Mark Papermaster, the IBM executive whom Steve Jobs chose to replace "father of the iPod" Tony Fadell as head of the iPod and iPhone division at Apple, cannot take the job just yet. District Court judge Kenneth Karas ordered that Papermaster not start working at Apple until the validity of IBM’s non-compete complaint can be determined.
IBM claims that Papermaster is contractually prevented from working for a competitor — in this case Apple — for at least one year after he leaves IBM. Non-compete clauses are commonly used by corporation to protect them from executives taking trade secrets to another company.
Papermaster contend that IBM and Apple don’t compete, so there’s no problem with him accepting the offer.
The offer came out of the blue from a corporate headhunter, according to Information Week. Papermaster’s move to Apple has spurred speculation that Apple could start designing its own processor chips for computers and portable devices, rather than licensing them from other companies.
His chip expertise and knowledge of the latest server technology could come in handy for Apple as it moves from a "download and transfer" music model to models that access music in the cloud in a way more similar to the way people listen to music at a desktop.
See Also:
- Does Change at Apple Portend New Music Strategy?
- Apple Readies Interactive Album Applications
- Apple Fans And Tech Journalists: A Roller Coaster Relationship
- Apple Reportedly Considering Unlimited Music Device
- Apple’s Core Could Soon Include In-House Chips
(Photo: Joe Gratz; via Digital Music News)
