MacRumors.com

Reuters reports that Apple has spun off iPod development into its own division within the company.

The move was made in response to an internal company-wide email from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The new division will be headed by Jon Rubenstein, current leader of hardware engineering efforts. The division also makes way for a "Macintosh" division to be headed by Timothy Cook, current head of Apple's worldwide sales and operations, according to Reuters.

Quoted from an Apple spokesperson:

This organizational refinement will focus our talent and resources even more precisely on our industry-leading Macintosh computers and the wildly successful iPod.

Since its introduction in October 2001, more than 3 million iPods have been sold.