Since we both build and use our software, we know that making something easy to use is about more than just designing an elegant user interface. That's why Software Engineering is an inspiring, imaginative, and collaborative work environment. Because making elegant and easy to use products takes a lot of hard work.
I find Apple to be an exciting environment because I'm surrounded by very smart, creative, and hard-working people. In my department there are managers who have studied biology, physics, English, and art, engineers who have studied philosophy, and several people who are professional musicians.
Apple has an ongoing commitment to open source and open standards. We built Mac OS X on UNIX because it's the most robust and stable platform available. Our newest release of Mac OS X, called Tiger, is generating a lot of buzz, especially for Spotlight, our incredible new search technology.
Adopting UNIX for our operating system is just one way that we work with open standards. We also incorporate other excellent standards, such as H.264 video compression, TCP-IP networking, IMAP and POP for email, and CSS for web content, to ensure that the Mac platform is compatible and easy to use in many different environments. It's important for us to support this effort, since sharing knowledge is the foundation and strength of the open source movement.
Working in the Software Engineering department at Apple lets you create work that is seen and used by millions of people every day. Apple software is used in offices, homes, and schools around the world for listening to music, surfing the web, making movies, sending email, and much, much more. In the words of two software engineers, here is a little bit of what it's like to work at Apple.
According to Dave, Software Engineer Manager, "We have a great culture here comprised of brilliant people from all walks of life. The work is demanding and there are always new challenges arising. When you love the products you work on and the company you work for as much as the average Apple employee does, this hard work and constant challenge is welcomed with open arms."
Dona in Senior Engineer feels the same way. "I find Apple to be an exciting environment because I'm surrounded by very smart, creative, and hard-working people. In my department there are managers who have studied biology, physics, English, and art, engineers who have studied philosophy, and several people who are professional musicians. My department is like a real family. We support each other, argue with each other, respect each other, work closely together, and enjoy each other's company."
Knowing that you are part of such a strong team doing work that will be recognized and appreciated is a strong motivator. It is the energy that drives the engineers on our team to constantly push themselves and each other to learn, create, and develop products that challenge the status quo and set new standards of excellence.