Apple Executive Departs After iPhone 4 Antenna Hoopla
Here's a tip: if you leave a major corporation like IBM to go work for a major corporation like Apple, and it makes major news waves, you probably don't ever want to screw up. Not that you would ever want to screw up while working at Apple anyway, but particularly not if you find yourself in that situation. A few years ago, an executive by the name of Mark Papermaster had quite a time going from IBM to Apple, with some "legal issues" causing some confusion on whether Mark was actually cleared to work at Apple after leaving a sensitive position at IBM.
After that chaos, no one in the media really paid much attention to Mark. But now, that spotlight is back on him. It's becoming a weekend for executive departures, and it's not even over yet. Hours after Mark Hurd, CEO of HP, was forced to resign, Papermaster has apparently left Apple as well. No one on the inside is actually saying why he left, or if he was truly forced out, but one thing seems clear: he was an executive responsible for hardware on the iPhone.
Of course, the iPhone 4's hardware has been the subject of much debate lately, with the "antennagate" problem causing more grief for Apple than any other piece of hardware in recent memory. Apple has actually confirmed Papermaster's departure to The New York Times, but no further details were provided from there. For now, Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, will be filling his shoes. It's likely that Apple will never really say what happened here, but it's easy to speculate. When you're in charge of the antenna that causes the whole world to suspect that your phone isn't working properly, it's probably not going to be easy to rest at night. So, Mr. Mansfield, don't screw up.
After that chaos, no one in the media really paid much attention to Mark. But now, that spotlight is back on him. It's becoming a weekend for executive departures, and it's not even over yet. Hours after Mark Hurd, CEO of HP, was forced to resign, Papermaster has apparently left Apple as well. No one on the inside is actually saying why he left, or if he was truly forced out, but one thing seems clear: he was an executive responsible for hardware on the iPhone.
Of course, the iPhone 4's hardware has been the subject of much debate lately, with the "antennagate" problem causing more grief for Apple than any other piece of hardware in recent memory. Apple has actually confirmed Papermaster's departure to The New York Times, but no further details were provided from there. For now, Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, will be filling his shoes. It's likely that Apple will never really say what happened here, but it's easy to speculate. When you're in charge of the antenna that causes the whole world to suspect that your phone isn't working properly, it's probably not going to be easy to rest at night. So, Mr. Mansfield, don't screw up.
