"Forstall's exit puts to rest a recurring investor concern of an Apple without Ive," says investment analyst
Analysts have predicted that the exit of Apple’s mobile software products chief will results in a bigger, long-term role for design boss Jonathan Ive, putting to rest any concerns over an Apple without Ive.
Ive will now reportedly look into both hardware and software designs, following the departure of Scott Forstall over the errors surrounding Apple Maps software.
Piper Jaffray & Co analyst Gene Munster said in a research note that: "Yesterday's announcement all but confirmed that Ive will be with the company for the foreseeable future, putting to rest a recurring investor concern of an Apple without Ive."
"This, combined with Tim Cook's nine years remaining on his contract with Apple, suggests the two most critical management figures will be in place for the longer term."
Munster continued: "We think that despite the departure of Forstall who ran iOS development, iOS's future is in good hands."
Craig Federighi, who currently oversees the OSX software that powers the Macintosh computers, will take charge of the iOS software. Leading Apple Maps and its Siri voice search software will be Eddy Cue, who at the moment runs online products.