Apple Announces Retirement of Bob Mansfield, Senior VP of Hardware Engineering

MacRumors · Jun 28, 2012, 05:15 PM

Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield is retiring, according to an Apple press release. He joined Apple in 1999. He has led Mac hardware engineering since 2005, along with iPhone, iPod, and iPad engineering since 2010.

Quote:

Apple® today announced that Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will retire and the role will be transitioned to Dan Riccio, Apple's vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, over several months. The entire hardware engineering team will continue to report to Mansfield until his departure.

"Bob has been an instrumental part of our executive team, leading the hardware engineering organization and overseeing the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough products over the years," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We are very sad to have him leave and hope he enjoys every day of his retirement."

Mansfield has been instrumental in Apple's success in recent years, overseeing the development of the very successful MacBook Air notebooks, as well as recent iPhone and iPad designs. With rumors of an iPhone redesign coming this fall, it's possible that Mansfield wanted to stay with Apple through the introduction of that product.

He has sold off more than $70 million in Apple stock and options in the past few years.

Dan Riccio, the executive taking over Mansfield's responsibilities, has been with Apple since 1998. He was vice president of product design for 12 years before taking over the iPad division in 2010. Apple's press release says Riccio "has been a key contributor to most of Apple's hardware over his career."

In a separate announcement made today in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple reported that Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Office Betsy Rafael will also be retiring, effective October 19.

Article Link: Apple Announces Retirement of Bob Mansfield, Senior VP of Hardware Engineering

GBrooks · Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM

He's done a great job. Deserves a rest!

nuckinfutz · Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM

Oh man. Mansfeld seemed like a solid guy but hell if I had millions in stock options I too would get on with my life.

Godspeed Mansfeld!

LimeiBook86 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM

Well he has certainty deserved it! Thanks and best of luck Bob!

But I'll miss seeing his face in the videos Apple releases.

jav6454 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:19 PM

How old is he? He looks very young. Goes to say he will have a nice retirement....

vivithemage · Jun 28, 2012, 05:19 PM

This dude is probably loaded!

chrmjenkins · Jun 28, 2012, 05:20 PM

Maybe he'll come back with a slimmer redesign from Ive.

dpruitt · Jun 28, 2012, 05:20 PM

Have fun, Bob. Now you can sit around wiping your a$$ with $100 bills, and enjoy your grandkids.

Zimmer62943 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM

just following the trend, RIP Bob

Eduardo1971 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM

I too will miss his presence during keynotes. Mr. Mansfield has his quirky charm that I enjoyed.

All the very best.

macnerd93 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM

its understandable, but if I had his job (me personally & no one else) I think I'd work literally until the day I died. He's done Apple well these past few years and deserves his break.

TSE · Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM

He was a huge part of Apple's success, no doubt. Good luck to him.

TwinMonkeys · Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivithemage

This dude is probably loaded!

Yes. He's probably loaded, and has the opportunity to spend the next 20-30 years living it up anywhere he wants doing almost anything he wants to do. I don't blame him for wanting to get out and live a stress-free life even if he's a bit younger than traditional retirement age.

troop231 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM

I'm sure going to miss him in those new iPhone and iPad promotional videos.

thekev · Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

Oh man. Mansfeld seemed like a solid guy but hell if I had millions in stock options I too would get on with my life.

Godspeed Mansfeld!

It doesn't have to mean that he'll never work again. It could be a new job or it could just be personal projects.

Gregintosh · Jun 28, 2012, 05:23 PM

The dream in business is to get rich so you can enjoy life. This is what he seems to be doing, so good for him!

Granted, designing products may be fun for a while, but everyone burns out doing the same thing day in and day out. And if you spend all your life in the office, you won't get to enjoy any of the benefits of making all that money.

And you really have to make some good memories and have great experiences to truly live life.

No one on their deathbed has ever said "gee, I wish I spent more time at the office."

Peace · Jun 28, 2012, 05:24 PM

Good luck Bob.

"the role will be transitioned to Dan Riccio, Apple's vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, over several months"

This has me wondering if Apple truly is becoming an iToy company.

east85 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:25 PM

The conclusion: If you don't like iOS inclusion in OS X, prepare to accept it or move on. I think we're going to start seeing some of it on the hardware level as well, maybe the inclusion of touch based hardware anyone?

fs454 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peace

Good luck Bob.

"the role will be transitioned to Dan Riccio, Apple's vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, over several months"

This has me wondering in Apple truly is becoming an iToy company.

Yeah, kind of scary. Bob Mansfield knew what was up on all courts.

isoMorpheus · Jun 28, 2012, 05:26 PM

Really, any SVP at Apple can retire right now with enough money for the rest of their lives. So Mansfield quits.

Drew n macs · Jun 28, 2012, 05:26 PM

Apple will miss him but he has every right to enjoy retirement.

dsass600 · Jun 28, 2012, 05:27 PM

Solid dude. But couldn't handle the android!

aPple nErd · Jun 28, 2012, 05:28 PM

there goes apples design success for the last part of apples life...

Cheffy Dave · Jun 28, 2012, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zimmer62943

just following the trend, RIP Bob

Grow up!

chrmjenkins · Jun 28, 2012, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peace

Good luck Bob.

"the role will be transitioned to Dan Riccio, Apple's vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, over several months"

This has me wondering if Apple truly is becoming an iToy company.

He was just the next most qualified, most likely. The fact that he was the head of engineering for a media consumption device does not mean that's the only thing he comprehends or will be competent at. It also seems likely to me that the head of iphone engineering probably stayed in place to have laser focus on the end of the next iphone's design cycle and the next iphone going forward given the competition in that market segment is much stiffer for apple.

Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM	#2
GBrooks macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: London, UK	He's done a great job. Deserves a rest!
	42

Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM	#3
nuckinfutz macrumors 603 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Middle Earth	Oh man. Mansfeld seemed like a solid guy but hell if I had millions in stock options I too would get on with my life. Godspeed Mansfeld!
	37

Jun 28, 2012, 05:17 PM	#4
LimeiBook86 macrumors 604 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hanging around in NJ with his cutie. :)	Well he has certainty deserved it! Thanks and best of luck Bob! But I'll miss seeing his face in the videos Apple releases. __________________ My 'How to Draw Fun Animals' iBook is now on iTunes "Just you try and stop me..." My Site Thrift Fails Tech Blog
	34

Jun 28, 2012, 05:19 PM	#5
jav6454 macrumors G5 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: 1 Geostationary Tower Plaza	How old is he? He looks very young. Goes to say he will have a nice retirement.... __________________ Al MacBook 2.4GHz Late '08 \| Macross Click Me
	21

Jun 28, 2012, 05:19 PM	#6
vivithemage macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Minneapolis	This dude is probably loaded! __________________ www.madgenius.com Reliable, and very affordable web hosting, VPS, and Dedicated solutions.
	7

Jun 28, 2012, 05:20 PM	#7
chrmjenkins macrumors 601 Join Date: Oct 2007	Maybe he'll come back with a slimmer redesign from Ive. __________________ Twitter: @anexanhume
	33

Jun 28, 2012, 05:20 PM	#8
dpruitt macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2010	Now what? Have fun, Bob. Now you can sit around wiping your a$$ with $100 bills, and enjoy your grandkids.
	-19

Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM	#9
Zimmer62943 macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2008	just following the trend, RIP Bob __________________ 24" iMac, 2.16GHz C2D, 2.5GB RAM, 250GB HD + 3TB (ext) 17" MacBook Pro, 2.66GHz i7, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD 16GB iPhone 3GS White Apple TV 2, iPad 2 White 64gb WiFi
	-76

Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM	#10
Eduardo1971 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lost Angeles, Ca. usa	I too will miss his presence during keynotes. Mr. Mansfield has his quirky charm that I enjoyed. All the very best. __________________ Mid-2011 27 inch, 3.4 Ghz, 12GB RAM, i7 iMac Fight On!
	18

Jun 28, 2012, 05:21 PM	#11
macnerd93 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: United kingdom	its understandable, but if I had his job (me personally & no one else) I think I'd work literally until the day I died. He's done Apple well these past few years and deserves his break. __________________ 21.5'' iMac, Power Mac G5 Dual, Apple Studio Display, MacBook Pro, MacBook, Mac minis x2, eMac, Power Mac G4 Graphite, Power Mac G4 QS, iPod 4th Gen Click Wheel, iPad 2, iPhone 4S,
	4

Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM	#12
TSE macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: St. Paul, Minnesota	He was a huge part of Apple's success, no doubt. Good luck to him. __________________ MacBook Pro, 2.2ghz Quad-Core i7 Processor, 15" 1680x1050 Anti-Glare LCD, 8gbs of RAM, 750gb, 5400rpm HD, AMD Radeon 6750M HD, Mac OS X + Windows 7 Ultimate
	10

Jun 28, 2012, 05:22 PM	#14
troop231 macrumors 601 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: At the gym	I'm sure going to miss him in those new iPhone and iPad promotional videos. __________________ My iOS apps: MyTradeshow , Outdoor Rules & Regulations iPhone 5 MBP 15" 2.3 i7 HR-AG
	13

Jun 28, 2012, 05:23 PM	#16
Gregintosh macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chicago	The dream in business is to get rich so you can enjoy life. This is what he seems to be doing, so good for him! Granted, designing products may be fun for a while, but everyone burns out doing the same thing day in and day out. And if you spend all your life in the office, you won't get to enjoy any of the benefits of making all that money. And you really have to make some good memories and have great experiences to truly live life. No one on their deathbed has ever said "gee, I wish I spent more time at the office." __________________ Macbook Pro Retina, 32GB iPad 3 with Verizon LTE, 32GB iPhone 5
	12

Jun 28, 2012, 05:24 PM	#17
Peace macrumors P6 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Space--The ONLY Frontier	Good luck Bob. "the role will be transitioned to Dan Riccio, Apple's vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering, over several months" This has me wondering if Apple truly is becoming an iToy company.
	-10

Jun 28, 2012, 05:25 PM	#18
east85 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2010	The conclusion: If you don't like iOS inclusion in OS X, prepare to accept it or move on. I think we're going to start seeing some of it on the hardware level as well, maybe the inclusion of touch based hardware anyone? __________________ 13.3" MacBook Aluminum \| 2.4GHz \| 8GB RAM \| 160GB SSD \| OS X 10.8.2 iPhone 4 \| 8GB \| Factory Unlock \| iOS 6 My Twitter
	-8

Jun 28, 2012, 05:26 PM	#20
isoMorpheus Guest Join Date: Jul 2007	Really, any SVP at Apple can retire right now with enough money for the rest of their lives. So Mansfield quits.
	1

Jun 28, 2012, 05:26 PM	#21
Drew n macs macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2010	Apple will miss him but he has every right to enjoy retirement.
	4

Jun 28, 2012, 05:27 PM	#22
dsass600 macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2011	Solid dude. But couldn't handle the android!
	-34

Jun 28, 2012, 05:28 PM	#23
aPple nErd macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2012	there goes apples design success for the last part of apples life...
	-30

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