The iPod-Master is Gone! Long Live the Papermaster!

Apple has announced that Tony Fadell, senior VP of the iPod Division, and wife Danielle Lambert, VP of Human Resources, are "reducing their roles within the company as they devote more time to their young family."

Who will succeed Fadell, who is sometimes referred to as the "father of the iPod"?

Mark Papermaster, who readers may remember Apple is accused of stealing away from IBM. Says Steve Jobs:

“Mark is a seasoned leader and is going to be an excellent addition to our senior management team. Tony and Dani have each made important contributions to Apple over the past eight years. We’re sorry to see Dani go, and are looking forward to working with Tony in his new capacity.”

So with Papermaster working on the hardware, Scott Forstall on the software, and Eddy Cue running Internet Services (iTunes, App Store, MobileMe), it looks like Apple has completely overhauled its iPhone leadership in the last 6 months.

What does that mean moving forward? And will TiPb get our iPhone HD in 2009?!

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.