There are signs that the reality distortion field which has surrounded Apple and its products is well and truly broken.

For years the company has been held together by people who are happy to work in an autocratic, secrecy obsessed workplace which makes North Korea look liberal. Now as the company’s share price tumbles, profits fall to realistic levels, it appears that some managers are daring to think different for the first time in their lives.

Apple Vice President of Retail Jerry McDougal shocked his workmates by believing that there is a life beyond the company and has cleaned out his desk and fled. McDougal has been with Apple since 2000, and was recruited by former Retail chief Ron Johnson.  McDougal has reason to be hacked off with Apple.  He was one of the candidates that many speculated could replace Johnson when he left to be CEO of JC Penney.

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave that job to Dixons’ John Browett who he later got rid of after he started trying to make more money out of the Apple stores. McDougal re-entered the short list of potentials and he did not get the job for a second time.  In the good old days when you did what you were told, treatment like this would be forgotten as you were assigned a new shiny toy project to play with.  Now Apple managers are starting to see greener grass elsewhere.