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The team responsible for audio at Apple will soon undergo leadership changes due to the departure of longtime acoustics vice president Gary Geaves, reports Bloomberg. Geaves is stepping down from his role, though he will be replaced with "top deputy" Ruchir Davé.

airpods-january.jpg

Apple's acoustics group has approximately 300 members that have developed audio technology for the AirPods, HomePods, and other Apple devices. The team was responsible for creating spatial audio, the 3D sound feature that has been built into AirPods, the Vision Pro, and other devices.

AirPods product designer Tang Tan was overseeing the acoustic team under John Ternus, but he started preparing to leave Apple back in December. Since then, the acoustics team has been reporting to Matt Costello, who oversees the HomePod and Beats headphones.

Geaves joined Apple in 2011 from Bowers & Wilkins, and Bloomberg says he will be staying on at Apple as an advisor to Costello as he prepares to retire. Over the course of the last two years, Geaves has been working on an overhaul to the AirPods lineup, and the first updates are expected this year.

Rumors suggest we will see AirPods 4 and new AirPods Max this year, with revamped AirPods Pro to follow in 2025.

Article Link: Apple Acoustics VP Leaves Role, AirPods and HomePod Audio Team Gets New Leadership
 

KENESS

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2003
212
639
I suspect the timing is because the revised AirPod lineup is finished. (Internally, at least, they're likely about done.) He probably decided wrapping up the revamp would be his last big to-do before retiring, and now that that is done, he's ready to call it a day at Apple.

The older I get, the more respect I have for people retiring. They've put in a good long life into their career, it's time to just do whatever the eff they want.

Edit: grammar
 

citysnaps

macrumors G5
Oct 10, 2011
12,117
26,199
I suspect the timing is because the revised AirPod lineup is finished. (Internally, at least, they're likely about done.) He probably decided wrapping up the revamp would be his last big to-do before retiring, and now that that is done, he's ready to call it a day at Apple.

The older I get, the more respect I have for people retiring. They've put in a good long life into their career, it's time to just do whatever the eff they want.

Edit: grammar

Spot-on. It's a shame more people aren't able to recognize with some gratitude those retiring from Apple after having a great influence and impact with the devices they've brought to market over their careers.
 

Realityck

macrumors G4
Nov 9, 2015
10,747
16,174
Silicon Valley, CA
Apple's acoustics group has approximately 300 members that have developed audio technology for the AirPods, HomePods, and other Apple devices. The team was responsible for creating spatial audio, the 3D sound feature that has been built into AirPods, the Vision Pro, and other devices.
Isn't Apple's Spatial Audio just adapted from Dolby's Atmos technology? So how are they responsible for creating Spatial Audio?

What devices support Dolby Atmos?

There are many ways to experience the spatial soundscape of Dolby Atmos. Many TV sets are enabled with Dolby Atmos and can deliver the experience right out of the box. You can also use a TV soundbar enabled with Dolby Atmos and listen as it places and moves sounds around the room. It’s simple to set up too, just read up on how with our guide. You can also watch your favorite series on a phone, tablet, or computer enabled with Dolby Atmos, using the device’s speakers or, in many cases, headphones. And, if you’re really into movies, there are full, multi-speaker configurations that will bring you as close to a full cinema experience as possible. Dolby Atmos gives you the choice of how you want to experience crisp, clean sound you can hear from every angle.


Services such as Amazon Music and Apple Music are pushing Dolby Atmos encoded music hard right now as the next big thing. And the good news is, if you’re a subscriber already, Dolby Atmos music has already been magically added at zero extra cost.
Apple calls what they deliver via Apple Music ‘Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio’, then shortens it to Spatial Audio (while using the Dolby logo as an indicator that a track is encoded with the format on board).
The exact combination of Dolby and Apple tech being used is typically hidden behind Apple’s quest for simplicity, but suffice it to say that Atmos is doing the clever stuff and Spatial Audio adds Apple’s unique, only-on-certain-AirPods Head Tracking trickery.
 
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poematik13

macrumors 65816
Jun 5, 2014
1,286
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Lot of turnover lately. Hopefully for the better.

Veterans are cashing out and retiring. Stock is at all time high, there's no competition, they've already beat and conquered almost every applicable market. Nothing left to do or innovate for. Might as well sell the top and go home.

The last 2 things they can try iphone-ing is cars (tesla already did it kinda) and healthcare. Maybe AI with a siri reboot. After that, it's gonna be a slow decline into boring b2b stuff the way IBM slowly died
 

Villarrealadrian

macrumors 6502
Aug 13, 2016
436
1,267
Yes well you guys never replaced my airpods pro with crackling sound!! I hate the airpods pro! Never buying them again! Would never recommend! They are garbage not even 20 battery cycles and they don't work!
 

Fuzzball84

macrumors 68020
Apr 19, 2015
2,462
5,706
Yes well you guys never replaced my airpods pro with crackling sound!! I hate the airpods pro! Never buying them again! Would never recommend! They are garbage not even 20 battery cycles and they don't work!
Did you get Apple Care? they should be able to sort that out for you as you must have a dodgy device for sure?
 

vegetassj4

macrumors 68000
Oct 16, 2014
1,779
9,809
So that's where the Adaptive Audio on the Airpods Max went. They Adapted the entire Audio leadership team.
 

t0rqx

macrumors 68000
Nov 27, 2021
1,666
3,968
No upgrades innovation Audio Products VP leaves. Macbook produced with damages VP Design leaves.
 
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