position of CEO. From the beginning, she was put in the role of director of retail and was in charge of the global change of Apple's strategy in the area of ​​its own stores. Under her leadership, Apple Stores around the world underwent a complete change. It changed the internal workings of employees, removed the classic "Genius Bar" and replaced it with another service. Official Apple stores sold (or displayed) accessories from other manufacturers decreased, Apple products were better and more promoted, and Apple Story became a kind of sanctuary for fans of the brand.

It was Ahrends who came up with the Today at Apple concept, where various educational seminars are held in individual Apple Stores, where users can learn many interesting and useful things about both Apple hardware and software.

Ahrends came to Apple at a time when the brand was trying to stylize itself as a manufacturer of luxury accessories. In 2015, the extremely expensive gold Apple Watch arrived, made of 15 carat gold. However, this direction did not last long for Apple. Specialized Apple stores for the Apple Watch and its accessories gradually began to close, and there was also not much interest in the super expensive watch, when many potential customers realized that they would stop working properly in a few years.

According to many Apple insiders and employees, the arrival of Angela Ahrends marked a significant change in the company's culture, especially in the area of ​​retail. Her restructuring of the look and philosophy of Apple stores was against the grain of many fans and employees. Newly built (and renovated) Apple stores were more airy, more open and maybe even more pleasant for some, but many complain that the charm and atmosphere that was there before has disappeared. For many, Apple stores have become more like fashion boutiques than computer and technology stores.

Ahrends' extreme overuse of marketing newspeak also didn't win many fans (stores referred to as "town squares" etc.). There are also hints abroad about how Ahrends was compensated by Apple. During her tenure, she was among the company's highest-paid senior executives and also earned a sizeable chunk of stock.

Source: Macrumors