Apple Launches App Development Program for Female Entrepreneurs and App Developers

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced the launch of its new Entrepreneur Camp, which is meant to create new opportunities for app-driven businesses that are owned or led by women.

The Entrepreneur Camp offers an intensive technology lab, specialized support for app developers, and ongoing mentoring.

"Apple is committed to helping more women assume leadership roles across the tech sector and beyond," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're proud to help cultivate female leadership in the app development community with the new Apple Entrepreneur Camp, and we're inspired both by the incredible work that's already happening, and what's sure to come."

Apple says that to be eligible for the program, which is now accepting applications, businesses must be female-founded, co-founded, or led and have at least one woman on the development team. A working app or prototype is required, as is a "desire to leverage Apple technologies and benefit their mission.

The inaugural session of the Entrepreneur Camp is set to begin in January 2019. Sessions will be held on a quarterly basis, with 20 app companies accepted for each round. The exception is the pilot round, which will be limited to 10 companies.

After being accepted to the program, companies will be able to send three employees to Cupertino, the home of Apple's two most well known campuses: Infinite Loop and Apple Park.

The two week immersive program is set to include one-on-one code-level assistance with Apple engineers, sessions on design, technology, and App Store marketing, access to an alumni forum for peer-to-peer mentoring, and ongoing support from Apple.

Participating companies will also receive two tickets for the following year's Worldwide Developers Conference as well as one year of free membership in the Apple Developer Program.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Launches App Development Program for Female Entrepreneurs and App Developers

 

[826317]

I'm tired of seeing this gender-only, ethnic-only or whatever-only type of thing. Forced diversity is a joke. If women want to get into IT, they will. The reason there are not many women in the IT sector is because of evident natural sex differences.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

It's about the right person for the right job. TC would rather employ based on the persons background (allegedly more important than skill)

 

[keysofanxiety]

TC would rather employ based on the persons background (allegedly more important than skill)

Citation?

 

[martyjmclean]

I'm tired of seeing this gender-only, ethnic-only or whatever-only type of things. Forced diversity is a joke. If women want to get into IT, they will. The reason there are not many women in the IT sector is because of evident natural sex differences.

It must be nice to have nobody tell you you can’t do a job because of who you are. It must be nice to not need programmes that only aim to help and even out decades of oppression.

 

[Hedwigg]

I'm tired of seeing this gender-only, ethnic-only or whatever-only type of things. Forced diversity is a joke. If women want to get into IT, they will. The reason there are not many women in the IT sector is because of evident natural sex differences.

I’m just here for all the white male, anti-diversity comments like yours. Thanks for not disappointing.
[doublepost=1543269432][/doublepost]

It must be nice to have nobody tell you you can’t do a job because of who you are. It must be nice to not need programmes that only aim to help and even out decades of oppression.

This.

 

[Ashton Cofer]

How about accept people based on merit and not because they were born the wrong gender?

 

[mdnz]

It must be nice to have nobody tell you you can’t do a job because of who you are. It must be nice to not need programmes that only aim to help and even out decades of oppression.

Positive discrimination is still discrimination.

 

[MrGimper]

Sometimes it’s not down to ethnicity, sexual preference, gender etc. Sometimes someone is just simply crap at their job, or not the best fit for a job.

 

[chucker23n1]

evident natural sex differences.

…such as?

 

[martyjmclean]

Positive discrimination is still discrimination.

How does this programme discriminate? Men have never been disadvantaged for being a man in the IT industry. Ever. Programmes like this only let those who are, get a head start and even footing.

 

[willyx]

I’m just here for all the white male, anti-diversity comments like yours. Thanks for not disappointing.
[doublepost=1543269432][/doublepost]

This.

This forced diversity results in the same type of discrimination women are said to suffer (they don't really suffer it nowadays in developed countries).

The fact is that if you are not in part of a minority, you are at a disadvantage to be involved in an increasing number of initiatives nowadays. Women-only recruitment events are happening everywhere, and dogmatized brains applaud this, when the opposite would be a scandal.

 

[mdnz]

How does this programme discriminate? Men have never been disadvantaged for being a man in the IT ndustry. Ever. Programmes like this only let those who are, get a head start and even footing.

Hmmm a program for just women... how does this discriminate? A real brain teaser here...

 

[chucker23n1]

Hmmm a program for just women... how does this discriminate? A real brain teaser here...

Are you suggesting men have a hard time landing a software development job?

Because, boy, let me tell you, you'd be way off. All companies are looking.

Women, OTOH, have been having a very hard time.

So, programs are made to help.

 

[Hedwigg]

This forced diversity results in the same type of discrimination women are said to suffer (they don't really suffer it nowadays in developed countries).

The fact is that if you are not in part of a minority, you are at a disadvantage to be involved in an increasing number of initiatives nowadays. Women-only recruitment events are happening everywhere, and dogmatized brains applaud this, when the opposite would be a scandal.

This delusional, victimhood way of thinking is so childish. Yeah, straight, white males are so disadvantaged... not being raped in an alley at night, not being brutally beaten or murdered because of your sexuality, not being profiled by police while driving or even just wearing a hoodie, not being refused a job because of your skin color... you have it so rough. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

 

[WankerWeasel]

Nice to see more doing things to diversity the tech industry.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wonder if this concept came up from some over-worked non-social programmer dude with this great idea to meet chicks.

 

[fbara]

How does this programme discriminate? Men have never been disadvantaged for being a man in the IT industry. Ever. Programmes like this only let those who are, get a head start and even footing.

You've made several incorrect statements in these posts:

1. Any form of enforced 'diversity' will discriminate against someone. Simply by making a conscious choice to favor one gender or race creates a discrimination against the other gender and all other races. You can't avoid it.
2. You state men have 'never been discriminated for being a man in the IT industry' while commenting on a story that intentionally discriminates against men in the IT industry. This isn't just one example of this happening, many companies are using gender-specific hiring practices.
3. People have long been permitted, and encouraged, in IT to participate at all levels and in all industries. When I left university almost 15 years ago, there were companies working hard to bring woman and minorities into IT. This is nothing new; it's only new to people who haven't been paying attention for a few decades.

According to your posts, you're ok with discrimination based on gender and/or race. That is, as long as it's discrimination that you agree with. Just admit it so we cam move on and determine if these types of programs actually do any good (which I contend they don't).

 

[rtomyj]

I’m just here for all the white male, anti-diversity comments like yours. Thanks for not disappointing.
[doublepost=1543269432][/doublepost]

This.

Here’s the reality <i see> in the CS field. I know this girl. She’s smart. But I also found out that professors go the extra mile to help her out. For instance she gets help on exams. I’ve asked a professor she gets help from (to add a little more context this professor isn’t her professor) a question and got a dick response.

Another girl is very loud and barely does work. Now she isn’t stupid but there are better programmers out there. She got a job from a company no problem.

Now here’s the worst part. There’s another girl. She’s a hard worker but not very outgoing and not eye candy... as much as it sucks saying. She’s really smart and an amazing programmer. She out of all the girls I’ve talked about is the most stressed about her future. Prolly won’t get much help.

I don’t feel like these inclusion initiatives don’t really work. For example the really good female programmer will/should get hired over the others based on her work ethic... not for being a pretty woman.

That’s what I see anyways.

 

[mdnz]

Are you suggesting men have a hard time landing a software development job?

Because, boy, let me tell you, you'd be way off. All companies are looking.

Women, OTOH, have been having a very hard time.

So, programs are made to help.

Take a deep breath and take 2 minutes to actually read and try to understand what I’m trying to tell before you dump guilty feelings on here.

 

[Cole Slaw]

Maybe Tim should step down and be replaced by a woman to show how strongly he believes in diversity.

 

[chucker23n1]

You've made several incorrect statements in these posts:

1. Any form of enforced 'diversity' will discriminate against someone. Simply by making a conscious choice to favor one gender or race creates a discrimination against the other gender and all other races. You can't avoid it.
2. You state men have 'never been discriminated for being a man in the IT industry' while commenting on a story that intentionally discriminates against men in the IT industry. This isn't just one example of this happening, many companies are using gender-specific hiring practices.

Your post nicely illustrates why being technically correct is often a worthless goal.

Yes, technically, this program discriminates against men.

At best, however, your criticism could be that it either corrects a problem that isn't there, or overcompensates it.

1. People have long been permitted, and encouraged, in IT to participate at all levels and in all industries. When I left university almost 15 years ago, there were companies working hard to bring woman and minorities into IT. This is nothing new; it's only new to people who haven't been paying attention for a few decades.

…so?

It doesn't change that, 15 years later, stories of women being paid less, being ignored at meetings, being passed over for promotion, being sexually harassed and assaulted, and receiving rape and death threats happen at major technology companies are happening several times a year and you'd have to be uninformed or lying to pretend otherwise. And no, similar stories of men don't happen at anywhere near the same rate.

According to your posts, you're ok with discrimination based on gender and/or race. That is, as long as it's discrimination that you agree with. Just admit it so we cam move on and determine if these types of programs actually do any good (which I contend they don't).

Cool.

 

[MrGimper]

You've made several incorrect statements in these posts:

1. Any form of enforced 'diversity' will discriminate against someone. Simply by making a conscious choice to favor one gender or race creates a discrimination against the other gender and all other races. You can't avoid it.
2. You state men have 'never been discriminated for being a man in the IT industry' while commenting on a story that intentionally discriminates against men in the IT industry. This isn't just one example of this happening, many companies are using gender-specific hiring practices.
3. People have long been permitted, and encouraged, in IT to participate at all levels and in all industries. When I left university almost 15 years ago, there were companies working hard to bring woman and minorities into IT. This is nothing new; it's only new to people who haven't been paying attention for a few decades.

According to your posts, you're ok with discrimination based on gender and/or race. That is, as long as it's discrimination that you agree with. Just admit it so we cam move on and determine if these types of programs actually do any good (which I contend they don't).

“Congratulations Sharon, you got the job. You weren’t the best candidate, in fact you were the worst, but we had to increase our diversity image”

 

[chucker23n1]

Take a deep breath and take 2 minutes to actually read and try to understand what I’m trying to tell before you dump guilty feelings on here.

No, I did understand just fine.

 

[fbara]

Are you suggesting men have a hard time landing a software development job?

Because, boy, let me tell you, you'd be way off. All companies are looking.

Women, OTOH, have been having a very hard time.

So, programs are made to help.

Can you please provide proof that women have been having a hard time getting a software job?

MoveMeOn did an analysis on 20k

"We analysed over 20,000 job applications on movemeon. We looked at the “hiring funnel” for all of these: from viewing a job to applying, to interview to being hired. Comparing the different conversion rates at each part of this funnel yielded some very interesting results.

Not only did women view 20% fewer jobs than men, they also appeared less likely to apply after viewing a job: on average women would view 25% more jobs before making an application than a man.

Having made these applications, the conversion to interview was 12% higher for women: in short, their applications were better.

Even more pronounced is the difference in success after an interview. Women are an astounding 24% more likely to be offered a job after having been interviewed.

The end result is that after having made an application, women are 36% more likely to land the job than men. In essence, men are competing more but winning less."

You can always find examples of companies that have, or appear to have, made gender-specific decisions. However, the general trend goes against what you're saying.