Jonathan Ive takes over Apple interface design

Hot on the heels of the iPad Mini launch, a major shake-up at the top of Apple has seen Jonathan Ive – Apple's Senior VP of Industrial Design – taking over "leadership and direction for Human Interface responsibilities for interface design," following the departure of Senior VP of iOS software Scott Forstall.

Forstall will leave Apple at the end of the year. His departure comes in the wake of well-publicised issues with iOS 6 Maps – Inside Apple author Adam Lashinky has speculated on Twitter that Forstall "paid the price" for issues with Maps and Siri.

Mac software VP Craig Federighi will take over as head of iOS and OS X, while the shake-up also sees Senior VP of Internet Services Eddy Cue taking over Siri and Maps. Bob Mansfield, Apple's former head of hardware engineering, will head up a new Technologies group 

According to a recent report by Fast Company, Ive and Forstall have clashed over the use of skeuomorphic design in iOS – Forstall favours the visual metaphors of fake wooden bookshelves and leather stitching in iOS, while Ive wants to extend the signature minimalism of his industrial design to the iOS software.

So, we can expect to see some major changes in iOS 7 under Jony Ive's direction – will you be glad to see the back of the leather stitching? Let us know on Twitter.

[via The Verge]

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