Mark Papermaster, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering, has left the company following a number of highly publicized stumbles with the iPhone 4 launch. The New York Times, which broke the story, reports that it is not clear if Papermaster quit or was asked to leave; Papermaster has until this point declined to comment. Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told the NYT that Papermaster “is leaving the company and Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, is assuming his responsibilities,” while adding that Mansfield already oversees several iPhone-related technologies, including the A4 chip, the retina display, and touch screens.
In a separate report, the Wall Street Journal suggests that the reasons for Papermaster’s departure went beyond the iPhone 4, however. Citing people familiar with Papermaster’s situation, the report says his departure was driven by a “broader cultural incompatibility.” It also claims that Papermaster had lost the confidence of Apple CEO Steve Jobs “months ago” and hadn’t been involved in the decision-making process for some time. Papermaster was announced as a replacement for “father of the iPod” Tony Fadell in late 2008, but didn’t actually start working for Apple until April 2009 due to a lawsuit by ex-employer IBM.
