Apple's senior vice president of iOS, Scott Forstall, will step down from his position in 2013, the company revealed in an announcement detailing changes within its management.

Forstall will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim period, while Apple senior vice president of Mac software, Craig Federighi, will now lead both iOS and OS X.

Forstall joined Apple in 1997. He is regarded as one of the leading architects behind the Mac OS X operating system, and was closely linked to the widely criticized Maps service.

Also departing the company is senior vice president of retail John Browett, while Apple's design guru Jony Ive will take over Apple's Human Interface as the company's leader of industrial design. In addition, senior vice president Bob Mansfield will lead the company's new Technologies Group; However, he will leave Apple in two years' time.