Apple fought hard to get him from IBM, now after an embarrassing issue with their iPhone 4 antenna Apple is parting Company with Mark Papermaster, Apple’s senior vice president for iPhone engineering.
18 months ago Papermaster quit IBM, the issue ended up in Court with Papermaster forced by a US Court to not reveal any IBM secrets to Apple.
His sudden exit comes according to the Wall Street Journal after a series of uncharacteristic missteps for the popular consumer electronics maker. Earlier this year, photos of the iPhone’s new design were published on a popular technology blog after an engineer allegedly left a test unit in a bar.
Then, after the phone’s release, the device was dogged by complaints of reception issues related to its unique new antenna design. Apple eventually was forced to respond with a press conference hosted by CEO Steve Jobs, at which the company said it would supply free bumpers to iPhone 4 purchasers.
Mr. Papermaster’s duties will be taken over by Bob Mansfield, the company’s senior vice president of computer engineering.