Jony Ive now has the role that Steve Jobs had at Apple, not Tim Cook, an Apple analyst says (AAPL)

Apple's Chief Design Officer Sir Jonathan Ive "now has the role that Steve Jobs had," Apple analyst Neil Cybart said in a discussion on Thursday with UBS analyst Steve Milunovich.Cybart is a former Wall Street analyst who now focuses solely on Apple, he founded the Apple-dedicated website Above Avalon.Instead of one person being in charge of everything, Apple's leadership structure is divided, Cybart said. And Jony Ivenot CEO Tim Cookis in the middle, focused on the big picture.According to a transcript of the discussion in a UBS note seen by Business Insider, Cybart said:"I think people grade Tim Cook incorrectly... When most people think of Apple, they draw a circle and put Tim cook in the center ... in place of Steve Jobs. I think that's completely wrong ... I think Jony Ive now has the role that Steve Jobs had. He can do what he wants when he wants ... My theory is that the Apple Watch [the first major Apple product since Jobs died] development took a toll on Johnny Ive. There was a lot of work there, and I just don't think that was sustainable. They have Jony Ive in the middle focused on the big picture ... [and he] now has the ability to spend time thinking about product, where Apple goes in terms of new industries."The idea that Ive is "the new Jobs" is nothing new. Cybart made the argument back in 2014 that Ive is the most powerful person at Apple, when he said "Jony is filling some of Steve Job's old role as master collaborator and thinker."But in November last year people who know the company well started to suggest that Ive has been taking more of a back-seat role, and may not even be deeply involved in product design anymore. Apple's iPhone SE launched without a product explanation from Ive, as most previous Apple products received, and he has been keeping a lower profile than he did before his promotion.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: People are boycotting Budweiser because of this immigration-themed Super Bowl ad
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