14 DAY TRIAL // In yet another email sent to Apple staffers this week, Chief Executive Officer, Tim Cook is announcing that Apple will be shutting down for a whole week so that everyone can take a relaxed breath in light of all that’s happened at Apple this year, good and bad.
Cook is addressing Apple employees with immense admiration and pride, telling everyone they’ve done a tremendous job and that, thanks to them, the entire lineup of products is skyrocketing.
“Team, I consider it an honor to come to work every day alongside the most innovative and most dedicated people on earth. This is an extraordinary time to be at Apple, and it’s all made possible by your incredible efforts,” he writes.
“We’ve had a record-setting year so far and we’re heading into the holidays with the strongest product lineup in our history. Customers are absolutely in love with the iPad 2, and the amazing new iPhone 4S is off to the best start of any iPhone we’ve ever made. The Mac is soaring to new heights with OS X Lion, and on the eve of its 10th birthday, the iPod is still the world’s most popular music player,” Cook ads.
Finally, Cook reveals the reason for sending this email. He wants everyone to take some time off around Thanksgiving in appreciation of their efforts.
Although he doesn’t mention it directly, the decision to shut down for a week may also have to do with Steve Jobs passing away recently:
“In recognition of the hard work you’ve put in this year, we’re going to take some extra time off for Thanksgiving. We will shut down with pay on November 21, 22 and 23 so our teams can spend the entire week with their families and friends,” Cook writes.
The CEO reveals that some teams at Apple will have to continue working to serve the Apple fan-base - for example, the Apple Retail stores, or Apple’s online support teams that need to troubleshoot issues for Mac and iDevice owners.
These groups will be able to take time off at a later date. Everyone who has a manager at Apple is asked to address that person directly.
Internationally, the company is allowing everyone to schedule their shutdowns whenever it’s best suited for staffers in any given territory. Apple will be offering additional details on their internal AppleWeb platform.
Cook ends his message, saying: “I hope everyone enjoys this much deserved break. Tim.”