Sprint "Product Development Guru" Jumps Ship

Sprint has lost a Senior VP, Kevin Packingham, described as the carrier's "product development guru" and supposedly instrumental in paving the way for the WiMAX-friendly HTC EVO 4G and the upcoming Samsung Epic 4G.  The carrier confirmed that Packingham has left his role to take up another position at an unnamed Kansas City company; Sprint will now have to find a new expert to demonstrate their high-end devices at launch events.

Some commentators are predicting a negative impact on Sprint's ability to pull in high-end users, suggesting that Packingham was primarily responsible for pushing the carrier toward flagship high-speed devices.  The EVO 4G has been a surprising success, difficult to find in stock (though the supply limitations have been compounded by shortages of components at a manufacturing level).  For its part, Sprint says it sees no real problem with Packingham's departure.

[via Electronista]