Apple’s hardware design director quit her job

Hardware Design Director Evans Hankey resigns. She replaced Jony Quince three years ago.

Jony Quince’s main replacement at Apple is leaving the company. The Cupertino-based company has confirmed to Bloomberg that hardware design director Evans Hankey is stepping down after three years at Apple. No replacement has been announced at the time of this writing, but Evans Hankey will remain in his position for six months to secure the transition. Alan Dye, who led software development after the departure of Jony Ive in 2019, retains his position.

Hardware Design Director Evans Hankey resigns

This change is not entirely negative. According to Bloomberg sources, Gary Butcher, one of Alan Dai’s former design chiefs and currently Airbnb’s vice president of design, is returning to Apple. At present, no one knows what duties he will take on when he returns.

In a statement sent to Bloomberg, Apple explains that its dedicated design division includes “important executives with years of experience”and that they create products that “undoubtedly”represent the company. However, there is no explanation as to why Evans Hankey left.

She replaced Jony Quince three years ago.

With the appointment of Evans Hankey, there were high expectations for the position. We owe Jony Quince many of the products in the Apple catalog, including the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. While we don’t exactly know Evans Hankey’s contribution (Jony Ive only finally left the company in July), she oversaw many of the works appreciated by the general public as well as various evolutions during her contract. Apple has ditched the much-maligned butterfly keyboard for more practical models and made some major design changes, as is the case with the iMac M1. At the same time, precaution has been the key word on several occasions – as is the case with the Apple Watch, which, with the exception of the Ultra model, has remained largely unchanged since 2018.

In any case, this may not predict any concerns for Apple, but the change highlights a potential design evolution, especially in certain product categories. The Cupertino-based company is hard at work on a mixed reality headset, augmented reality glasses, and even an electric car. While Evans Hankey’s influence may not have led to a major transformation, it is possible that his successor will. To be continued!