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

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

Data analytics reveal real business value

Sophisticated analytics tools mine insights from data, optimizing operational processes across the enterprise.

Driving companywide efficiencies with AI

Advanced AI and ML capabilities revolutionize how administrative and operations tasks are done.

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.