Bob Mansfield's return to Apple was partly enabled by the departure of Scott Forstall, a source described as close to the company tells AllThingsD. "The timing of Bobís return is not coincidental," the person explains, elaborating that Mansfield didn't like Forstall's confrontational management. Several sources say that Mansfield generally tried to avoid Forstall; this may be backed up by a 2011 Bloomberg report, which said that Mansfield would only meet with Forstall if CEO Tim Cook was around to mediate.
