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Saturday, August 07, 2010, 06:00 pm
iPhone head Mark Papermaster leaves Apple
Apple has announced the departure of Mark Papermaster, the head of its iPod and iPhone division. The company's Mac hardware engineering lead Bob Mansfield will assume his responsibilities.The news immediately stoked speculation that Papermaster's departure might be connected to the negative media attention devoted to the iPhone 4 antenna, but Apple did not indicate whether Papermaster left on his own accord or was asked to leave.
Apple recruited Papermaster away from IBM less than two years ago. The hiring resulted in a legal battle between the two companies over IBM's worries that the executive might take too many of its secrets to Apple.
Apple and IBM reached a settlement in January of 2009 that enabled IBM to keep tabs on Papermater's duties at Apple.
Internal documents that turned up in the legal dispute with IBM revealed that Papermaster was not Apple's ideal choice to lead its iPod and iPhone operations.
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Previous Comments View All
Quote:
Originally Posted by str1f3 
I'm willing to bet he was fired since he was apparently heading the development of the iPhone antenna.
I'm willing to bet he was fired since he was apparently heading the development of the iPhone antenna.
Apple as a company let this product out the door. did they do no testing? they are all to blame for this fiasco. Jobs stamps everything doesn't he? oh right, he claims the successes, somebody else gets the failures....
Ah, the Internets, where facts and speculation blend into a syrupy mix called truthiness 
If Papermaster did such a crappy job, why does my iPhone 4 work flawlessly?
Any speculation where he ends up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by screamingfist
Apple as a company let this product out the door. did they do no testing? they are all to blame for this fiasco. Jobs stamps everything doesn't he? oh right, he claims the successes, somebody else gets the failures....
Apple as a company let this product out the door. did they do no testing? they are all to blame for this fiasco. Jobs stamps everything doesn't he? oh right, he claims the successes, somebody else gets the failures....
Hey clueless "screamingfist" - before you make a post that really really makes you look so stupid you should check the facts. First, only a handful of people complained. In fact, the OVERWHELMING majority of iPhone4 users say that they get much better reception and fewer dropped calls. The solution is actually quite simple - don't touch an area that is 1/16th of an inch in the lower left corner of the phone. 1/16th!!!!! How hard is that? This is something that was totally blown out of proportion by the media frenzy. As for Apple doing testing, I suggest you check out Apple's website where they show off their $100 million + testing facility. Now grow up, and go troll somewhere else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
Any speculation where he ends up?
Any speculation where he ends up?
Hewlett-Packard, in the Palm division, probably heading up webOS device hardware engineering.
Is it just me or was it a dumb idea to hire a guy from IBM for anything much less to run your most profitable division? Didn't IBM fail miserably at making PCs? They did make a really decent laptop loved by geeks and they turn around and sell it to Lenovo.
Apparently the iPhone 4 was already being tested 2 years before it was released and obviously before Papermaster started working for Apple officially according to Mansfield during the press' tour at Apple's testing facility. Then another report said that Papermaster was responsible for the antenna and that he was indeed fired.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/07/papermaster-out/
Interesting if true...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
Ah, the Internets, where facts and speculation blend into a syrupy mix called truthiness
If Papermaster did such a crappy job, why does my iPhone 4 work flawlessly?
Ah, the Internets, where facts and speculation blend into a syrupy mix called truthiness
If Papermaster did such a crappy job, why does my iPhone 4 work flawlessly?
Seriously! First reply states it's because of the iPhone 4 antenna, 2nd reply states that Apple is wrong for putting all the blame on Papermaster for "Antennagate".
Personally, I think if an engineer who loses an iPhone 4 doesn't get fired that Papermaster didn't get fired for helping make Apple's best phone, especially after the lengths Apple went to get him. The truth is probably dull so it probably won't ever be considered on Internet forums.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
Any speculation where he ends up?
Any speculation where he ends up?
HP has a CEO position open.
edit: Doh! Pipped by cvaldes1831.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
Any speculation where he ends up?
Any speculation where he ends up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
Hewlett-Packard, in the Palm division, probably heading up webOS device hardware engineering.
Hewlett-Packard, in the Palm division, probably heading up webOS device hardware engineering.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
HP has a CEO position open.
edit: Doh! Pipped by cvaldes1831.
HP has a CEO position open.
edit: Doh! Pipped by cvaldes1831.
I was going to say exactly the same thing
Head of HP Palm Division and Rubinstein will be CEO of HP.
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I'm willing to bet he was fired since he was apparently heading the development of the iPhone antenna.