In wake of Maps debacle, Apple sacks VP in charge of iOS
Management shakeup follows iOS 6 embarrassment.
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Hawke’s Bay
Cue a round of "he had to be shown the door" jokes.
An Apple press release says only that senior vice president for iOS software Scott Forstall is leaving the company (immediately sparking jibes on Twitter, including "he had to be shown the door").
But the New York Times made no bones about the reason for Mr Forstalls departure, saying he was fired.
Mr Forstall's division, which looks after the iOS software that runs the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, was responsible for Apple Maps.
Apple Maps, released with iOS 6, proved a disaster.
Among countless other bizarre glitches, it placed an Auckland train station in the middle of the harbour, and Dunedin Airport on the West Coast.
Apple CEO Tim Cook made a mea culpa, suggesting customers use rival products, including Google Maps (bumped out of iOS 6 to make way for Apple Maps) while problems were fixed.
Mr Forstall, however, reportedly refused to sign a public apology, escalating existing tensions.
The Times says a second recent iOS feature, the virtual voice assistant Siri, was also viewed as lacking Apple's usual polish.
In a statement, Apple said its online services head Eddie Cue - the manager responsible for iCloud, iBooks and the iTunes Store, will take on Maps and Siri as additional responsibilities.
Craig Federighi, already the lead for Mac OS X, will now also be in overall charge of iOS.
Additionally, Sir Jony Ive, the company's design guru, will take on a new role in charge of "human interface" across all Apple products,
Head of Retail fired
Apple also announced that its head of retail John Browett was leaving, with a replacement yet to be appointed
Again, the times saw the departure as a sacking.
Either way, his departure was not unexpected.
In August Apple issued a public apology for a plan by Mr Browett to cut back on staffing at its stores.
Mr Browett came to Apple from UK retailer Dixons, which some saw as a lower-brow operation.
NBR staff
Wed, 31 Oct 2012
Wed, 31 Oct 2012
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In wake of Maps debacle, Apple sacks VP in charge of iOS
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