In addition to filing reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Friday that dealt with that company's stock options back-dating scandal, Apple made public a consulting agreement with a key iPod developer that says it might seek his help designing a cell phone.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple posted its consulting agreement with former Apple executive Jon Rubinstein, who left the company in April but has agreed to a one-day-per week consulting gig for up to a year.
According to a letter from Apple to Rubinstein outlining the agreement:
This will confirm that following your resignation from Apple effective April 14, 2006, Apple has asked you through your company J.R. Ruby Consulting Corp., a California corporation, to perform certain consulting services, and that you have agreed to perform such services (collectively, the "Services"), as and when requested by Apple, all as set forth in this letter (the "Agreement"). In general, the Services may consist of advice regarding the design and development of personal computers, digital music players, and cell phone devices, and related intellectual property matters, as agreed between you and Steve Jobs or his designees from time to time.
Apple agreed to pay Rubinstein a flat fee of $200,000 upfront, but also inserted a non-compete demand that he not "provide consulting services to, any of Intel Corporation, Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Sony Corporation, Motorola Inc., Nokia Corporation, Samsung Group, Microsoft Corporation, or any other company that is working on a final product that is a personal computer, digital music player, or cell phone device, unless otherwise approved in advance by Apple in its sole discretion."
In Apple's announcement of Rubinstein's retirement last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs credited Rubinstein with putting together the engineering team that designed and developed the iPod -- which has developed into a product line that has accounted for about half of Apple's revenue.
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