Former Retail Store Manager Steve Cano to Succeed Ron Johnson as Apple Retail Chief? [Updated]

Yesterday, we noted that Apple senior vice president for retail Ron Johnson had been removed from Apple's list of senior executives, in line with his previously-announced departure to become CEO of department store chain J.C. Penney. The transition occurred with no announcement from Apple regarding Johnson's successor.

cano johnson osaka
Steve Cano (left) and Ron Johnson (right) at 2004 grand opening of Shinsaibashi store in Osaka, Japan (Source: ifoAppleStore)

Cult of Mac now reports that Steve Cano has been elevated to the position of senior vice president for retail, heading up the successful division as part of the executive leadership team.

Apple’s new retail boss boss isn’t just some suit, though. He’s one of the first retail employees Apple ever hired, a California surfer dude who has climbed from the sales floor to the very top rung of Apple management.

It’s a real rags-to-riches story that should be inspiration to every stressed out Apple Store sales associate or overworked Genius: your work can be noticed, and you too can go to the very top.

According to our source, Apple is replacing Johnson with his long-time lieutenant, Steve Cano.

According to the report, Cano began his career at Apple ten years ago as manager of the Palo Alto retail store, later moving to open the SoHo store in New York City. Consistent with previous reports of Apple looking for a candidate with international retail experience, Cano has spent the last seven years working on Apple's international retail efforts, first in Japan as manager of the Ginza store in Tokyo and then as regional director there. Cano then moved to London, where he has been serving as senior director of international retail for the last several years.

Update: Apple has issued a brief statement to Cult of Mac indicating that the search for Johnson's successor is still continuing.

Apple has gotten back to us a statement, reading: “The search for a replacement for Ron Johnson continues, and Apple has nothing to announce about this subject at this time.”

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple. The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro ...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Accidentally Leaked the Next MacBook Air

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:33 am PST by
Apple earlier this month released macOS 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models coming next year. Apple accidentally released macOS 15.2 restore files for unreleased "‌MacBook Air‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "‌MacBook Air‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)" models. While it no surprise that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were going to be updated with the M4 ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
AirTag and Lavender iPhone

AirTag 2 Launching Next Year With These New Features

Tuesday December 24, 2024 8:35 am PST by
Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 next year, and a few new features and changes have already been rumored for the item tracker. Below, we recap what to expect from the AirTag 2: The new AirTag is expected to be equipped with Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for longer range. The chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone Sizes Change Next Year: What to Know

Monday December 23, 2024 7:40 am PST by
This year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and next year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhone

Saturday December 21, 2024 4:45 pm PST by
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.2.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website's analytic logs this week. The logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released. iOS 18.2.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved. The update...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

22 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 23, 2024 6:30 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 pro design cameras

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored to Be More Like DSLR Camera With This Upgrade

Monday December 23, 2024 6:24 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly two years away from launching, a new feature has already been rumored for the devices. In a blog post today, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the main rear camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. The main camera refers to the 48-megapixel...

Top Rated Comments

anotonin Avatar
172 months ago
Why are all Apple employees deeply unattractive people when their products are so beautiful?

Strange.

Aw, come on. Beauty is subjective.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benmrii Avatar
172 months ago
I had the pleasure of working with Steve Cano at SoHo and can say that he is a great person and tremendous manager. The best part is what this quote makes me think of:
It's a real rags-to-riches story that should be inspiration to every stressed out Apple Store sales associate or overworked Genius: your work can be noticed, and you too can go to the very top.
Not only is that true for him, he makes it true for everyone on his team. He always encouraged and recognized hard work and strong employees, and he did so in two ways that have become rare in the workplace: example and trust. His example through commitment and hard work made it clear that he would never expect anyone to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself. And the trust he put in his employees was nothing short of inspirational.

If you will permit me the indulgence of one memory: to this day I remember a customer service issue at the Bar that escalated to the point of Steve joining the conversation. Contrary to what many managers would do in that situation to placate a customer, he did not belittle me or dismiss my recommendations, but instead explained to the customer that, as General Manager, he had put his trust in me for such situations, and that he was going to support my recommendation. That is not the easy way out that most would take. That is the kind of example and message that motivates an employee to excellence.

Trust me: this is a man anyone would be fortunate to work for. And if this little snippet has done anything, I hope it is a worthwhile thank you and congratulations to Steve. Well deserved!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
the8thark Avatar
172 months ago
I think the article is mis-leading or confusing it's facts. They tout him as an example of how you can rise to the top from a sales associate, then state that he STARTED as a manager of a store.

Not the same thing, and getting from "unnoticed sales monkey" to "manager" is quite a fight in the jungle, IMHO.

This is very true.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AgingGeek Avatar
172 months ago
I think the article is mis-leading or confusing it's facts. They tout him as an example of how you can rise to the top from a sales associate, then state that he STARTED as a manager of a store.

Not the same thing, and getting from "unnoticed sales monkey" to "manager" is quite a fight in the jungle, IMHO.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmcalpin Avatar
172 months ago
Except the StarTAC was black or charcoal, not silver.

It came in silver, too: http://www.retrofones.com/silver-130-p-58.html
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iekozz Avatar
172 months ago
What kind of phone is Ron using in the picture?
The picture is from 2004, three years before the public introduction of the iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)