Apple’s {hardware} Chief leaves put up for unnamed new mission

Apple Inc. stated high {hardware} government Dan Riccio is stepping down from his position to guide a brand new mission on the firm and John Ternus, one among his high lieutenants, will change him.
Riccio has been senior vice chairman of {hardware} engineering since 2012, overseeing growth of the {hardware} within the iPhone, iPad, Mac and audio merchandise just like the AirPods and HomePod. Ternus, who Bloomberg reported final 12 months was poised to interchange Riccio, has been vice chairman of {hardware} engineering since 2013, and was most not too long ago main the iPhone, Mac and iPad engineering teams.
Riccio will stay on the firm as a vice chairman of engineering and concentrate on a brand new mission reporting to Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, the Cupertino, California-based tech big stated Monday in a press release. “I’m looking forward to doing what I love most — focusing all my time and energy at Apple on creating something new and wonderful that I couldn’t be more excited about,” Riccio stated within the assertion.
Apple didn’t specify Riccio’s new project, however the firm has a minimum of two main {hardware} initiatives within the works: a self-driving automobile and headsets for augmented actuality and digital actuality. In his earlier position, Apple’s head of AR and VR {hardware} reported to Riccio, whereas the automobile mission was moved below the management of John Giannandrea, the corporate’s machine studying chief, final 12 months.
Apple is engaged on a consumer-oriented self-driving automobile, but it surely received’t launch for a minimum of 5 to seven years, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month. Apple is nonetheless inching nearer to asserting its first VR-focused headset as early as subsequent 12 months, whereas light-weight AR glasses received’t launch till a number of years later.
Riccio joined Apple in 1998 and succeeded Bob Mansfield as {hardware} engineering chief 9 years in the past. When Mansfield left that job, he additionally remained at Apple and in 2016 grew to become the pinnacle of the automobile mission earlier than retiring final 12 months. Riccio briefly oversaw the automobile mission in its early phases.
Apple lately has pushed Ternus into the general public eye. When the corporate was criticized a number of years in the past as a result of its Mac computer systems had been up to date sometimes and lacked options demanded by skilled customers similar to photograph and video editors and app builders, Ternus was the prime government responding to the complaints and pledging to enhance the machines. In November, Ternus introduced new Mac laptops that had been the primary to make use of company-designed chips.
An individual who is aware of Ternus instructed Bloomberg in September that he’s a well-respected supervisor who understands the expertise, and regardless of his rising profile, has remained unassuming — all traits of a possible future firm division head and even CEO.
Around the start of 2020, Ternus’s tasks expanded to incorporate the iPhone. Prior to that change, Riccio spent the majority of his time on the handset, the product that generates the majority of Apple’s gross sales. He additionally labored carefully with Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief who departed in 2019.
Riccio is the second high government to depart Apple’s management crew prior to now 12 months whereas remaining on the firm in one other position. Phil Schiller, Apple’s former senior vice chairman, was named an Apple Fellow final 12 months main the App Store, public relations and the creation of Apple product bulletins.
Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams stays the one holdover from the chief crew that served below former CEO and co-founder the late Steve Jobs. Every member below Cook has been both promoted to or employed for the chief crew since Cook was named CEO in 2011.