Zane Rowe leaving Apple, being replaced as head of North American sales by Doug Beck

Zane Rowe, head of Apple's North American sales, is leaving the company and will be replaced by current head of Japanese and Korean sales, Doug Beck. Apple told the Wall Street Journal:

"Doug Beck has done a great job helping to grow Apple's business in Japan and Korea. His role is expanding to include North America sales as well," said Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet.

No particular reason was given for Rowe's departure. Beck, however, has overseen spectacular growth for Apple in Japan, including a rise to 55% of the smartphone market.

News of Rowe's departure comes on the same day as word of Apple's long time PR head, Katie Cotton's impending retirement.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few quarters.

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.