Apple Executive Behind Breakthrough Hardware Technologies to Retire

The Apple executive responsible for the company's multitouch technology, health sensors, Touch ID, and Face ID is set to retire from the company, Bloomberg reports.

ipad air touch id feature
Steve Hotelling currently works as a vice president reporting to senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji. During his tenure, Hotelling significantly contributed to the development of some of Apple's most innovative and complex technologies used in the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro headset. Hotelling's name appears on hundreds of patents, including filings related to multitouch displays and ‌Touch ID‌.

Hotelling led the company's camera engineering team and was involved in the development of custom sensors. His work oversaw the development of the depth-sensing technologies crucial for augmented reality experiences and components fundamental to haptic feedback and ProMotion displays.

Hotelling has also been a prominent representative for Apple in numerous legal trials throughout his two decades with the company. He was a key figure in a patent case against Samsung in the last decade and recently served as a crucial witness in a trial involving Masimo, which sued Apple over patents related to health sensors.

Despite the significance of his departure, Apple has not yet shared an official statement regarding Hotelling's retirement. His responsibilities are apparently being distributed among several of Srouji's direct reports, with Alan Gilchrist taking over the management of the camera and depth sensor teams, and Wei Chen taking over display technologies. Apple's hardware technologies group continues work on a custom 5G cellular modem, new wireless chips, microLED displays, and a non-invasive blood sugar sensor.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...

Top Rated Comments

icanhazapple Avatar
16 months ago
Here's to the brilliant ones! Thank you, Steve!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
16 months ago
Wow, I didn't know about this guy. Now I know I should've. I know all about Tony Fadell and how unrecognized he was for his work on the iPod and iPhone, but not this guy. Legend. Hopefully he has an enjoyable retirement.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
16 months ago
Happy retirement!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
16 months ago

Wonder why: age, health, family, or management?
Because he doesn’t want to work anymore? It happens.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
evertjr Avatar
16 months ago
It's amazing how many incredible people work at Apple and deliver wonderful things to the world. This man surely deserve a happy retirement and spend time with other things.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
16 months ago
That man deserves a retirement. I hope he's beyond wealthy after everything he's contributed to making Apple a multi trillion dollar company.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)