It seems like its been a while since there have been any big management shake-ups over at Apple. The last really big one, of course, was the ousting of Gil Amelio and the reinstatement of Steve Jobs at the helm. That was a couple of years ago, though, and since then, we're hard-pressed to think of any changes that were significant enough to make waves. (Disclaimer: our collective memory probably isn't to be trusted on this matter, since we tend to forget things that aren't on TV.) So we weren't entirely prepared for the news that Mark Foster, Apple's Vice President of PowerBook Development, has resigned-- the PowerBook Zone broke the story last week.

When we say "resigned," we're using the word in the Amelio sense; in the Zone's words, Foster was "basically fired" over "a difference in style" with Jon Rubenstein, Apple's senior veep of Hardware Engineering. We're not quite how to interpret that; while we imagine it's possible the two couldn't see eye-to-eye on matters of wardrobe choice, we're going to take a chance and assume that it was a clash of personalities, and not tie patterns, that led to the split. Reportedly the delay over the shipment of Apple's latest "bronze" PowerBooks was also a factor in the decision, so those of you who were calling for heads to roll because of the delays, you got your wish: metaphorically speaking, Foster's cranium just rolled right out the door.

That alone would be news, because it shows that Apple is getting tough about product shipment delays. But more importantly, Apple plans not to hire a replacement for Foster; apparently PowerBook development is now being swallowed whole by the group working on Apple's desktop systems. Both product lines now fall under the watchful eye of Glen Miranker. What does this mean for the future of PowerBook development? Well, some people are bemoaning the change, while others are speculating that it'll benefit both product lines. Personally, we have no idea what to expect, but we know this: over the last couple of years, desktop systems from Apple have shipped more or less on time, while PowerBooks have lagged. Make of that what you will, but we're cautiously optimistic about the shift.