Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) hired Mark Papermaster to head up the company's iPod and iPhone hardware engineering teams only after litigation was cleared up between him and his former employer IBM. A year and a half later, Papermaster is leaving under another tense situation, following widely reported problems with the iPhone 4's antenna.
Photo by J from the UK on Flickr. Some rights reserved.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that Apple confirmed Papermaster's departure, but would not elaborate as to whether he was fired or decided to leave on his own. Unnamed sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Papermaster had been pushed out over a series of hardware problems, some related to the iPod Touch.
Papermaster's responsibilities will be handed over to Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, who is already responsible for some iPhone components, including chips, the retina display and touch screens.
The top hardware executive's departure is all-too timely, given the recent fiasco around the iPhone 4's antenna that ultimately prevented Consumer Reports from recommending the device. Apple tried to extinguish the fire by hosting a last-minute press conference, where it apologised, admitted it wasn't perfect and agreed to give all customers a free bumper.
