Apple Fires Head Of iOS And Retail Boss


Bangalore: The recent controversies related to failure of some of Apple’s products including the mapping service has finally lead to one of the significant management changes in Apple’s recent history and the biggest one under Tim Cook.

Scott Forstall, the man who oversaw Apple's mobile software unit and the release of latest iOS6 was asked to leave the company following his refusal to sign the apology letter for Apple’s mapping service flaws. Adding to it, John Browett, the SVP of Retail Operations will also depart the company.

According to Gigaom, with the biggest reshuffling inside Cupertino tech giant, Tim Cook made it clear that he is not afraid to remake Apple into a company that works for him, not just for Steve Jobs. Forstall, once considered an heir apparent to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was reportedly “did not fit into” the culture at the company, according to many insiders who spoke to Wall Street Journal. For years, senior executives complained that Forstall was not cooperative and showed off his relationship with Steve Jobs, Apple’s late co-founder.

The tensions between Forstall and other executives mount with the failure of Apple’s replacement for the Google Maps, which was made under Forstall. He argued that the company should address the issue without apology as it did with the faulty antennae case a few years ago. But Tim Cook and others disagreed and Cook signed the apology letter instead of Forstall. According to WSJ, Forstall also recently told people that “there is no ‘decider’ now that Mr. Jobs is gone.”

The exit of John Browett, a hire by Tim Cook himself was following his failed staffing formulae that cut some employee hours, which later apologized and replaced by Apple. According to the company, it is in hunt for a new retail head.

Meanwhile, other top executives will be expanding their roles at the company, including Jony Ive, who will be responsible for new human interface group and Craig Federighi, the SVP of Mac software engineering, who will now also be overseeing Forstall’s department, iOS.