Mark Papermaster has left his position as Apple’s head of device hardware, just 16 months after joining the company.
While neither Papermaster nor Apple have given a reason for his departure, Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber says, “it’s clear he was sacked” for his part in the iPhone 4 antenna problems.
“Papermaster was a conspicuous absence at the Antennagate press conference. Inside Apple, he’s ‘the guy responsible for the antenna’ — that’s a quote from a source back on July 23. (Another quote from the same source: ‘Apparently the antenna guys used to have a big chip on their shoulder. No more.’)
Responsibility for iPhone, iPad and iPod hardware has passed to Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Mac Hardware Engineering. Mansfield, a familiar face from Apple’s promotional videos, already had responsibility for the devices’ touchscreens and A4 processor.
Papermaster joined Apple in April 2009 six months after his appointment was held up by his previous employer, IBM. IBM was concerned that Papermaster may leak trade secrets and secure a court ruling to prevent disclosure before cancelling a clause in his contract that forbade him from going to work for a competitor.
