News - Apple exec departs in wake of ‘antennagate’

[HEXUS]

iPhone hardware chief ‘leaves’ after reception problems.

Read more.

[[GSV]Trig]

Surely he walked, why would he be pushed for a problem thats not a problem that effects every other smartphone on the market?

[sawyen]

Surely he walked, why would he be pushed for a problem thats not a problem that effects every other smartphone on the market?

Now Apple is not only terrible to their factory workers, Job's also ready to point the blame on his own execs as well.

TBH, I'd hate to work with someone like Jobs. And if there's someone with Job's attitude in my workplace, i'd go crazy...

They best hope to have a strong bladder and not walk to the toilet alone...

[TheAnimus]

I love the excuse been punted round that its about the lack of the white iPhone.

So its ok to churn out a defective phone, but not been able to churn out the defective phone in white. GTFO.

Got to love Apple, I think their fans really do them a lot of harm!

[Saracen]

Now Apple is not only terrible to their factory workers, Job's also ready to point the blame on his own execs as well.
....

I'm no fan of Steve Jobs, but that might be a tad unfair. It's hard to see how the exec in charge of hardware isn't responsible for hardware problems.

To be honest, nobody except senior Apple insiders know quite what the sequence of events was, and amid the furore, it's quite hard to separate what appears to be the few grains of truth from the mountains of chaff.

It seems pretty clear that there is a problem with the iPhone, and it seems pretty clear to me at least that there should not have been. Someone screwed up, and while the buck may ultimately rest with Jobs, you won't hire dog and then try to do all the barking yourself. If you half a senior exec in charge of iPhone hardware, then you're going to leave him to be responsible for iPhone hardware.

Now maybe he reported back to Jobs, and Jobs took the decision to go ahead anyway and now it's blown up, Jobs needs a scapegoat. Welcome to corporate life. But, on the the hand, maybe the nature and perhaps existence of the problem was kept from Jobs because someone else decided it wasn't a real issue .... and has subsequently been proven wrong. Or it could be one of many other scenarios, many of them in-between.

Either way, given the nature of the problem, and the bad PR it's led to it doesn't seem unreasonable to get rid of the exec responsible for that area, and especially if they knew of the problem, decided to bluff it out and didn't warn the boss.

As for how it's been handled since, trying to bluff it out looks to me to have been a bad call, and Jobs may yet have to answer for that to the board and to shareholders .... but I doubt he's in any real danger.

[crossy]

Surely he walked, why would he be pushed for a problem thats not a problem that effects every other smartphone on the market?

If your repeating the oft-quoted "fact" from SJ that you can death grip every other smart phone, then that's just pants - I've used the iPhone4-grip-of-death on a Nokia N95 and a Sony Xperia X10. Both worked fine - so unless the death-grip is some weird combo that I've not come across yet - then they're resistant to this issue. Okay, I'll be the first to admit losing one bar worth of signal if I'm very careful to hold the N95 tight in a particular way, but that's not the same as losing the signal altogether. Of course, this is all imho, so ymmv.

Getting back on-topic - I don't agree. If Mr Papermaster knew about the drawback with the iPhone4 two years ago (as the article says) then if I was SJ then I would have fired his a** too. Apple is supposed to be all about unassailably "superior" products and - with this unaddressed issue - the iPhone4 is markedly inferior to the "lesser" kit.

Still, I don't suppose that it'll stop Apple selling millions, nor preventing Five's Gadget Show from electing it "Gadget of the Year". Again, if I was SJ, then I'd just say "sorry", issue the special case, then move on and do a small redesign for next year. Hassle over!

Bob

[TheAnimus]

[[GSV]Trig]

If your repeating the oft-quoted "fact" from SJ that you can death grip every other smart phone, then that's just pants - I've used the iPhone4-grip-of-death on a Nokia N95 and a Sony Xperia X10. Both worked fine - so unless the death-grip is some weird combo that I've not come across yet - then they're resistant to this issue. Okay, I'll be the first to admit losing one bar worth of signal if I'm very careful to hold the N95 tight in a particular way, but that's not the same as losing the signal altogether. Of course, this is all imho, so ymmv.

Guessing my sarcasm filter isnt working

[Defiant]

I remember there was tons of whispers going around at the time this all hit saying that Jobs was driving a phone that was basically form over function and that the engineers werent given time, resources or scope to deal with the hardwares short comings.

Not the first time this has happened with this company, but I seem to remember seeing a quote today that the guy didnt 'get' the 'apple' corporate culture at apple. Which basically meant that you dont give your divisions areas off to other people in your team to deal with. The culture it seems mean you do it all, so how does that not apply to Mr Jobs then?

Before anyone says, I'm no Apple hater. I have a 3GS, it has its flaws as well. But I have a loathing for Jobs that seems to build more and more of late. The whole Flash thing being another one of his 'masterful' strokes of non genius.

[DDY]

He got off lightly considering the building he works in doesn't have fall arrest netting.

[dfour]

He got off lightly considering the building he works in doesn't have fall arrest netting.

LMFAO

If he knew about it 2 years ago then he got what he deserved.