Jeff Williams will be stepping down as Apple's chief operating officer and transitioning his role to Sabih Khan, senior vice president of Operations, in a long-planned succession.
Williams will continue to oversee Apple's design team, Apple Watch, and the company's Health initiatives until late in the year when he retires.
After Williams leaves, Apple's design team will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, with no immediate successor announced for the leadership of Apple Watch and Health initiatives.
Speculation suggests that various responsibilities, such as watchOS and health software, may be distributed among different executives within Apple, with ongoing discussions about finding a replacement for the design leadership role.