Apple's Hardware Engineering Group Faces Restructuring as iPhone Product Design VP Departs

Apple vice president of iPhone and Apple Watch product design Tang Tan is departing the company in a move that will lead to changes in the hardware engineering group, reports Bloomberg. Tan, who reports to Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus, is set to leave Apple in February.

iPhone 15 General Feature Green
Tan's exit from the company will see several employees that work under Ternus and Tan receiving expanded roles. Head of ‌iPhone‌ product design Richard Dinh will take over ‌iPhone‌ development for Tan and will report directly to Ternus, while Mac hardware engineering vice president Kate Bergeron will handle Apple Watch design.

Tan also oversaw accessory design and the acoustics team that develops the AirPods, with those two groups being handed over to Matthew Costello, the former chief operating officer of Beats. Costello is in already in charge of Beats and the HomePod.

Apple employees that spoke to Bloomberg have called Tan's departure "a blow" because he is responsible for making critical decisions about the ‌iPhone‌, Apple Watch, and AirPods. His team has control over product features and design.

News of Tan's departure comes just a few days after Bloomberg reported that Steve Hotelling, an Apple hardware VP, is set to retire. Hotelling leads the camera engineering team and has worked on Face ID, Touch ID, haptic feedback, ProMotion, and other key Apple technologies.

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature

Apple Announces Special Event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4

Monday February 16, 2026 6:05 am PST by
Apple today announced a "special Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Apple invited select members of the media to the event in three major cities around the world. It is simply described as a "special Apple Experience," and there is no further information about what it may entail. The invitation features a 3D Apple logo design...
M3 iPad Air

Apple's Next Two Products Are Coming Soon

Thursday February 12, 2026 11:17 am PST by
Apple plans to release an iPhone 17e and an iPad Air with an M4 chip "in the coming weeks," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple retail employees say that inventory of the iPhone 16e has basically dried out and the iPad Air is seeing shortages as well," said Gurman. "I've been expecting new versions of both (iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air) in the coming weeks."...
Apple Sales Coach App

Apple Launching New 'Sales Coach' App

Friday February 13, 2026 2:01 pm PST by
Apple plans to launch a rebranded "Sales Coach" app on the iPhone and iPad later this month, according to a source familiar with the matter. "Sales Coach" will arrive as an update to Apple's existing "SEED" app, and it will continue to provide sales tips and training resources to Apple Store and Apple Authorized Reseller employees around the world. For example, there are articles and videos...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock

Five iPhone 18 Pro Features Revealed in New Report

Friday February 13, 2026 8:43 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still seven months away, an analyst has revealed five new features the devices will allegedly have. Rumored color options for the iPhone 18 Pro models In a research note with investment firm GF Securities on Thursday, analyst Jeff Pu outlined the following upgrades for the iPhone 18 Pro models: Smaller Dynamic Island: It has been rumored...
iOS 26 Home Feature

Three New Apple Home Products Rumored for 2026

Friday February 13, 2026 4:18 pm PST by
Apple has a long list of new products rumored for 2026, including a series of home products that will see the company establishing more of a presence in the smart home space. Robots are on the horizon for 2027, but the 2026 releases will be a little tamer. HomePod mini We're expecting a new HomePod mini 2 to launch at any time. Apple isn't going to update the device's design, but we could...

Top Rated Comments

jz0309 Avatar
29 months ago
employees come and go, at every level. Change can be a good thing ...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonywalker23 Avatar
29 months ago
I was a part-time specialist at a new store opening in 2010 making $9 an hour, hoping to be full-time, and left after a year… but still walk in there occasionally thinking "I miss this place…"

I can’t imagine what it feel like to be so high up and influential at a company and walk away from it.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiiDSmoker Avatar
29 months ago
This is what happens when Marketing runs the company.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Piggie Avatar
29 months ago
Pretty sure I'd be able to handle this role.
My ideas for next years iPhone are a slightly better camera, might throw on another button, and I'll tweak the internals so they are 3% faster in selected benchmarks, and it will be "The best iPhone we've ever made"

Have I got the job? ;)
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dwaltwhit Avatar
29 months ago
Maybe an infusion of new talent will be refreshing!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboi Scaphandre Avatar
29 months ago
This is our chance. Time to begin the subliminal messaging on the new hardware team to get the headphone jack back
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)