Sir Jony Ive is now in charge of Apple software as well as hardware, as the folks behind the iPhone axe two senior figures. Marching orders have been issued to the former Dixons boss in charge of Apple Stores, and the man in charge of Apple Maps.
Chingford-born Ive, Apple's revered -- and benobbed -- industrial designer, is now in charge of the whole Apple experience as he helms a new department called Human Interface, straddling both hardware and software design.
One of the casualties is Scott Forstall, who was in charge of iOS. While he developed iOS and introduced Siri, he also oversaw the arrival of Apple Maps. Oops.
The own-brand Apple Maps app replaced Google Maps on iPhones and iPads earlier this year, and turned out to be a cavalcade of outdated or flat-out missing data. It was bad enough for Apple boss Tim Cook to issue a public apology -- although word on the street is that Forstall refused to sign his name to the mea culpa.
So what does this mean for future Apple products? The look of iOS and OS X may be refreshed and brought closer together, for a start. Under Forstall's tenure, iOS featured a heavily skeuomorphic aesthetic. Skeuomorphism involves making the interface look like real things: the ebook app looks like a bookshelf and a paperback, for example, while the Notes app looks like a pad of notepaper, complete with page-turning effects.
All very well, but in recent versions the heavy use of leather-effect backgrounds and even fake stitching made many apps look dated. With luck Jony Ive will steer Apple's software towards the clean lines and sleek style his hardware designs are famous for.
Meanwhile, Apple has also parted company with the British boss of the retail side of the business, John Browett, who joined the Californian company from Dixons here in the UK (a move that had anyone who'd ever been in a Dixons scratching their head in puzzlement).
Is Apple software due for a refresh? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 7
Add your comment
anonymous 30 October, 2012 19:24
"Apple has said that Forstall will be replaced by Craig Federighi in 2013. Federighi will oversee both the iOS and OS X groups under one umbrella." - CNET.com
So someone in CNET is wrong. Maybe Ives will take a bigger role in the software look and feel but I don't see him taking over from Forstall. In any case the main story here is Apple clearing out the top of their software chief. Not Mr Ives.
I would say that iOS has become too stale and needs to progress at a faster pace to keep up with Android so they had to do something drastic. It is a good day to bury bad news whilst America and the world look at the devastation of Sandy - Just a cynical slant on the timing of Forstall being fired.
anonymous 30 October, 2012 20:03
I always disliked that guy Scott Forstall. There was just something about it that shouted out arrogant b&*^$d in my opinion He also cashed in his shares at the start of the year so he obviously wanted to leave Apple. There was no apology from him over the whole maps debacle and in the end Tim Cook took the the blame for it which I commend him for. iOS has become so stagnated recently and the look of some of the ios apps such as calender, notes, find my friends, etc. look terrible. I think Johnny Ive will shakes things up with the aesthetics of ios and I'm looking forward to see what he does with it.
anonymous 31 October, 2012 05:36
"THE WASTE MAKERS"Vince Packard--read this legendary non-fiction book
anonymous 31 October, 2012 07:48
Recently, Forstall and Ive have been locked in a dispute over "skeuomorphs" or however you spell it - an example of this is the leather look on the calendar or the green felt of game center. In my opinion, such effects border on visually offensive and jar against the clean industrial design of the hardware. I'm hoping this move is related and we end up seeing slicker, more elegant and less cheesy fluff in iOS7.
Peter Hudson 31 October, 2012 08:15
I'm so happy. I never liked that Scott Forstall. He just irritated me. IOS has been in dire need of an overhaul for such a long time and Joni Ive seems like the perfect guy to do it. Can't wait to see iOS7.
Rich Trenholm 31 October, 2012 08:51
Anonymous no.1, the article isn't wrong - as you point out Ive has not directly replaced Forstall, but he is still in overall charge. Thanks for your feedback
anonymous 13 December, 2012 14:47
Forstall has not left Apple - he hasn't been able to navigate his way out of the building.