iPhone head Mark Papermaster leaves Apple

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
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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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 209
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    I'm willing to bet he was fired since he was apparently heading the development of the iPhone antenna.
  • Reply 2 of 209
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by str1f3 View Post


    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....
  • Reply 3 of 209
    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?
  • Reply 4 of 209
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Any speculation where he ends up?
  • Reply 5 of 209
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by screamingfist View Post


    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.
  • Reply 6 of 209
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Any speculation where he ends up?



    Hewlett-Packard, in the Palm division, probably heading up webOS device hardware engineering.
  • Reply 7 of 209
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    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.
  • Reply 8 of 209
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    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...
  • Reply 9 of 209
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    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 View Post


    Any speculation where he ends up?



    HP has a CEO position open.



    edit: Doh! Pipped by cvaldes1831.
  • Reply 10 of 209
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Any speculation where he ends up?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Hewlett-Packard, in the Palm division, probably heading up webOS device hardware engineering.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post




    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.
  • Reply 11 of 209
    djsherlydjsherly Posts: 1,031member
    If anything moving to Apple would apparently be a jarring proposition for an ex-IBMer. That company defines bureaucracy (and they employ it rigourously to the point of disadvantaging their clients on occasion). It's almost an OCD mentality.



    I am led to understand that Apple doesn't really work that way. There could be something in that.
  • Reply 12 of 209
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    I was going to say exactly the same thing



    Head of HP Palm Division and Rubinstein will be CEO of HP.



    They say great minds think alike, but in actuality the truly great minds think like no one else.



    Seriously though, doesn't this news seem a little coincidental to the timing of HP's "reorganization"?
  • Reply 13 of 209
    So, is this saying that the iPhone 4 antenna IS flawed? Or is this just a firing due to many reasons, not just this one?



    I don't want to buy my first iPhone if it is indeed flawed and the next version is completely changed, and mine is worth nothing, and does indeed not work as it should.



    Or, as some have said, is this STILL overblown and the antenna works as well or better than many of the other top smartphones, and Papermaster's firing has nothing to do with me having a great phone when I get it in a couple of months?



    I'd really like to know. I'm so on the fence about this whole iPhone antenna thing. I can't afford to get into a 3 year contract with a flawed phone. Literally, can't afford it. $$$
  • Reply 14 of 209
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    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 forum.



    This the reality of leadership.. Military and Corporations. Your people and/or department screws up, your responsible, and you get fired more likely even if your not directly responsible.
  • Reply 15 of 209
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    TSeriously though, doesn't this news seem a little coincidental to the timing of HP's "reorganization"?



    I hope this is the only reason for his leaving and that "anntennagate" is only a media frenzy and not a truly flawed phone.
  • Reply 16 of 209
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wurm5150 View Post


    This the reality of leadership.. Military and Corporations. Your people and/or department screws up, your responsible, and you get fired more likely even if your not directly responsible.



    My question though is "Did they screw up?" or is this all overblown since other handsets have the same issue?
  • Reply 17 of 209
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    Well... Someone had to 'take the fall' for these recent fiascos, and we knew it wouldn't be Ole Stevie.



    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."
  • Reply 18 of 209
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GregoriusM View Post


    So, is this saying that the iPhone 4 antenna IS flawed? Or is this just a firing due to many reasons, not just this one?



    I don't want to buy my first iPhone if it is indeed flawed and the next version is completely changed, and mine is worth nothing, and does indeed not work as it should.



    Or, as some have said, is this STILL overblown and the antenna works as well or better than many of the other top smartphones, and Papermaster's firing has nothing to do with me having a great phone when I get it in a couple of months?



    I'd really like to know. I'm so on the fence about this whole iPhone antenna thing. I can't afford to get into a 3 year contract with a flawed phone. Literally, can't afford it. $$$



    If your carrier has a great network and great coverage in your area, then get one. You won't have a problem no matter how long you death grip the s*** out of it. Ask people in your area who has an iPhone 4 if they have issues. Otherwise wait next year. Personally I do think it's overblown. I don't have the issue and neither does everyone I know who has the iPhone 4. But then again it's a real issue for a few people. Not all... Or you can get one, if your having antenna issues then bring it back.
  • Reply 19 of 209
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    Well... Someone had to 'take the fall' for these recent fiascos, and we knew it wouldn't be Ole Stevie.



    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."




    Why not? He's been fired before.
  • Reply 20 of 209
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    They say great minds think alike, but in actuality the truly great minds think like no one else.



    Seriously though, doesn't this news seem a little coincidental to the timing of HP's "reorganization"?



    I agree. It raised a flag when I read it.
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