Apple is experiencing a major shift in its Hardware Engineering group due to the departure of Tang Tan, the company’s vice president of iPhone and Apple Watch product design.

With Tan set to leave in February, his exit initiates a restructuring within the team, as reported by Bloomberg. Tan, reporting directly to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, has played a pivotal role in the company’s product development.

Following Tan’s departure, Richard Dinh, the current head of iPhone product design, will assume responsibility for iPhone development, directly reporting to Ternus. Kate Bergeron, vice president of Mac hardware engineering, will take over the Apple Watch design. In addition to these changes, Matthew Costello, former COO of Beats and current overseer of Beats and HomePod, will expand his role to include accessory design and the acoustics team, which is responsible for developing AirPods.

Tan’s departure is seen as a significant loss for Apple, as he was integral in making crucial decisions regarding the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, particularly in aspects of product features and design. This restructuring comes shortly after reports of Steve Hotelling, another Apple hardware VP, planning to retire from the company.

Hotelling, leading the camera engineering team, has contributed to the development of Face ID, Touch ID, haptic feedback, ProMotion, and various other essential Apple technologies.

With these high-profile exits, Apple’s hardware engineering group is set for a considerable transformation, marking a new era in the company’s approach to product design and development.

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