Tony Fadell

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Anthony Fadell is Apple Computer's Senior Vice President of the iPod Division, having succeeded Jon Rubinstein in 2006.

Fadell graduated from University of Michigan with a BS in Computer Engineering in 1991. While still at Michigan, he was CEO of Constructive Instruments, which marketed MediaText, multimedia composition software for children. He worked for Apple spinoff General Magic for three years, starting in 1992 as a diagnostics engineer and progressing to a systems architect, where he was responsible for the development of a number of technologies and devices including the Sony MagicLink and Motorola Envoy. In 1995 he was hired by Philips where he was co-founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Director of Engineering in the Mobile Computing Group, which developed a number of Windows CE-based handheld devices, notably the Philips Velo and Nino.

During the 1990s, Fadell started his own company called Fuse to develop the "Dell of the Consumer Electronics." One of the devices he had in mind was a small hard disk-based music player. Fuse failed, however, to find a second round of funding, and Fadell started exploring developing the product at other companies. He first approached RealNetworks in 2000 but left after only six weeks. The second company he approached was Apple.

He started working for Apple from February 2001 as a contractor designing the iPod and planning Apple's audio product strategy. In April 2001 he was hired by Apple to assemble and run its iPod & Special Projects group, where he has overseen the design and production of the iPod and iSight devices. He was promoted to vice president of iPod engineering in 2004. On October 14, 2005, Apple announced that Fadell would replace the retiring Jon Rubinstein as Senior Vice President of the iPod Division on March 31, 2006. [1]

Fadell is also a member of the Phi Chapter of Psi Upsilon Fraternity at The University of Michigan.

Fadell is an alumnus of Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

[edit] External links

• Personal website
• Tony's Bio at Apple
• Father of the iPod - from Wired Cult of Mac blog
• Inside Look at Birth of the iPod - from Wired News
• Alumni Profile - from Michigan Engineer published by University of Michigan
• Profile - from Strategic News Service
• Oh, Yeah, He Also Sells Computers - John Markoff writing for the New York Times (published April 25, 2004)
• Stop the Fight - Pamela Kruger and Katharine Mieszkowski writing for Fast Company (published September 1998)
• Grosse Pointe South High School