Apple gives Jony Ive day-to-day leadership of design department

Jony Ive will once again lead the teams responsible for the design of the company’s hardware and software on a daily basis. The changes were prompted by the completion of Apple’s new headquarters.

Currently, the hardware and software design arm is led by Alan Dye and Richard Howarth respectively, while Ive designed the new headquarters, in operation since April and located in Cupertino, California. Now that Ive no longer has to deal with headquarters, he will return as head of design departments for hardware and software, Apple said in a statement to Bloomberg news agency. Thus, Ive replaces Dye and Howarth; it is unclear what position they will hold in the future.

Ive was the head of both design departments at Apple until 2015, and is responsible for much of the hardware and software designs that come out of Apple’s stable. For example, he was involved in designing the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Ive started his career at Apple in 1996 after being asked to provide a design for a laptop. He now bears the title of Chief Design Officer. Last year, rumors surfaced that Ive would no longer be much involved in the design of Apple products and that he would be slowly withdrawing from the company. So that now seems to be about to change.