Apple Display Veterans Step Back as New Leaders Take Over

Two executives who have spent roughly three decades each at Apple are handing over responsibility for its displays, as part of a broader series of engineering leadership changes reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Victor Yin now oversees much of Apple's display development following years of preparation under Wei Chen and John Zhong. Chen and Zhong, each with approximately 30 years at the company, are taking on more limited responsibilities as advisers. Gurman describes their eventual departures as part of a succession process that has been underway for several years. Apple's October promotions also include engineering leaders Rajesh Ambati, Louie Sanguinetti, and Derek Shaeffer, who have all become vice presidents. Their work covers connectivity hardware and software, with Sanguinetti's contributions to wireless hardware stretching back decades. The appointments follow Apple's decision to expand Johny Srouji's role to chief hardware officer, bringing hardware engineering and hardware technologies under his leadership. A subsequent reorganization of product development sought to improve coordination between the teams designing Apple's chips and devices. Gurman also reports that some hardware program managers have been laid off in recent weeks as Srouji and CEO John Ternus remove management layers. The cuts follow earlier reports of Ternus' efforts to accelerate product development and reduce the number of positions between engineers and senior leadership. Elsewhere at Apple, App Store head Carson Oliver has received a vice president title, while Steve Smith has taken charge of corporate development. Both appointments were reported earlier this month. Popular StoriesMark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-OrdersDespite knowing that the iPhone Duo would face "severe supply constraints" due to manufacturing challenges, Apple chose to begin iPhone Duo pre-orders on Friday instead of waiting until it had more inventory ready, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he called this decision a "major mistake." "Let me cut to the chase: Apple made a major mistake here," he...Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style DesignApple's long-rumored smart home hub will have an iMac G4-style design and a host of unique features, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The smart home hub is said to feature a square 6-inch display, with variants that can be placed on a countertop or mounted on a wall. It features a single FaceTime camera on the front, with microphones and speakers in its connected base. Gurman described the...Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13Apple plans to introduce a series of new smart home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple reportedly plans to debut its long-awaited smart home hub device, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV on the date. The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are set to retain their existing designs, but tout faster chips to support Siri AI. The new HomePod mini will...