iphone5s5cApple's head of North American sales, Zane Rowe, will be leaving the company, reports The Wall Street Journal. Rowe, who initially joined the company two years ago from United Continental Holdings, will be replaced by Doug Beck.

Beck already oversees sales in both Japan and Korea, and following Rowe's departure, he will take over North American sales.

Doug Beck has done a great job helping to grow Apple's business in Japan and Korea. His role is expanding to include North America sales as well," said Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet.

During Apple's January earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted sales in North America were down somewhat year over year, largely due to supply/demand balance issues with the iPhone 5s. Sales in Japan, however, which were managed by Beck, Rowe's replacement, were up some 40 percent.

No reason has been given for Rowe's departure, but he joins Apple's VP of Public Relations Katie Cotton in leaving the company. Cotton's retirement was announced earlier today, following more than 18 years at the company.

The departure of both Cotton and Rowe comes just as Apple has hired a new chief of online and retail, Angela Ahrendts, who officially joined the company last week.

Top Rated Comments

thelookingglass Avatar
150 months ago
Guys, don't be so pessimistic. Cotton is retiring after 18 years of loyal service, and Rowe is a recent hire from the post-SJ era, and we, at this point, don't know if he's leaving, or being gently nudged out the door, due to disappointing performance. The sky is not falling, yet.

Ah, I see reason still exists on Macrumors. Of course, this thread will soon be overrun by armchair pundits who think they know exactly what's going on inside Apple.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macs4nw Avatar
150 months ago
Guys, don't be so pessimistic. Cotton is retiring after 18 years of loyal service, and Rowe is a recent hire from the post-SJ era, and we, at this point, don't know if he's leaving, or being gently nudged out the door, due to disappointing performance. The sky is not falling, yet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mejsric Avatar
150 months ago
Blame the iPhone 5C, "C" for Cleanup or Canned. Good job Apple.

Blame 5c who out sell every android, windows, blackberry flagship phones.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
150 months ago
When you're in a key position and the company you're leaving says nice things about your replacement but doesn't mention you, that's a fairly strong indication that you're being shown the door.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xionxiox Avatar
150 months ago
And they leave one by one.

So you'll work at your job until you die?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
parapup Avatar
150 months ago
You seem to be be confused about the difference between January and April:



https://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/23/q2-2014-apple-earnings/

But then again, making mountains out of molehills based on old, barely negative news and completely ignoring current positive information is what we do at MR these days, right?
Oh I forgot we cherry pick the favorable data (to Apple of course, needless to say) here at Macrumors. YoY sales up - that's the important metric, oh wait YoY sales are DOWN - then how about ... say ... Jan to April sales - see it's all up!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
apple intelligence erroneous support list

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows. Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs. The U.S. version...