Apple’s brain drain hinders efforts to pick its next Jony Ive

Turnover at Apple Inc. has hindered efforts to replace the head of product design, leaving a gaping hole at the helm of a prominent team that’s been key to the iPhone maker’s prolonged success.

Legendary design leader Jony Ive departed Apple in 2019, and his replacement for hardware design lasted just about three years. Now the department — still in Ive’s shadow — needs a new leader at a time when there are few obvious choices. And the fate of Apple’s hardware devices, which accounted for more than three-quarters of its nearly $400 billion in revenue last year, hangs in the balance.