Apple VP Roizen Quits; Played Key Role at Firm

Apple Computer Inc. Vice President Heidi Roizen, who helped nurture the crucial relationships between the ailing Cupertino computer maker and independent software developers, announced her resignation Monday, one week after Apple announced a broad reorganization.

Separately, Apple said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it expects to record a “substantial loss” in the second quarter after taking a $300 million charge for research and development at Next Software Inc., which it formally acquired Friday. The company said it does not expect to be profitable until the fourth quarter at the earliest.

Roizen, 38, said she is quitting to spend more time with her two young daughters.

“The timing is bad because it looks like something to do with the reorganization,” she said. “But the problem is, I don’t know how to do anything other than full speed, and this job was creeping into my nights and weekends, and I’ve got a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old.”

Roizen, a former software developer herself, earned praise from other developers who valued her honesty. her resignation comes at a particularly difficult time for Apple, which has embarked on a radical rewrite of its Macintosh operating system.