Phil Schiller Named to DNA Sequencing Company Illumina's Board of Directors

phil_schillerDNA sequencing and array-based technologies company Illumina today announced that Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller has joined its board of directors.

“Phil’s track record and global experience in bringing world-class products to market will help guide us as we continue to develop innovative new solutions for our customers,” said Francis deSouza, Illumina President and Chief Executive Officer. “His vision, integrity and passion are fully aligned with Illumina’s core values.”

Schiller has been part of Apple's senior executive team since the late Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. He has helped market several products, including the Mac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, Apple TV, and the Apple Watch, and he has managed the App Store across all Apple platforms since last December.

Illumina, founded in 1998, is a San Diego-based biotech company focused on genetic research solutions to fuel advancements in life science research, translational and consumer genomics, and molecular diagnostics. It ranked third on MIT Technology Review's list of the top 50 smartest companies in the world in 2016.

Schiller holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Boston College, where he graduated from in 1982.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Another Vehicle Brand Gaining iPhone Car Keys Support

Tuesday October 28, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to Jetour vehicles, according to evidence uncovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done by holding an Apple Watch or...

Top Rated Comments

GenesisST Avatar
121 months ago
Trying to clone Steve Jobs? "The boys from Cupertino"
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
121 months ago
It's confirmed. The iPhone 9 home button will sample your DNA to unlock.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
121 months ago
I like Phil, he has done well at apple. Having said that, the picture is from several years ago - he looks a little more weathered today. Also, if you look around Tim has mostly kept the old guard, but brought in a few Women to add diversity. Mostly the old guard is getting...well...old. Hopefully they have good replacements ready to go. I have not been impressed with Angela and that was the biggest new hire by Tim.

Apple needs to start thinking about (if they arent yet) succession plans for all these top execs. They should put the Eddy Cue one into action right away.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sunny1990 Avatar
121 months ago
Insert token, "Can't innovate any more my..." comment. ;)
Perfect example = upcoming iPhone 7:confused:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimrod Avatar
121 months ago
If I had a dollar for every iPhone 7 critic, based only in Chinese fakes.
If I had a dollar for every Apple fan in denial of the fact that those "Chinese fakes" are going to be exactly the same design as we see on the iPhone 7... As it was with the 6S, the 6, the 5...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimrod Avatar
121 months ago
I can't bet that money, but I'm willing to bet, where can we actually bet?
No idea, great idea for a website though "I bet you" where people can bet against each other, who gets the deciding win would have to be arbitrated somehow though... Hmm.

How about a sig bet - "I was a fool for doubting the wisdom of Jimrod/Zirel". ;)

Conditions for a Jimrod win = iPhone "7" (the one being released in September '16) Has:

1. Same basic size, shape, form factor as the 6/6S - perhaps slightly thinner.

2. Rear antenna bands removed and top/bottom ones remaining.

3. Larger camera lens shifted to parallel corner radius.

4. Slightly larger battery (1900-2000mAh or so)

5. Removal of 3.5mm jack socket, replaced by "speaker" holes (no confirmation of what is behind yet).


Conditions for a Zirel win =

Anything very different from stated above.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)