Fat lady sings for iPod head

Apple on Tuesday confirmed reports circulating on Monday night that Tony Fadell, a longtime executive in charge of the company's iPod division, is stepping down.

Fadell will be replaced by Mark Papermaster, a vice president at IBM, who will join Apple as senior vice president of devices, responsible for the company's iPod and iPhone hardware-engineering teams, Apple said.

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It was first reported last week that Papermaster was set to leave IBM for a prominent position at Apple, though the nature of his role was unknown at the time.

Fadell will remain at Apple as an adviser to CEO Steve Jobs, the company said, adding that Fadell's wife, Danielle Lambert, plans to step down from her position as vice president of human resources at the end of the year, after a successor is found. She will leave the company, Apple said.

Jobs said in a statement Tuesday: "Mark is a seasoned leader and is going to be an excellent addition to our senior management team." And according to a statement Apple issued Tuesday, both executives are "reducing their roles within the company as they devote more time to their young family".