Khaberni - An Apple designer who helped develop the company's new ultra-thin "iPhone Air" - and appeared in the phone's introduction video, represents the latest setback for the company's design team.
People familiar with the matter said that Abidor Choudhry, an industrial designer who recently left "Apple" to join an emerging artificial intelligence company, according to a report by Bloomberg.
His departure has caused a significant stir within the company, given his increasingly prominent name within the design team recently, according to sources.
"Apple" chose Choudhry to present the new iPhone Air at an event held in September, which included a video approximately two minutes long about the device's design process and features. Appearing in Apple device launch videos is a high-profile task: in another video in September, "Apple" introduced the iPhone 17 Pro, and the video's presenter was Molly Anderson, the new head of the design team at the company.
Choudhry spent more than six years at "Apple", joining the company in 2019 around the same time that the company's famous design head, Jony Ive, left the company, thus ending an era dating back to Steve Jobs.
In addition to being the voice that presented the marketing campaign for the slim phone, Choudhry played a pivotal role in developing the iPhone Air. His departure is not related to the phone's launch, which received acclaim for its design despite modest sales. A second generation of the device is planned to be launched in 2027.
Since Ive's departure several years ago, Apple's design team has undergone an almost complete overhaul. Most of the previous team members have retired or moved to other companies, including to Ive's company "LoveFrom". Currently, the team consists largely of new employees from various parts of the design sector and new members in the company.
The team, which is central to Apple's product development process alongside engineering and manufacturing, has seen other changes this year.
Jeff Williams, the Chief Operating Officer who oversaw the design team in recent years, left the company last week.
