14 DAY TRIAL // Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, is retiring, leaving his empty spot to Dan Riccio, Apple’s current vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, for a few months.
Apple confirmed in a press release that the company’s hardware engineering team would continue to report to Mansfield until he leaves for good.
Mansfield has been in charge of the Mac hardware engineering since 2005, iPhone and iPod hardware engineering since 2010, and even iPad hardware engineering since the first version was released to the masses.
The SVP has been an Apple employee since 1999 when the Mac maker acquired Raycer Graphics. Mansfield was vice president of Engineering at Raycer when Apple recruited him. In 1982, Mansfield earned a BSEE degree from the University of Texas in Austin.
Commenting on the SVP’s departure, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO said, “Bob has been an instrumental part of our executive team, leading the hardware engineering organization and overseeing the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough products over the years.”
“We are very sad to have him leave and hope he enjoys every day of his retirement,” Cook added.
As for Dan Riccio, the guy filling in for Mansfield until Apple finds a suitable person to fill his spot, he currently serves as vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering and “has been instrumental in all of Apple’s iPad products since the first generation iPad,” according to his employers.
Riccio has been on Apple’s payroll since 1998. He has been vice president of Product Design and he is regarded as a key contributor to most of the company’s hardware.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, which he earned from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1986.
“Dan has been one of Bob’s key lieutenants for a very long time and is very well respected within Apple and by the industry,” added Cook. “Our hardware engineering team is the best engineering team on earth and will not miss a beat during the transition.”
Apple’s bios page still featured Bob Mansfield’s original profile at the time of writing.