Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of iPhone engineering, has left the company in the wake of ‘Antennagate’; leaving the company just weeks after the controversy caused falling share prices and negative headlines across the globe.
The antenna problem isn’t unique to the iPhone 4, but it may have been enough to force Mark Papermaster out the door.
The news of Papermaster’s departure was first posted by the New York Times over the weekend though it’s still not been officially confirmed whether the engineering expert – who arrived at Apple after controversially leaving IBM two years ago – resigned or was pushed out the door.
Not too many news outlets made anything of Papermaster’s absence from the 16 July press conference where Steve Jobs addressed the signal issues that many were experiencing with the iPhone 4, however it now appears that his position may have already been under threat at that stage.
Indeed, letting him go now means that just enough time has passed that this doesn’t seem like a knee-jerk reaction to the antenna kafuffle. Then again that’s assuming he was let go and didn’t resign, but frankly that seems the more logical explanation here.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling confirmed Papermaster’s exit to Reuters and said Bob Mansfield is assuming his responsibilities. “Mr. Mansfield already manages groups that create many of the key technologies for the iPhone and iPod touch, including the A4 chip, Retina display and touch screens,” Dowling said.
Apple hired Papermaster in November of 2008, luring him away from IBM, where he had worked for 25 years. IBM sued Papermaster after his departure, saying he agreed to avoid working for any competitor for a year. A federal court initially barred Papermaster from working for Apple, but the lawsuit was eventually resolved and he began work for Apple in April of 2009.
Based on