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Apple exec leaves in wake of 'antennagate'Aug 07, 2010 (San Jose Mercury News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- [email protected] The Apple executive who oversees the design of the iPhone and other portable devices has left the company, according to published reports. Mark Papermaster, whose hiring by Apple two years ago sparked a lawsuit by IBM, his former employer, departed in the wake of criticism about the design of the iPhone 4's antenna, according to the reports in several media outlets. Prior to his departure, Papermaster served as Apple's senior vice president in charge of devices hardware engineering. Apple, however, declined to say whether or not Papermaster left of his own accord, according to the reports. Apple representatives did not respond to calls and an email requesting confirmation or comment on the reports. Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president in charge of hardware engineering for the company's Macintosh computers, is assuming Papermaster's responsibilities, according to the reports. The iPhone 4's antenna is built into a metal band surrounding the device. But soon after the iPhone 4 went on sale, complaints started to surface of antenna problems, leading to a series of public relations stumbles for the usually media ultra-savvy company. Apple soon acknowledged that users hands can block the phone's signal -- potentially leading to dropped calls -- when they hold the device a certain way. To resolve the issue, the company eventually said it would give away a bumper protector, which it said solves the issue, to iPhone 4 buyers for free. Controversy bookended Papermaster's short tenure at Apple. Apple announced his hiring in November 2008. But IBM immediately filed suit to block the hire, arguing that his move to Apple violated a non-competition agreement he had signed. After a court barred Papermaster from immediately joining Apple, the two companies settled out of court, and Papermaster went to work for Apple in April 2009. Contact Troy Wolverton at 408-920-5021. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/troywolv. To see more of the San Jose Mercury News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mercurynews.com. Copyright (c) 2010, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |