Key iPhone Air Designer Abruptly Joins Startup... Why the Sudden Move?

Abidur Chowdhury’s Departure Sends Ripples Within Apple

A key designer at Apple who participated in the development of the company's ultra-slim smartphone, the iPhone Air, has left the company to join an artificial intelligence (AI) startup.

According to Yonhap News on November 18, citing Bloomberg, Apple’s industrial designer Abidur Chowdhury recently resigned. Chowdhury’s departure is reportedly causing a stir within the company, as he had been a prominent member of Apple’s design team.

iPhone Air. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Previously, at the new product launch event held in September, he provided commentary in a two-minute video introducing the iPhone Air. Chowdhury joined Apple in 2019, which coincided with the departure of legendary designer Jony Ive, who had led Apple’s design since the era of Steve Jobs.

Since then, Chowdhury is known to have played a central role in the development of the iPhone Air. While the design of the iPhone Air received positive reviews, its sales have reportedly been sluggish.

The iPhone Air was unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 17 series. Despite highlighting its record-thin 5.6mm profile-the thinnest ever for an iPhone-the device faced poor sales within just over two months of its release, leading Apple to significantly reduce production volumes. At the time, international media reported that Apple had cut iPhone Air component orders to levels consistent with discontinuing production.

However, Bloomberg reported that there is no connection between the low sales of the iPhone Air and Chowdhury’s resignation. Previously, Bloomberg also reported that the successor to the iPhone Air is scheduled for release in 2027.

Apple’s design organization underwent a major restructuring after Jony Ive left the company in 2019.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.