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

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

icanhazapple Avatar
29 months ago
Here's to the brilliant ones! Thank you, Steve!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
29 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
29 months ago
Happy retirement!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
29 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
29 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
29 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)