Mark Papermaster is not allowed to work at Apple, at least immediately, according to a recent court order.  Previous employer IBM has sued to prevent the departure of Papermaster on non-compete charges, an argument that has prompted an initial injunction by District Court judge Kenneth Karas.  The decision puts both Papermaster and Apple in limbo, especially following the departure of iPod and iPhone brain Tony Fadell.  Papermaster was tapped by Jobs to step into the role of senior vice president for Devices Hardware Engineering.  Fadell is exiting for undisclosed reasons.

In response to the non-compete allegations, Papermaster has argued that Apple and IBM are essentially in different businesses - at least today. "To the best of my knowledge, IBM does not design, manufacture or market consumer electronic products," Papermaster asserted in court filings.  Apple is thought to be tapping Papermaster to innovate chip-level efficiency solutions for devices like the iPhone, and potentially reinvigorate the iPod lineup.