Shake-up at Apple – Jony Ive to lead software design as Christie departs

10 Apr 2014

Jony Ive, senior vice-president of design at Apple

Apple’s design guru Jony Ive is set to embrace a more expanded role at the technology giant following the departure of long-time human interface chief Greg Christie.

Apple has revealed that after 18 years with the company, Christie is to retire.

The move will mean that Ive, who played a critical role in the design of iOS 7, as well as leading the physical design of Apple’s hardware devices, such as Macs, iPhones and iPads, will assume total responsibility for Apple’s software design going forward, according to reports from both 9to5Mac and The Wall Street Journal.

The shake-up means all software engineers will work directly under Ive and alongside his industrial design group.

Christie’s departure comes in advance of critical new updates to iOS and OS X.

While iOS 8 will progress what started with iOS 7, it is understood that OS X 10.10 will be a complete revamp that embraces many of the flatter design principles that emerged with iOS 7.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com