“Apple Inc.’s Bob Mansfield, whose $85.5 million compensation made him one of the highest-paid U.S. executives in 2012, is stepping down as technologies chief to work on special projects,” Peter Burrows reports for Bloomberg News. “‘Bob will no longer be on Apple’s executive team, but he will continue to work on special projects,’ Katie Cotton, an Apple spokeswoman, said by phone.”
“Mansfield presided over some of Apple’s toughest hardware-engineering jobs in the past decade, including a transition of its Mac personal computers to Intel Corp. chips and development of the iPad tablet,” Burrows reports. “He retired in June 2012 and returned about two months later, when Apple granted him a pay package that made him the second-best-paid executive at any Standard & Poor’s 500 company”
Burrows reports, “The executive change comes as investors focus on whether Apple can come up with breakthrough new products to jump-start growth for the Cupertino, California-based company, whose revenue increased less than 1 percent in the most recent quarter. Apple has been developing a watch-like wearable device that would include features of the iPhone and other capabilities, people familiar with the matter have said. ‘Apple is under heavy competitive pressure to create something new,’ said Tim Bajarin, founder of Creative Strategies Inc., a technology consulting firm. ‘It would take someone like Mansfield to bring it out in a timely fashion.'”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Apple removes SVP Bob Mansfield from executive team; will remain at Apple reporting to Tim Cook – July 28, 2013
Un-retired: Why Bob Mansfield is back at Apple in a big way – November 1, 2012
Tim Cook takes full control of Apple: John Browett and Scott Forstall out; Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi get expanded responsibilities – October 29, 2012
Apple CEO Tim Cook expands executive team, Senior VP Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield will not retire – August 27, 2012
Brain drain? Apple’s Bob Mansfield is 2nd key exec to leave since Steve Jobs died – June 29, 2012
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Maybe…
Apple’s iCar coming to a dealer near you. 😳
.. unless it’s a Ford dealer. Ford still choose to use Microsoft’s Sync software, even though it’s universally panned.
I found It confusing and suggest not to have it in the car if one can avoid it. To me it created mor problems than it solves. Though I liked the Ford as a car and the mileage from the rental fleet.
New Title……APPLE Skunk Works .. Head Cheese
What does this mean?
Skunk works refers to top secret R&D in the defense industry–things like spy planes were developed in these divisions.
Why don’t they just create their own bank. They have billions and all these accounts already on file with credit cards. They should create their own credit card and add a checking account. Time to disrupt the lousy banks. They got the cash to do it. Would you switch to Apple Bank?
In most companies, “Special Projects” is a pasture where seasoned but irrelevant employees go to Vest In Peace. At Apple though, every interesting project is a Secret Project. “What are you working on?” “A secret project.” “Yeah me too.”
But if they name Mansfield the new Senior VP of Wash Your Hands After Using The Restroom, you know he’s on his way out.
On slash dot they are saying it may have to do with continued dependency on samsung …
interesting.
John Gruber posted that there really is nothing more to this than Mansfield will be working on special projects. That Mansfied is well liked at all levels of the company and this has nothing to do with his health. So most likely he is focusing all his time on wearables.
In a way, Apple operates its development process like a skunk-works…now! Usually head of skunk-works reports to the top guy and does not report at meetings. Sometimes the top guy is not sure what is going on behind locked doors. Most of these things may not hit the street for a few years.
Mansfield is the guy that took Jonathan Ive’s designs and made them reality. He is not in the corporate retirement home.
Yep, just as I thought. No one has a flipping clue what “special products” actually means. Apple ain’t saying and neither is Bob.