San Francisco, November 18: Abidur Chowdhury, an Apple designer who introduced the iPhone Air, has left the company for an AI startup. This year, Apple launched its much-anticipated iPhone 17 series, which included the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone Air instead of the iPhone 17 Plus. Abidur Chowdhury left Apple just as he was becoming a key designer. His departure reportedly caused several internal reactions.

When the iPhone 17 series was launched, Abidur Chowdhury gained significant attention for designing the iPhone Air, the slimmest smartphone Apple has ever created. His exit made waves inside Apple as he was becoming an influential figure within the company. Apple has lost several key people over the years, including Jony Ive, the legendary designer who left the tech giant a few years ago. X Down: Elon Musk’s Platform Showing Error While Accessing via Web and App Version; Several Users Affected.

Apple Designer Abidur Chowdhury Leaves Company for Artificial Intelligence Startup

Abidur Chowdhury joined Apple shortly after Ive’s departure in 2019. He was likely on track to fill Ive’s shoes by introducing unique products at the company. However, his sudden departure has left Apple’s design department in a similar position to when Jony Ive left. According to a report by Bloomberg, Abidur Chowdhury played a major role in the development of Apple’s thinnest model, the iPhone Air.

Reports state that Chowdhury managed everything from the core design of the device to the launch narrative. Some recent reports also mentioned that Apple was changing its strategy for next year’s smartphone launches. The iPhone 18 series is expected to include the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. There are also rumours about an iPhone Fold. On the other hand, some claims suggest that Apple may launch the iPhone Air 2 and the standard iPhone 18 variant in 2027, with reports indicating that the iPhone Air 2 may face delays for multiple reasons. Sundar Pichai Congratulates Elon Musk As xAI Rolls Out Grok 4.1 AI Chatbot With Major Upgrades and Significant AI Performance Improvements.

Whether Abidur Chowdhury’s departure is the reason for these delays cannot be confirmed. We found a website belonging to Abidur Chowdhury, but it contains limited information. There is no information about which AI startup would be a part.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:3

TruLY Score 3 – Believable; Needs Further Research | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 3 on LatestLY, this article appears believable but may need additional verification. It is based on reporting from news websites or verified journalists (Bloomberg ), but lacks supporting official confirmation. Readers are advised to treat the information as credible but continue to follow up for updates or confirmations

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2025 06:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).