Where in the world is Scott Forstall, who was the former senior vice president of iOS software at Apple between 2007 and 2012? if that was the question in your mind, well, there's no need to tap Carmen Sandiego or even the death-defying Sherlock Holmes, since a report by tech site The Information has all the bases covered.
Forstall went under the radar after his October 2012 exit from Apple following the failure of the company's updated Maps for iOS 6. The mapping solution received criticisms from all over the world because of its inaccuracy and unreliability. The events prompted a public apology from CEO Tim Cook and Forstall fell from grace.
The Information now says it has knowledge of Fosrstall's whereabouts.
"The Information has assembled a list of "free agents," respected executives somewhat on the sidelines who may be looking for new opportunities. You can expect some of these people to become the next COO, CFO or CEO of a hot startup; a big-time product executive at an established firm; or a headline-grabbing founder. Regardless of what they do next, their moves will make news. The Information spoke directly with most of these hard-to-reach people and got them to talk about themselves and what they would look for in their next gig," the introduction to the report read [subscription required].
Business Insider shared a slice of Amir Efrati's report that Forstall has travelled to South Africa and Italy.
"He also advised a few startups, and became more philanthropically involved, focusing on education, poverty, and human rights," Business Insider said.
"As for what's next, Efrati (The Information reporter) doesn't have any news, but he says VC firms like Kleiner Perkins and Andreessen Horowitz have stayed in touch, but Apple employees think Forstall's next move will be starting his own company," it added.
There are also reports that Forstall remained as advisor to Cook shortly after he stepped down from his office. Considered as one of the co-inventors of the iOS, there were some buzz that he was constantly clashing with other executives such as Apple's chief designer Jony Ive.
Prior to his stint with Apple, Forstall served at NeXT, a company owned by Steve Jobs. He was seen as Jobs' sidekick and foreseen as the next CEO by many until the Maps debacle.
