WSJ: Apple’s retired hardware chief Bob Mansfield to oversee development of Project Titan

Apple Car concept Aristomenis Tsirbas image 001

Following a report last week alleging that Apple’s rumored electric vehicle project was internally delayed after its lead Steve Zadesky left in January 2016 for personal reasons, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Apple’s enlisted help of its retired hardware chief Bob Mansfield, who will now oversee development of Project Titan.

“Apple now has Mr. Mansfield running the company’s secret autonomous, electric-vehicle initiative, code-named Project Titan,” reads the report. Neither Apple nor Mansfield would respond to WSJ’s email seeking comment.

From the report:

Until recently, Mr. Mansfield—who, along with design chief Jony Ive, was one of the few executives to appear in Apple’s carefully-crafted product announcement videos—had all but retreated from the company aside from the occasional visit, these people said. Earlier this month, employees at Apple noticed in the company directory that all the senior managers on the car project were now reporting to Mr. Mansfield, they said.

Mansfield is Apple’s former Senior Vice President of Technologies who helped develop Apple’s A-series professors and other chips and helped bring to market many of Apple’s signature products, including the iPad, the MacBook Air, the iMac and more.

iPhone 5 promo (Bob Mansfield 001)

Mansfield, who joined Apple in 1999 and was one of its top execs under Steve Jobs, has been an adviser at the company since leaving the executive team in 2013.

Source: The Wall Street Journal