The Apple Beat: Shakeup at Apple as Scott Forstall, John Browett to exit

Exit Stage Left - iOS honcho Scott Forstall to leave Apple in 2013By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

There's a high-level shakeup at Apple as two leading executives have been set to exit. The most surprising departure is that of Scott Forstall, VP of iOS Software,  who is the key member of Apple's software team and credited for much of iOS (and OS X before that). Forstall is part of the original group of NeXT-ers that followed Steve Jobs back to Cupertino to turn things around.

Also exiting is John Browett who was brought in five months ago to replace retail impresario Ron Johnson as Senior VP for Retail.

Forstall will serve as an advisor to Tim Cook until his departure in 2013.

Many industry insiders believed that Forstall was being groomed for Apple's future leadership specially since he was behind a lot of the innovation in OS X and was clearly in front and centre of iOS software development, Apple's biggest, most critical and most profitable branch.

The recent issues with the Siri voice assistant as well as Apple's Maps (they're not that bad!) app probably fell on Forstall who was curiously absent from the last Apple Special Event debuting the iPad mini, new iMacs and MacBook Pros.

As for Browett, he was a divisive entity within Apple's other key area of retail which encompasses both the online and the highly successful (as in everyone is trying to copy it, successful) Apple Retail Store. Browett came from the top position at Dixons and has been with Apple for around five months.

The rest of the announcement, which follows below, states that the moves will increase collaboration across hardware, software and services. The best news is that stalwarts Sir Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddie Cue and Craig Federighi will take on more responsibilities to their roles.

Those four gentlemen are the knights of Apple and closer synergy between their groups will ensure continued unified execution under Tim Cook.

Federighi will take on iOS and OS X development, Eddie Cue will absorb Siri and Maps, Mansfield gets carte blanche under a new Technologies team and  Jony Ive will continue being awesome at design and human interface design.

Apple's board and management's decisive and unapologetic moves shows that the company is aware that a lot is at stake for the future and that they are ready to nip any problem in the bud. Here's the biggest technology company in the world exhibiting on-the-fly agility of a brash startup. Read the full press release below.

Apple Announces Changes to Increase Collaboration Across Hardware, Software & Services

Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi Add Responsibilities to Their Roles

CUPERTINO, California — October 29, 2012 — Apple® today announced executive management changes that will encourage even more collaboration between the Company’s world-class hardware, software and services teams. As part of these changes, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will add more responsibilities to their roles. Apple also announced that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.

“We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The amazing products that we’ve introduced in September and October, iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications, could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.”

Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design. His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.

Eddy Cue will take on the additional responsibility of Siri® and Maps, placing all of our online services in one group. This organization has overseen major successes such as the iTunes Store®, the App Store℠, the iBookstore℠ and iCloud®. This group has an excellent track record of building and strengthening Apple’s online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of our customers.

Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X®. Apple has the most advanced mobile and desktop operating systems, and this move brings together the OS teams to make it even easier to deliver the best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms.

Bob Mansfield will lead a new group, Technologies, which combines all of Apple’s wireless teams across the company in one organization, fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level. This organization will also include the semiconductor teams, who have ambitious plans for the future.

Additionally, John Browett is leaving Apple. A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook. Apple’s Retail organization has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level who will continue the excellent work that has been done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services for customers.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.