Mark Papermaster leaves Apple for reasons and destinations unknown (update)
We're not quite sure chip guru Mark Papermaster ever truly settled into his role as Apple's SVP of Devices Hardware Engineering in the year and four months since he finally walked through the door, but after the recent antenna troubles someone decided that he wasn't going to work there anymore. The New York Times reports that Papermaster has left and Bob Mansfeld (SVP of Mac Engineering) will assume his role. So far, there's been no official statement as to why the departure is occurring, whether he was ousted or left of his own volition (again, though he oversaw the new iPhone, his background is in processor design) but either way, the former SVP's picture and bio have already been removed from Apple's website. The man himself reportedly refused to comment when contacted by the Times, but as with all truths we're sure this one will come out eventually.
Update: The ever-resourceful John Gruber says that Papermaster's departure may be more closely related to Apple's antenna troubles than we originally thought:
Inside Apple, he's "the guy responsible for the antenna" - that's a quote from a source back on July 23. (Another quote from the same source: "Apparently the antenna guys used to have a big chip on their shoulder. No more.")
