Apple has begun a hiring push to find lead design engineers to help them make the long-rumored iPizza a reality, Cult of Mac has exclusively learned.
The advert, posted today on Apple’s jobs board, calls for a candidate with at least four years experience in the Neapolitan supply chain. Intriguingly, one of the skills required for the position is the “ability to hand stretch the pizza (without using a rolling pin),” suggesting that the new iPizza will be built with a revolutionary new manufacturing process.
Talk of an iPizza is not new. Over the years, Steve Jobs was spotted many times in Silicon Valley researching slices of pizza, leading to ongoing speculation that Apple was interested in entering the saucy Italian pie industry.
“The pizza industry is ripe for disruption,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to clients in late 2010. “Saturation amongst competitors has pushed the average price of a slice of pizza to unprofitable lows, while a lack of variation puts the entire industry at risk of a major new competitor.”
Various leaks in the Neapolitan supply chain point to 12-inch, 14-inch and 17-inch models, a Neapolitan-style crust prepared with a dry fermentation method, an heirloom tomato sauce marbleized with a three-cheese mix, then manufactured to perfection upon an anodized aluminum pizza stone.
Filings with the USPTO also suggest that the iPizza will feature Apple’s patented ‘Sliced to Unlock’ functionality.
Each iPizza will come stock with a selection of Meat and Non-Meat ‘apps’. Developers will also be able to sell their own toppings through the iPizza Store, with Apple taking its customary 30% cut of each topping sold.
Analysts suggest that an iPizza could be released as early as Q2 2013, just in time for the busy Memorial Day season. A white iPizza has also been rumored for later in 2013.
