iPhone Hardware Engineering Chief Mark Papermaster Leaves Apple

185041 mark papermaster

The New York Times reports that Mark Papermaster, Apple's Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering, has left the company. Papermaster has been heading up Apple's iPhone and iPod engineering teams since he began work with the company in April 2009.

Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of hardware for the company's flagship iPhone, has left the company in the wake of widely reported problems with the antenna of the recently introduced iPhone 4.

It is not clear if Mr. Papermaster was ousted or left on his own accord.

Papermaster has been replaced by Bob Mansfield, who is an existing member of Apple's senior executive team in his role as Senior Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering.

In retrospect, today's news explains what should have been seen as a curious aspect of Apple's iPhone 4 press conference last month. The Q&A portion of the press conference was conducted by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, and Mansfield. Papermaster, whose division designed the iPhone 4, was to our knowledge not in attendance at the event.

In fact, even Apple's promotional video for the iPhone 4 released at the device's introduction in early June and featuring a number of Apple executives talking about it does not include Papermaster. Mansfield is, however, featured with the job title of Senior Vice President of Hardware, dropping the "Mac" qualifier that had been part of his official job at that time. According to The New York Times, Mansfield was involved in the design of several aspects of the iPhone 4, including its A4 chip and Retina display.

Papermaster's curious invisibility in all aspects of iPhone 4 publicity suggests that he may even have been on his way out even before the iPhone 4 was released, but whether his departure is due to iPhone antenna design issues that might have been discovered prior to its launch or to other factors is unknown.

Papermaster was initially recruited to Apple from IBM in late 2008 to replace departing iPhone/iPod executive Tony Fadell, but IBM filed suit, claiming that Papermaster had violated his employment agreement with IBM by taking a position with a competing firm. Papermaster very briefly began work at Apple in early November 2008 before a judge ordered him to stop working until the IBM lawsuit was settled. In January 2009, Apple announced that the litigation had been settled and that Papermaster would officially begin work at Apple on April 24th of that year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro's Biggest Design Mystery is Finally Solved

Friday September 5, 2025 9:33 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 series in just four days from now, and the biggest design mystery surrounding the Pro models has finally been solved. In a report outlining his expectations for Apple's event next week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iPhone 17 Pro models will have "a new cutout area on the bottom two-thirds of the phone that doubles as the wireless charging area."...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode is Limited to These iPhone Models

Wednesday September 3, 2025 1:19 pm PDT by
iOS 26 introduces an Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says Adaptive Power Mode can make "performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness, allowing some activities to "take longer," and automatically turning on Low Power Mode when the iPhone's remaining battery life...
apple event september 2025 interactive logo

Everything Apple Plans to Debut Next Week, According to Bloomberg

Friday September 5, 2025 4:57 am PDT by
Four days out from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event on Tuesday, September 9, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has summarized his expectations for what the company will reveal next week. Aside from a couple of new details and the inclusion of some more recent leaks from other sources, much of the following is a recap of Gurman's reports over the last several months: iPhone 17 Large...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...

Top Rated Comments

MorphingDragon Avatar
197 months ago
Ya what gives !!!

Bringing out NEW machines NOW without USB 3

where has the old Apple gone?

Umm, I still haven't seen a PC with USB3 and the only motherboards I can find it with are a few high end ones.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)