Over the weekend, Apple gossip was again focused on the company’s popular new iPhone 4 -- but in this case, it was the departure of the executive in charge of the handset hardware and the circumstances surrounding that leave that seemed to be grabbing all of the headlines.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Mark Papermaster, the executive hired only two years ago to head up Apple’s iPhone hardware division, has left the company, reportedly in a falling out with CEO Steve Jobs, according to “people familiar with the situation.”
Papermaster’s departure is mired in even more controversy than his arrival. He was hired in late 2008 to replace iPod chief Tony Fadell, but Papermaster’s former employer, IBM, subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming the executive was breaking a non-compete agreement. The new iPhone hardware chief didn’t settle into his new position at Apple until April, 2009 -- during CEO Steve Jobs’ six-month sick leave to receive a liver transplant.
49-year-old Papermaster has now left his post as Apple’s senior vice president for mobile devices, and the finger of blame is largely being pointed at the iPhone 4’s notorious antenna reception issues. But people familiar with the departure claim that it was “driven by a broader cultural incompatibility” -- meaning the executive likely had a hard time fitting into Apple’s corporate culture, which is likely much different from that of IBM.
According to sources, “Papermaster had lost the confidence of Mr. Jobs months ago and hasn’t been part of the decision-making process for some time,” adding that “Papermaster didn’t appear to have the type of creative thinking expected at Apple and wasn’t used to Apple’s corporate culture, where even senior executives are expected to keep on top of the smallest details of their areas of responsibility and often have to handle many tasks directly, as opposed to delegating them.”
Neither Papermaster nor Apple were willing to respond to requests for a comment, which has left analysts trying to fill in the blanks. “This guy came from IBM and he was in charge of iPhone 4 hardware, but IBM doesn’t have antenna technology,” said Gleacher & Co. analyst Brian Marshall. Piper Jaffray & Co. analyst Gene Munster tends to agree: “It’s too coincidental not to be related to the antenna issues.”
Whatever the case, Papermaster’s duties are now being handled by Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of computer engineering, who was featured prominently in the iPhone 4 promo videos. Mansfield already manages several aspects of the iPhone 4 hardware, including the Retina Display and the A4 processor.
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