Sept 29 (Reuters) – Apple’s new chief executive officer, John Ternus, is weighing a broad overhaul of the iPhone maker aimed at sharpening its engineering focus, introducing products more frequently and creating a leaner organization, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
The early ideas under consideration include moving away from Apple’s traditional spring and fall product-release cycle and eliminating some middle-management roles to narrow the gap between engineers and top executives, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran and longtime hardware chief who oversaw multiple generations of the iPhone, succeeded Tim Cook this fall. Analysts said the leadership change underscored the central role of Apple’s hardware ecosystem in the company’s growth.
The report said cost-cutting efforts are already under way, while Ternus is also looking for new revenue streams and ways to extract more value from existing products.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Ternus has signaled internally that Apple needs to introduce products more quickly and become more experimental to remain competitive in the artificial intelligence era, Bloomberg News reported.
Apple typically holds major annual events in June and September, with its developers conference focused on software and its fall launch event centered on new iPhones and other consumer devices.
Earlier this month, Apple entered the foldable smartphone market with its $1,999 Duo iPhone. Analysts have said Apple’s entry could help push foldable devices into the mainstream, mirroring its impact on smartwatches and wireless earbuds.
Apple’s hardware engineering division has begun cutting engineering program-management roles, Bloomberg News reported, adding that the reductions affected several program managers, including roughly half a dozen directors.
The company also made significant cuts in teams working on the Siri digital assistant, the Vision Pro headset and AI-related software engineering, some of which were tied to employee performance, the report said.
Ternus has also explored how AI could speed up product development and automate tasks currently performed by employees, according to the report.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
