Brian Lynch joins Oura as SVP of hardware engineering after leading Apple’s home devices since 2022.
Apple’s smart home push faces delays, with its AI-powered display reportedly held back due to upgrades to Siri.
Competition from Amazon and Google continues to challenge Apple’s position in the segment.
Apple is reportedly facing yet another leadership change and this time in its home devices division, as senior hardware executive Brian Lynch exits to join Oura Health Oy. This comes at the time when Apple’s smart home ambitions are already dealing with the delays and increased competition.
SurveyLynch who had been leading the hardware engineering for Apple’s home products since 2022, will now serve as the senior vice president of hardware engineering at Oura, according to CEO Tom Hale. If true, this is another high profile shift from Apple to a fast growing startup.
For the unversed, Oura, a popular wearable brand known for its smart ring lineup, has been building its leadership team over the past year. The company recently hired Ricky Bloomfield from Apple’s health team as chief medical officer, while its design head Miklu Silvanto also has roots in Apple’s design group.
For Apple, these exits add pressure on a segment that has been struggling to keep pace with rivals like Amazon and Google in the smart home space. The company has been working on a new generation of home devices, including AI powered smart display and other connected hardware, but development timelines have slipped.
The reports have suggested that Apple’s planned smart display has faced multiple delays, partly due to the ongoing upgrades to Siri, which is expected to play a central role in the ecosystem. The device is said to launch later this year, while more advanced concepts including the tabletop robot and smart home sensors may arrive next year.
Lynch had been closely involved in shaping the hardware for these upcoming products. His exit follows earlier departures within the same group, including program management executive DJ Novotney. But despite the setback, Apple is investing in the future facing devices for the AI era including the smart glasses, upgraded AirPods and new wearable concepts that rely on computer vision and deeper Siri integration.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
