Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads

Apple on Wednesday said that Bertrand Serlet, the father of the Mac OS X, will leave the company after 22 years. The departure is symbolic in many ways as the future of Apple increasingly becomes about the iOS that powers the iPhone and iPad.

According to a statement, Serlet will be replaced by Craig Federighi, vice president of Mac Software Engineering. Federighi will report to CEO Steve Jobs like Serlet did.

Serlet said:

I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science. Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless.

On the surface, Serlet's departure looks like a changing of the guard. Of course, Serlet wants to do think tank-ish things. But at a time when the Mac OS X plays second fiddle to the iOS, the Serlet departure does make you wonder.

Federighi worked at NeXT and wound up at Apple. Simply put, the Mac OS X will be fine. It's just that the Mac OS X won't play the prominent role it once did at Apple.