Skip to Content

iOS Head Scott Forstall Out at Apple

A major management shuffle at Apple includes the departure of its iOS and retail heads.
October 29, 2012

Apple said Monday that Scott Forstall, its senior vice president of iOS software, will leave the company next year. Until he leaves, Forstall, who at one time was thought of as a potential successor to the late CEO Steve Jobs, will serve as an advisor to current CEO Tim Cook, Apple said in a statement. The company didn’t say why Forstall is departing.

Craig Federighi, who is senior vice president of Mac software engineering, will also take on responsibility for iOS. Though the changes are unexpected, they seem to show that Apple is really trying to bring its mobile and desktop software platforms closer together.

Forstall’s departure was one of a slew of changes the company announced. These include the departure of senior vice president of retail, John Browett—until a replacement is found, the retail team will report directly to Cook, Apple said.

In addition, Apple said that Jony Ive, senior vice president of industrial design and the man responsible for the look of most products, will lead and direct human interfaces across Apple. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president for Internet software and services, will tack on responsibility for Apple’s Maps app and its Siri digital assistant. And senior vice president Bob Mansfield will lead a new group that includes all of Apple’s wireless teams and its chip teams. 

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.

And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.

How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets

When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.

The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.

Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.

Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch

Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.