Gizmodo: mark papermaster

Apple's New Head of iPhone and iPod Hardware Engineering Starts Soon

Brian Lam — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:14:32 EST

Apple has cleared the way for Mark Papermaster to start working as head of iPod and iPhone development, starting April 24th. The previous roadblock was a non-compete clause from his time at IBM.

Mark Papermaster to Begin at Apple as Senior Vice President of Devices
Hardware Engineering on April 24

CUPERTINO, Calif., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today
announced that Mark Papermaster will be coming to Apple as senior vice
president of Devices Hardware Engineering, reporting to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, on April 24. Papermaster, who comes to Apple from IBM, will lead Apple's iPod(R) and iPhone(TM) hardware engineering teams. The litigation between IBM and Mark Papermaster has been resolved.
Papermaster has 25 years of product and technology experience, and was previously a vice president at IBM. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont in 1988. Papermaster is active with the University of Texas where he is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Council.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Judge Orders Apple's New iPod and iPhone Chief to Stop Work Immediately

matt buchanan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:20:53 EST

Mark Papermaster, a former IBM executive who's replacing retiring iPod chief Tony Fadell, came to Apple with some heavy baggage—namely a one-year no-compete clause that IBM said he was violating by working at Apple. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karashas sided with IBM for the time being in their lawsuit, ordering Papermaster to "immediately cease his employment with Apple Inc. until further order of this court."

Papermaster's argument is that Apple actually doesn't compete with IBM, since "IBM focuses on high-performance business systems such as information technology infrastructure, servers and information storage products, and operating systems software," while "Apple, on the other hand, is in the business of designing, manufacturing and marketing consumer-oriented hardware and related products." More to the point, he says that "I do not recall a single instance of Apple being described as a competitor of IBM during my entire tenure at IBM."

Interestingly, he says he won't be directly involved with Apple's recently acquired chipmaker PA Semi (since running them would be a clear violation of the IBM agreement), though that seems like a bit of stretch, since they're supposedly making chips for the iPod and iPhone.

Apple is complying with the court order, but says they "are confident that Mark Papermaster will be able to ultimately join Apple when this dust settles." [Bloomberg, InfoWeek via AI, 9to5Mac]

iPod Creator Tony Fadell Abandons His Children, IBM Chip Guy New Head of Devices

matt buchanan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:49:43 EST

While you might think that Apple products emerge from Steve Jobs' head, fully formed and perfect like any other offspring of gods, the inventor of the iPod was actually Tony Fadell (along with former Apple hardware chief of engineering Jon Rubinstein). Fadell, who took over the iPod division from Rubinstein in 2006, is leaving his position to take a "reduced role" as an advisor to Steve Jobs.

Jobs is a part of every device's DNA—they made the iPod louder than most MP3 players at the time because he's partly deaf. But Fadell was the guy who supposedly came up with the business model and actually put it together. Interestingly, the WSJ says he's being replaced by former IBM exec Mark Papermaster, who's taking over the Devices Hardware Engineering division and is more chip guru than gadget hound.

It makes some sense, given Apple's acquisition of P.A. Semi to make chips for iPods and maybe the iPhone. But it also says to me that they're definitely not thinking of iPods as dumb little music players anymore. [WSJ, Apple]