AfterDawn: Tech news

Apple head of iPhone engineering leaving after iPhone 4 debacle

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 08 Aug 2010 12:56 User comments (7)

Apple head of iPhone engineering leaving after iPhone 4 debacle Apple's senior VP of engineering Mark Papermaster is leaving the company, says The NYTimes, following the recent "antennagate" debacle of the iPhone 4.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling confirmed the report, and added that his position will be taken over by Bob Mansfield, VP of Macintosh engineering.

Papermaster was formally IBM's vice president of microprocessor technology development, working primarily in processor design.

"Antennagate" refers to the ongoing situation in which iPhone 4 users lose cell reception when holding the phone in their left hand, covering the antenna.

Apple has repaired the situation by offering all iPhone 4 owners free cases for their devices, eliminating the problem.

While many believe that Papermaster's departure is directly correlated to "antennagate," Gleacher & Company analyst Brian Marshall thinks differently (via CW): "I don't think that's the case. When you have a company the size of Apple, you're going to have turnover at low levels and high levels. I don't see this as that big of a deal."

Previous Next  

7 user comments

18.8.2010 01:32

If you ask me I think he was actually laid off, but I would like to see more on this story.

28.8.2010 02:02
tomtgsdokj
Unverified new user

I think he was actually fired by Steve Jobs lol!

38.8.2010 10:04

I definitely agree to the above two comments, cuz we all know Steve Jobs is a twat after all and this sounds like something their executives would do !!!!

48.8.2010 10:51

"Apple has repaired the situation by offering all iPhone 4 owners free cases for their devices, eliminating the problem."

They seem to have defused the media attention, but they still have not repaired the problem. The closest thing to a repair I have seen is the clear nailpolish...and apple has yet to send out free bottles of nail polish to their customers.

58.8.2010 16:43

"While many believe that Papermaster's departure is directly correlated to "antennagate,"
Sounds like he'd be better off making printer anyways. AMIRITE

610.8.2010 09:41

The real reason is that Papermaster couldn't adapt to the Apple culture after working at Big Blue (which is very corporate).

710.8.2010 15:56

No, the article I read says that the iPhone 4 design has the antenna issue a year ago. Papermaster was aware of the issue that the engineers pointed out and he recommended to fix the problem before release the product. However, Job loved the design so much that nobody dare to redesign it and hence it was released with the antenna issue. Of course, Papermaster's resignation is to take the heat off Job. After all, if the Consumer Report is not going to recommend the iPhone 4, that's bad news isn't it?

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
1 user comment
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive