A reported on businessweek.com, Mark Papermaster, the executive responsible for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPod hardware, left the company following criticism of the phone’s antenna design.
Bob Mansfield, a senior vice president in charge of Macintosh hardware engineering, will take over Papermaster’s duties, said Steve Dowling, a spokesman for the Cupertino, California-based company.
“Mr. Mansfield already manages groups that create many of the key technologies for the iPhone and iPod Touch, including the A4 chip, Retina display and touch screens,” Dowling said yesterday.
The antenna flaw prompted Consumer Reports to not recommend the iPhone, citing difficulty sending and receiving calls. Apple was stunned, upset and embarrassed by the magazine’s review, Jobs said.
Mark Papermaser's brief Apple tenure
Papermaster started at Apple last year after a legal fight with his old employer, International Business Machines Corp. IBM had sued Papermaster, saying his move violated an agreement not to work for a competitor within a year of leaving his job. Papermaster claimed that the two companies aren’t major competitors and said his move to Apple didn’t violate the terms of his employment agreement. The companies resolved the dispute in January 2009.
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