Time will tell!
I have to say I am in the camp of "we shall see!"
I find it interesting that people are talking about how Forstall was difficult to work with and missing the real point. Was he right?
Steve Jobs was hard to work with and very strong views on how things should be, just as Forstall. Does that justify getting rid of him? Only if the ideas are not panning out. Personally, I think Scott has taken a fall he should not have. Let's have a look at some of the so-called "issues".
1) Maps: I have not seen so many people fall in-line with such an overblown media-led "storm in a teacup" since.......well, ever! Sure there are some DTED issues with 3D overlays. Yes there is some wrong data in places. Every system has these. If ind it hilarious that the very same people that are panning iOS 6 maps are happy to overlook the problems with other services like Google maps. Personally, and I can only speak for my service in Australia, the iOS 6 maps (and plug-in architecture for directions) is already better and more extensible than Google maps was. And at least my bus timetable here is correct now. As for apologizing, I think it actually showed real integrity for Forstall to say NO if he really believed that what they were asking to apologize for was bogus.
2) Siri: Can someone tell me how Siri has been a failure exactly? I have used a lot of VR systems over the years, including Google's system, and Siri is easily better than them all. Not only is it fairly accurate, even in low SNR environments, but its natural language system is fantastic. Unlike other systems I have used (since I am Australian), I am not forced to sound like a 2 cent impression of J.R. Ewing in order to have it recognize me. And it continues to get better and better on the VR every week. I find myself doing about 40% of my interactions with the iPhone through Siri now.
Did people expect Siri to be like H.A.L. straight off? Is Apple's advertising, unlike every other manufacturer on the planet have to be 100% accurate and meet everyone's expectations immediately, no matter how fantastic these become? Siri continues to mature and evolve, and as with the maps in iOS 6, I believe this will be seen as a storm in a teacup within 18 months.
3) Skeuomorphism: While I don't personally care for all skeuomorphistic design, there are plenty of people out there that do. It is a vocal minority that is making a big deal of this. And some skeuomorphisms are very nice indeed. I note that the same people lambasting Scott Forstall over iCal are very quiet about the new iPad iOS 6 clock interface!
4) One more thing: Tony Fadell has an axe to grind with Scott Forstall. They fell out over the design of the iPhone from all accounts. In fact, if the stories are to be believed, they fell out over the design of the OS for the iPhone. Forstall wanted to use OSX, while Fadell was espousing a simpler (ipod like) OS design. Ask yourself what was the right decision?!
There are so many parallels between SF's ousting from Apple and the original ousting of Steve Jobs that I can scarcely believe the mainstream media has not already picked up on it. I worry that Apple is becoming more like the "Sculley-years" Apple, and less like the Steve Jobs oversaw. Again, ask yourself why is it that Steve Jobs kept SF on? Steve was not one to suffer fools lightly and its not like SF was new to Apple.
And while so many people have jumped on the anti SF bandwagon, I am sorry to see him go. I believe that he still has a lot more to offer any company smart enough to realise that and that eventually we will all realise his import to Apple and where Apple has gotten to. If Apple thinks they have issues with Google and Android now, Apple better hope that SF does not get gobbled up by Google!
Time will tell!