Mark Gurman (tweet, John Gruber, Mastodon, 9To5Mac):

The Schiller exit is a bit more notable. Unlike Maestri, he still had a real job: The veteran executive ran the App Store and Apple Events. The App Store portion alone is no joke. It generates an estimated $30 billion a year and can be very challenging to manage. Apple’s app marketplace is loved by many consumers, but often criticized by developers and subjected to increasingly onerous regulations. It was a busy, all-encompassing gig and nowhere near a semiretirement.

[…]

But there’s a bit more to the story, I’m told. Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue want to make even more money from the App Store and figure out ways to raise margins and squeeze additional recurring revenue from the platform. Schiller, on the other hand, seems to believe that such moves will only further irk developers and governments. While there was no internal blowup or anything like that, it’s something he wanted no part of.

“Product guy” dreams about margins, forgets that people buy Apple hardware because of the software.

Tim Hardwick:

Apple admitted during its July earnings call that regulatory changes have started to weigh on its Services growth. Apple reported services revenue of $30.7 billion for the June quarter, a record for the period but short of the $31.4 billion that analysts expected.

Patrick Smith:

The hardware guys treating third-party developers like they do their suppliers has stifled Apple’s software platforms

M.G. Siegler:

I thought that perhaps with the move to John Ternus as CEO, it could also be an obvious time to revisit such policies. But I hadn’t considered that Apple could actually be in favor of making them more onerous.

See also: Mario Guzmán and Indie Simulator.

Previously:

• John Ternus Is CEO
• App Store Moves From Phil Schiller to Eddy Cue
• Apple Proposes 15% External Purchase Fee
• Apple’s Q3 2026 Results
• Apple Financial Statements: Products vs. Services
• Apple Services Price Hikes 2026
• Apple Hardware Price Hikes
• John Ternus Replaces Tim Cook
• MacBook Neo
• Testimony on External Purchase Fee and Scare Screens
• Tim Cook’s App Store Testimony

Juli Clover:

As Apple Fellow, Schiller continued to oversee the App Store and Apple events, but the role may not have left him with sufficient time for his own endeavors. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal said Schiller was working close to 80 hours a week.

[…]

Schiller is stepping down from overseeing the App Store and Apple product launches just as John Ternus is set to take over as Apple CEO.

[…]

Apple is moving the App Store to Eddy Cue, who oversaw it until 2015. Cue is Apple’s services chief and will reportedly be taking a more influential role under Ternus’ leadership. Carson Oliver, who has long been on the App Store team, will oversee its day-to-day operations.

Mr. Macintosh:

Phil Schiller was right there with Steve Jobs and Tim Cook at the start of Apple’s comeback in 1997-1998.

He is officially stepping back to only his Apple Fellow role.

Phil has a combined 35 years of service to Apple 1987 - 1993 & 1997 - today

Previously:

• Apple Vision Pro and Software Layoffs
• John Ternus Replaces Tim Cook
• Phil Schiller Steps Down From SVP

Apple’s Phil Schiller, one of the company’s most visible executives spanning the Steve Jobs and Tim Cook eras, has stepped down from running the App Store and Apple’s product events, according to Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman.

The 66-year-old, who left the senior vice president of marketing role in 2020 and became an Apple Fellow, made the change in recent days, people familiar with the matter told Gurman. Schiller will remain at Apple as a Fellow and work on unspecified initiatives. Company employees view the move as a significant step toward an eventual retirement.

Schiller first joined Apple in 1987, left in 1993, and returned in 1997 when Jobs came back. He was a central figure in launches of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and later oversaw App Store policy through years of regulatory pressure, including Europe’s Digital Markets Act. In 2020, Apple said he would keep leading the App Store and events after handing marketing to Greg Joswiak. As recently as 2024, he was still reported to be working nearly 80 hours a week.

Responsibility for the App Store is moving to the services organization led by Eddy Cue, who previously oversaw the store until 2015. Day-to-day operations, including app distribution, third-party marketplaces, and Apple Arcade, will be handled by Carson Oliver. Ann Thai, who has worked on distribution tools and alternative marketplaces, will report to Oliver. Leadership of product events is going to Nola Weinstein, Schiller’s deputy since 2023, who will report to communications vice president Kristin Huguet Quayle.

The shift comes on Tim Cook’s last day as CEO and as John Ternus prepares to take over, with Cook becoming executive chairman. The App Store remains a major services business, widely estimated to generate more than $30 billion a year. Weinstein’s team is preparing for Apple’s September 9th event, expected to include a foldable iPhone and updated Apple Watch models.

MacDailyNews Take: The only constant is change,

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