Phil Schiller is stepping back from two of his most visible responsibilities at Apple, giving up oversight of the App Store and the company’s product launch events on the same day John Ternus formally takes over as CEO from Tim Cook.
According to Bloomberg, Apple colleagues believe the 66-year-old Schiller is edging toward retirement, though he will remain at Apple and keep his Apple Fellow title while working on unspecified projects.
The move consolidates significant power in the hands of people closely aligned with the incoming leadership.
App Store shifts back to Eddy Cue
The App Store will return to Eddy Cue, Apple’s services chief, who previously ran it until 2015. Cue is expected to play a more prominent role under Ternus, and Carson Oliver, a longtime member of the App Store team, will handle day-to-day operations.
Schiller has managed the store through some of its most contested years, including Apple’s legal fight with Epic Games, ongoing compliance battles under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, and regulatory pressure in Brazil and Japan.
On the events side, Schiller’s deputy Nola Weinstein will lead the Apple product launch team, reporting to communications vice president Kristin Huguet Quayle.
Nearly four decades at Apple
Schiller first joined Apple in 1987, departed in 1993, and returned in 1997 alongside Steve Jobs. He was onstage at the launches of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and served as Apple’s marketing chief until 2020, when he transitioned to the role of Apple Fellow.
At that time, he said he intended to stay “as long as they will have me” while making more room for family and personal pursuits.
The reshuffle lands on a day of broader transition at Apple. Cook’s tenure as CEO formally ends today as he moves into the chairman role, with Ternus stepping into the chief executive position.
Schiller shedding his two biggest remaining operational duties on the same day underscores how deliberately Apple is restructuring its senior ranks around new leadership.
