I can't speak to Browett since my knowledge of him is very limited, but he apparently wasn't a good fit. Hope everything goes well for him in whatever he does next. Apple is a big job to lose.
As for Mr. Ive, this is a very interesting turn of events. I'm a bit worried about his UI design abilities. He has no experience here and I can tell you first hand that good design is not simply transferable. I'm a good UI designer, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about industrial design. I do wish him all the luck in the world though. The man is an immense talent and I know Apple has some brilliant UI guys ready to make Jony and Tim proud. Johnny's obsessiveness will serve him well.
I hope in all of this that Apple is busily recruiting the best Services guys that money can buy. They need to be able to stand toe to toe with Google at every battle. I've always thought of Google as a democracy (in that they don't have an opinion. They crowd source their decisions for what most people want). Microsoft is a beurocracy (in that their decisions are made by a committee trying to sell the greatest numbers possible). And Apple is a meritocracy (in that the experts are in charge and despite what the crowds say, you trust they are the smartest guys in the room and have better foresight, aesthetics, and answers so you let them make the big decisions). Apple's way has always been my favourite, so I'll raise a glass to the experts and wish them luck.
