iPhone and Watch product design chief is leaving Apple

According to Bloomberg , Tang Tan was in charge of product design for Apple's iPhone and Watch with important decisions, so his departure is considered a big shock. Tan is responsible for reporting to John Ternus - senior vice president of hardware engineering.

Giám đốc thiết kế sản phẩm iPhone và Watch sắp rời Apple - Ảnh 1. — Tang Tan is the man behind the iPhone and Apple Watch

With Tan leaving the company, the division is now being reshuffled to handle the transition. Several of Ternus and Tan's deputies are now taking on expanded responsibilities as part of the changes, the source said. One of Tan's deputies and head of iPhone product design, Richard Dinh, will be promoted to report directly to Ternus. Meanwhile, Kate Bergeron, the director of hardware engineering for the Mac team, will take over Apple Watch design.

Apple has yet to comment on the change, but if true, it would clearly be a big loss for the company. In addition to the iPhone, Tan’s work included the Watch and AirPods, helping turn those devices into major growth drivers for Apple.

The iPhone and Apple Watch are said to have accounted for more than half of Apple’s $383.3 billion in revenue last year. Tan is also responsible for accessory design and oversees the company’s acoustics team, which was largely responsible for the development of AirPods. Those two teams are being moved under Matthew Costello, who oversees Beats and the HomePod smart speaker.

Under Apple's organizational structure, the product design team works closely with the operations and industrial design teams. Tan's team has tight control over product features, including how the devices look and how they are designed.

Tan is the second high-profile executive to announce plans to leave Apple in recent months. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Steve Hotelling, the vice president in charge of hardware technologies like Touch ID, Face ID, and displays, was leaving the company. Hotelling reported to Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies.

As for Ternus, who will be in charge of hardware engineering in 2021, he has recently reshuffled other parts of the unit he leads. He has elevated Dan West to a new role reporting to him. Other executives responsible for Mac product design and the iPhone hardware system have also been promoted. The moves suggest Apple may be preparing for more leadership changes in the coming year.

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