US Tech Giant Apple announced late Monday night changes to its executive team, marking the biggest shakeup in company management since the death last year of co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs.
In a statement posted on its website, Apple announced Senior Vice President John Browett, the recently hired head of retail store operations and SVP Scott Forstall, the longtime head of the iOS mobile software division are leaving the company.
Browett was terminated immediately, while Forstall will remain on staff for another year serving as an advisor to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
While Apple has not indicated the reason behind the changes, the shakeup comes just months after major misfires from both executives.
According to reports, one of Browett's first moves in his position overseeing retail was a staff-reduction plan that ended with the company backtracking for having "messed up.”
Forstall, who has been with Apple for 15 years, oversaw the creation of the widely criticized Apple Maps application, a product that was so flawed, the company later apologized to consumers for the glitches.
Cook said the departure of Forstall and enhanced roles of other executives were part of a move to ensure “more collaboration between” the company’s hardware, software and services teams.
“Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad,” Cook said.
