Matt Drance nails it:
There’s a long-standing pattern of separating watershed products important to the company’s future. The Mac and Apple teams. Mac OS X and Classic. The iPod division. iOS and Mac OS X. Suddenly, Tim Cook has pulled the reins in. Federighi owns software. Ive owns design. Cue owns services. Period.
Apple’s insane growth has pushed the situation over the edge. Too much size and separation inevitably bring politics, chaos, dropped balls, and finger pointing. None of those things are good for Apple’s products or customers.
Best summary of the significance of the change I’ve heard to date. This should end up being a net positive for Apple (despite the loss of Forstall’s talent, which was apparently becoming increasingly overshadowed by his interpersonal style). And, to overuse a cliché, this is now Tim Cook’s Apple.