Apple’s own VP of iPhone Software, Scott Forstall, has come in second in Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business Awards for his work with Apple’s iOS operating system.
Fast Company makes an eloquently stated case for the recognition:
Jonathan Ive’s slick designs may grab the headlines whenever Steve Jobs introduces a new product, but it’s Scott Forstall’s smart software that fills Apple’s coffers. As senior VP of iPhone software, Forstall is the chief architect of iOS, the industry-defining operating system that runs on more than 160 million iPhones, iPads, and iPods. The popularity of that tap, pinch, and swipe interface has sent Cupertino’s earnings rocketing: Revenue hit a record $26.7 billion in the last quarter of 2010; 65% of it came from sales of iOS devices. Apple’s Mac operating system is now being remodeled around Forstall’s baby, with this summer’s OS X Lion update set to include numerous features borrowed from iOS, including multitouch controls.
And, I think they’re largely right. While the appearance of Apple’s products get the lion’s share of the glory, it’s really the software that makes the Apple experience that much different than the competition, and that much better.