Apple on Monday announced the most significant executive shakeup under the stewardship of CEO Tim Cook, saying Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS Software, and retail chief John Browett are leaving the company.
Forstall, who was responsible for iPhone and iPad software and reported to Cook, was widely known as a protégé of Steve Jobs and as such was responsible for much of Apple's creative vision since Jobs death.
However, he was viewed by many as a strong personality, and the launch of one of his projects, Apple Maps in September, was criticized by users and led to an apology from Cook.
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A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook, Apple said.
Apple executives Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will take on added roiles in the company, Apple said.
Ive, who heads the Industrial Design group, will lead creative initiatives including the direction of Apple's Human Interface (HI) across the company. "His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade," Apple said.
Eddy Cue, vice president of iTunes, will add responsibility for Siri and Maps, as Apple puts all of its online services in one group. This unit oversees the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud.
Craig Federighi will head iOS and OS X systems as Apple integrates the OS teams.
Bob Mansfield will oversee a new group, Technologies, which unites all of Apple’s wireless teams.
PUBLISHED OCT. 29, 2012
