Why Apple’s Tim Cook Fired Scott Forstall

A reputable source reveals that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook fired Scott Forstall, the company’s senior vice president of iPhone Software, over the latter’s refusal to sign an apology letter to the public.

Having messed up with the Maps implementation in iOS 6, Scott Forstall subsequently refused to condone Apple’s apology letter to the public, in a PR fiasco that some say could have been avoided, should the product have incubated a tad longer.

In reporting his intel, Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky notes “I also heard that Forstall refused to sign the letter apologizing for the mapping fiasco, sealing his fate at Apple.”

This was reportedly strike three for the iOS whiz, as he had previously had some run-ins with fellow executives.

In a letter sent to employees yesterday, Tim Cook confirmed that “Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim.” Cook added, “I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.”

The situation may be far worse than these statements would have you believe. Forstall has been of monumental importance for Apple over the past decade, having led the iOS team with great success.

However, insiders say, his temper got the best of him. Mercurial like the late Steve Jobs, Forstall was reportedly a bad seed. Or so think a number of key figures at Apple, one of which is said to be Jonathan Ive.

Ive and Forstall were so incompatible that they’d even sit out meetings unless Tim Cook called them both in. And according to Fortune, “the knighted designer” won an internal power struggle with Forstall, which ultimately got him the role of Human Interface chief.

Sure enough, analysts are beginning to question Tim Cook’s grip on Apple. This executive shakeup is a telltale sign of things going off the rails.