Robison to Lead Apple’s Personal Interactive Electronics Division
CUPERTINO, Calif. — October 14, 1994 — Apple Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: AAPL) today announced that veteran Apple executive Shane Robison has been appointed vice president and general manager of the company's Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) Division. The PIE division develops and markets Apple's groundbreaking Newton platform in the promising Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) market.
"We have learned a lot about the PDA market in the last year, and we are applying that knowledge to our second generation Newton products and to our sales and marketing efforts," said Michael Spindler, Apple's CEO and president. "We intend to accelerate acceptance of Newton in vertical markets where it has met with strong acceptance, such as financial services, and healthcare/pharmaceuticals. We plan on improving the platform to make it more attractive to consumers. And we look forward to new Newton products from our licensees and Independent Software Vendors in the coming year.
"Shane Robison has the right mix of technical and management expertise to lead our revitalized Newton development and marketing activities. We are confident he will galvanize our pioneering efforts in this promising category."
Robison, 40, will report directly to president and chief executive officer Michael Spindler. Robison was formerly the vice president of engineering for PIE and replaces Joseph A. Graziano, Apple's executive vice president and chief financial officer, who oversaw the restructuring of the division in June. Graziano resumes the fulltime role of CFO.
Robison has held senior R&D posts within Apple's Advanced Technology Group and the DeskTop Products Group until joining the PIE division in 1993 as vice president of engineering. Prior to joining Apple in 1988, he managed the Advanced Architecture programs of Schlumberger's Palo Alto Artificial Intelligence Research Center in California. Robison has a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Utah.
NOTE: Apple, the Apple logo and Newton are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
CONTACT:
Emilio Robles of Apple Computer, Inc., 408-862-5671