14 DAY TRIAL // After losing an internal power struggle with fellow executives, Scott Forstall is no longer Apple’s senior vice president of iPhone Software. Instead, he is now a mere advisor to the CEO, and not for long either.
According to Apple’s 10K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), “Effective October 29, 2012, Scott Forstall, the Company’s Senior Vice President of Mobile Software, has transitioned from [SVP of iPhone Software] into a new role as Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer.”
Apple this week confirmed in a press release that Forstall would no longer be working at Apple. However, CEO Tim Cook is still holding onto him until sometime next year to prevent him from jumping ship, analysts say.
A leaked letter sent by Tim Cook to employees reads, “I am also announcing that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim. I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.”
Forstall’s duties have been divided into new divisions and attributions, some of which have shifted over to Jonathan Ive, Apple’s design guru. Reports say it was Ive who won Tim Cook’s vote to make some aesthetic changes in iOS and OS X.
As a result, Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design is also the Human Interface chief now.
“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,” Apple said earlier this week.
“His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.”
Also leaving Apple is John Browett, whose initial hiring counts as one of Tim Cook’s worst decisions ever, the same analysts and pundits say.
“A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook,” according to the Mac maker’s announcement posted October 29, 2012.