@cracklint is partly right. While Forstall may or may not have signed off on shipment readiness, Cook still had the ultimate decision to say "go" or "no go". He said "go", and then followed it up with an apology to users. Not quite the same as what Jobs would have done, but at least he acknowledged that there is a shortcoming in their product that they need to fix. If Forstall said, "We're not ready yet" and they forced him to ship anyway, then the problem lies with Cook. If Forsall said, "Yes, we're ready! Ship this puppy!" then like it or not, he deserves the boot.