Thing is, pretty much all their main devices, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks and iMacs alike are pretty much as optimised as they can be. There's not a lot you can do with a slab of glass. There's been very little change over the last 10 years because the design of the devices is pretty much as good as it can get - it's kind of change for the sake of change now, the MacBook keyboard for example.
Exactly. And it took Jony Ive to show the world what these things should be designed like.
Look at the Kindle. Look at the crazy number of smart phone gadgets that were milling about. Look at the abomination that was UMPCs. Look at Chromebooks.
Now, look at the iPad and iPhone. Sleek and simple. Aluminum and glass. Everything Star Trek wished for. And Ive nailed it on the first try. All smartphone now look like his first iPhone. All tablets basically look like his first iPad. His laptop designs were always the classiest with the cleanest design and function down to the hinge. No WiFi button and this and that button everywhere. and the pc guys just copy now.
Dude is an icon and forever changed computing in every possible way. From hardware design, including the development of tools to build the hardware, to software UI and UX, the guy is a phenom.
Pretty much the way everything works now has this guys fingerprints on some aspect of it. And no matter where you look, be it Apple, Samsung, or the nicer products MS is making, they are all basically designed by Ive as it’s his aesthetics you’re looking at. And his build process as well. Simply amazing.
We take it for granted now, but it was all game changing stuff when he first did it.
Relax. Everyone moves on, up or out at some point.
And design is as important at Apple as it ever was, precisely because of their business model. When you’re responsible for the entire widget in a sea of “open”, non-integrated systems, differentiation is key, and the most directly consumer-facing form of differentiation is design. Love it or hate it, Apple’s designs have always been distinctive. It isn’t reasonable to expect this to change anytime soon.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
I'm not sure I agree with this. There are more design ideologies/methodologies in the world than Jony Ive's and Steve Jobs', both of whom I have immeasurable respect for.
Plus there’s a difference between being less important and being less celebrated. It may be that design roles were included in that page as a means to acknowledge the man who’s contributions over long years shaped the company. It would be inappropriate to give the same honors, yet, to those replacing him in that role. Thus his cohorts who are taking over were allowed to share the spotlight with him while he was there, but are not being presented without him in that light.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
I'm not sure I agree with this. There are more design ideologies/methodologies in the world than Jony Ive's and Steve Jobs', both of whom I have immeasurable respect for.
Plus there’s a difference between being less important and being less celebrated. It may be that design roles were included in that page as a means to acknowledge the man who’s contributions over long years shaped the company. It would be inappropriate to give the same honors, yet, to those replacing him in that role. Thus his cohorts who are taking over were allowed to share the spotlight with him while he was there, but are not being presented without him in that light.
IDK. Design for Apple is as fundamental and integral as chip design, supply chain management, and software development. The fact that no designers are on the leadership team speaks volumes. And not in a good way. Hope that gets fixed soon.
IVE was wonderful but, . . At times the pursuit of the ultimate edge was ill advised like the pursuit of thinnest, especially in the iMac line was silly. A little bit of function over form would have done both Jobs and Ive some good.
I never cared for Ives vision of maximum thinness of design when it came to sacrificing performance. My current iPod Touch’s battery life is laughable and must always be plugged into a power source or I’ll get the low battery warning. Same with the MacBook Pro, it’s too thin to include the SD card reader anymore.
They should build a statue or bust and place it outside of Apple headquarters to honor the third most important man after the two Steves.
Sounds interesting, but Tim C seems far too humble to allow such a thing.
and some would rightly suggest Tim C was more important than Jony. You can design all you like, but it is Tim’s legendary skills in supply chain, inventory and JIT that powered the financial growth of Apple.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
I'm not sure I agree with this. There are more design ideologies/methodologies in the world than Jony Ive's and Steve Jobs', both of whom I have immeasurable respect for.
You know why he left, right? Tim Cook and the Co rejected many designs from Ive: iPhone SE 2 was real and same doe many other designs that were leaked. What do you think Apple had the same phone physical platforms for 3-4 years now (4, 4S, 5, 5S then 6, 6S, 7, 8, then X, XS, 11)? It’s because Ive’s designs were rejected. I could understand his frustration. We could’ve had more phone designs if Ive’s ideas didn’t get rejected.
I never cared for Ives vision of maximum thinness of design when it came to sacrificing performance. My current iPod Touch’s battery life is laughable and must always be plugged into a power source or I’ll get the low battery warning. Same with the MacBook Pro, it’s too thin to include the SD card reader anymore.
Is there an AppleWhine.com site somewhere that holds four or five templates forms for quick and easy forum posting?
I'd like to do a keyword search for "thinness" and "dongle" and "if Steve were alive" and then get a handy-dandy formatted post that I can use to pollute forums with the same rehashed dross.
He had some good stuff and bad stuff. Just like most people. He also got lucky with some timing and probably unlucky with other timing.
Personally, I think he was moving too far from function and letting obvious errors go uncorrected.
Just one example. The 11" Air should never have been allowed to go public with light grey text on a basically grey colour scheme. An absolute nightmare out of the box. Something as plainly obvious as that should never have got out of the gate. He should have been on top of those things even if the original decisions weren't his. As a designer in an influential position, he had the duty to catch such huge in-your-face problems
New blood, new ideas and new solutions are needed, so seeing him go wasn't a big issue.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
I'm not sure I agree with this. There are more design ideologies/methodologies in the world than Jony Ive's and Steve Jobs', both of whom I have immeasurable respect for.
You know why he left, right? Tim Cook and the Co rejected many designs from Ive: iPhone SE 2 was real and same doe many other designs that were leaked. What do you think Apple had the same phone physical platforms for 3-4 years now (4, 4S, 5, 5S then 6, 6S, 7, 8, then X, XS, 11)? It’s because Ive’s designs were rejected. I could understand his frustration. We could’ve had more phone designs if Ive’s ideas didn’t get rejected.
Nah, all conjecture on your part. Where’s the proof?
“It looks as if Apple no longer sees his vision quite as crucial as it was.”
Uh... seemed like from all accounts this was a largely amicable transition, and had he kept interest, he could’ve stayed indefinitely as CDO. What a weird lede.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
Yeah, no. Design is as important at Apple as it was a decade ago, especially as they push further into new realms like wearables and non-traditional interfaces. The whole “hardware isn’t important because of services” thing isn’t actually a thing.
Really bad lede... They removed his name because he no longer works for Apple. As to the bit about “it looks as if Apple no longer sees his design vision quite as crucial as it was” every product being sold by Apple has Jony’s imprint on it. iPhone, iPad, AirPods Pro, Mac Pro, etc..
Steve Jobs over-rated Ive and made him unassailable within Apple. The consequences of that have hit Apple - the disastrous 'Trash Can' Mac Pro, the iMacs and MacBooks which became essentially 'disposable' and all in the name of aesthetics. His reach went too far and unchallenged. His influence will live on but hopefully in a more measured dose.
As I said, the colours were more subdued and the overall design concept was much more mellow. All that ‘fake wood’ looked splendid on Retina displays. And then it was as if someone’d taken a cosy, fireplace-lit little room, and turned it into a futuristic hospital ward. That’s not to say I’m opposed to the latter - I just wouldn’t like to live in one.
Moreover, I’m not quite in favour of all those gaudy iPhone finishes they offer nowadays. Less is more, if you ask me, and this notion used to lend Apple that luxurious, enigmatic aura, upon which the ever-growing line-up has taken a toll despite the fact that most iPhones are now selling at absolutely formidable prices
Oddly enough, I’m rather glad Jony’s left Apple. While I fully recognise his enormous contribution to Apple’s success, this new flat, colourful design language of his, which the industry was very quick to copy, still doesn’t quite sit well with me. I experience some kind of sensory overload while lacking the emotional connexion I had back in the day when the colours were subdued and the designs, sophisticated…
Because that skeuomorphism with fake wood and leather as well as other more pointless attempts to mimic real world items completely out of scale on a glass display wasn't sensory overload?
“It looks as if Apple no longer sees his vision quite as crucial as it was.”
Uh... seemed like from all accounts this was a largely amicable transition, and had he kept interest, he could’ve stayed indefinitely as CDO. What a weird lede.
"However, it's hard not to see Design as being something less important now in Apple. It's hard to see it as something even approaching as crucial as it used to be."
Yeah, no. Design is as important at Apple as it was a decade ago, especially as they push further into new realms like wearables and non-traditional interfaces. The whole “hardware isn’t important because of services” thing isn’t actually a thing.
Yes. He left because he wanted to expand his work into other areas, and his long term contract will assure his influence at Apple will extend for some time. Though, not being part of the company, his authority will be much less. He can’t enforce a policy, for example.
Steve Jobs and Jony Ive shared the same design instincts and vision. As Apple moves away from Ives, it is also moving away from Job's. It will happen slowly, but it will happen. Sad to see.
Yes and no. Jobs and Ives were a balance, a Yin and Yang as it were . Once Jobs was gone, I think the tension that made Ives designs so great went with him. I don’t think Ives has done as good quality work since Jobs departure. Just as a kite needs a string to fly high, Ives needed Jobs to stabilize him and keep him from plunging off into rabbit holes.
Comments
And design is as important at Apple as it ever was, precisely because of their business model. When you’re responsible for the entire widget in a sea of “open”, non-integrated systems, differentiation is key, and the most directly consumer-facing form of differentiation is design. Love it or hate it, Apple’s designs have always been distinctive. It isn’t reasonable to expect this to change anytime soon.
Jumping to conclusions a bit too quickly IMO .
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At times the pursuit of the ultimate edge was ill advised like
the pursuit of thinnest, especially in the iMac line was silly. A little bit of function over form would have done both Jobs and Ive some good.
Apple materially benefits from using less raw materials, and from reduced shipping charges. These were never passed on to customers.
Yes, it absolutely hurt the iMac line, but it wasn't just Ive. Cook is an operations guy, after all.
I'd like to do a keyword search for "thinness" and "dongle" and "if Steve were alive" and then get a handy-dandy formatted post that I can use to pollute forums with the same rehashed dross.
Personally, I think he was moving too far from function and letting obvious errors go uncorrected.
Just one example. The 11" Air should never have been allowed to go public with light grey text on a basically grey colour scheme. An absolute nightmare out of the box. Something as plainly obvious as that should never have got out of the gate. He should have been on top of those things even if the original decisions weren't his. As a designer in an influential position, he had the duty to catch such huge in-your-face problems
New blood, new ideas and new solutions are needed, so seeing him go wasn't a big issue.
Apple’s product lineup appears to be benefiting now from greater attention to how it works.