Apple late Monday announced the departure of two highly influential senior executives from the company: Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS, Apple’s mobile software that runs the iPad and iPhone, is leaving the company next year and “will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim,” Apple said in a statement posted on its website.
Forstall had been described as Apple’s “CEO-in-waiting” by reporter Adam Lashinsky in his book “Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired — and Secretive — Company Really Works,” for the enormous amount of power he accumulated. But signs of his departure came as early as May, when he sold 95 percent of his Apple shares. There was some speculation ahead of Monday’s announcement that Forstall’s presentation of Apple Maps, the company’s glitchy navigation and location software, could be his undoing.
Forstall’s iOS responsibilities are being moved under the domain of Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering while Apple senior VP of Internet software and services Eddy Cue will take over Maps and Siri.
Apple is also losing its senior VP of its distinctive retail operation, John Browett, and the company said a search for a replacement was underway and that in the meantile, CEO Tim Cook will be in charge of it.
