Jony Ive returns to hands-on control of Apple design team

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2017
Apple's chief design officer, Jony Ive, has reportedly resumed management of the company's design team, in a move that should influence the direction of future products.




The switch-up was mentioned on Twitter by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman after Apple removed Alan Dye and Richard Howarth from its Leadership profiles, even though the pair took over daily affairs when Ive assumed the CDO position in 2015.

Dye and Howarth are presumably still with the company, but it's unknown how their roles may have shifted if Ive is jumping back into the fray.

Ive has been instrumental to Apple's success in the past two decades, with major design influence on the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, among other products. In recent years though he has turned his attention to revamping Apple stores and finishing Apple Park.

Since those projects are largely complete, Ive is likely once again free to exercise a direct hand in hardware and software design.

"With the completion of Apple Park, Apple's design leaders and teams are again reporting directly to Jony Ive, who remains focused purely on design," Amy Bessette, an Apple spokesperson, said Friday in a statement to Bloomberg.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 91
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 8,026member
    Pizza Box v.2?

    Having been looking for domestic security locks recently, it's definitely an area that needs some rethinking. 

    If Apple is looking for a new challenge. The ultimate FaceID challenge?


    doozydozenAvieshek
  • Reply 2 of 91
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    Bad news for software. He should not have influence over software.
    cgWerksSpamSandwichplanetary paulAvieshekxzutokyojimuretrogustotyler82asdasd
  • Reply 3 of 91
    basicshapebasicshape Posts: 5member
    Please bring it up at the next board meeting Dysamoria
    montrosemacspatchythepiratelkruppchristopher126doozydozenwatto_cobrafastasleeptycho_macuserAvieshek
  • Reply 4 of 91
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    So did he just step down to go work on the new campus or were his subordinates not up to the job and he needed to come back and oversee day to day operations? John Gruber seems to think this isn’t news but the org announcement from Cook never said Ive giving up day to day management was temporary. I guess all this really means is he doesn’t have one foot out the door as some speculated when the org announcement came out.

    https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/12/08/ive-returns
    edited December 2017 randominternetpersondoozydozen
  • Reply 5 of 91
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    dysamoria said:
    Bad news for software. He should not have influence over software.
    I’m going to take a wild guess that he spends little time on software only because he never seems to talk about it in interviews. But it seems with the new campus all the different design teams will be together in the same space which is a good idea.
    baconstangrandominternetpersondoozydozen
  • Reply 6 of 91
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    Jony, functionality FIRST. Then the rest!
    baconstangdoozydozenAvieshektokyojimudysamoriasippinciderasdasd
  • Reply 7 of 91
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    dysamoria said:
    Bad news for software. He should not have influence over software.
    I think I remember that he was in charge of the UI design not the actual software functionality. Personally, I am not a big fan of tiny, thin gray fonts on a slightly different shade of gray background. Too hard to read, especially outdoors in sunlight. It might be pleasing to his design sensibilities but it is not very practical in my opinion.
    cgWerksbaconstangRayz2016planetary paulpscooter63philboogiedysamoriaretrogustoanton zuykovsteveau
  • Reply 8 of 91
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,141member
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 


    baconstangcaladanianmacpluspluschristopher126doozydozenAviesheksteveaujony0
  • Reply 9 of 91
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,753member
    I'm sure that Jony has absolute freedom to do whatever he wants to do at Apple. He also has zero financial concerns. His decision to resume a more execution-focused functional role at Apple must be driven by his personal desires to contribute in a positive way to Apple's future success. Good for him and good for Apple.
    randominternetpersondoozydozenwatto_cobrapscooter63steveau
  • Reply 10 of 91
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,311member
    Good! Steve would be smiling.
    edited December 2017 GeorgeBMacdoozydozenchristopher126watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 91
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    9secondkox2 said:
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 

    I was thinking when Ive got involved was when it went downhill.
    dysamoriamobius
  • Reply 12 of 91
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Oh Boy!
    Jony's back -- and that thicker iPad has to be sweating bullets!
    doozydozenxzu
  • Reply 13 of 91
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,103member
    cgWerks said:
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 

    I was thinking when Ive got involved was when it went downhill.
    Yes, if by “downhill” you mean growth exploded in multiple sectors and industries, with the best grossing product of all time under his belt, not to mention the most desired mp3 players, tablets, smart watches, and notebooks, all imitated and aped by competitors domestic and abroad, all of which catapulted the company into the single most successful public company in the history of earth. Yeah, totally went “downhill”. What a shame. 
    edited December 2017 macxpressbb-15roundaboutnowdoozydozenwatto_cobraRonnnieOtmayjcs2305muppetryfastasleep
  • Reply 14 of 91
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,940member
    cgWerks said:
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 

    I was thinking when Ive got involved was when it went downhill.
    Yeah everyone loved that felt and fake wood interface...

    Why does every god damn article turn into this constant negativity and results into this I know how to run Apple better than Apple?
    edited December 2017 doozydozenwatto_cobratmayjcs2305muppetryfastasleeppscooter63xzuspice-boyjony0
  • Reply 15 of 91
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,080member
    volcan said:
    dysamoria said:
    Bad news for software. He should not have influence over software.
    I think I remember that he was in charge of the UI design not the actual software functionality. Personally, I am not a big fan of tiny, thin gray fonts on a slightly different shade of gray background. Too hard to read, especially outdoors in sunlight. It might be pleasing to his design sensibilities but it is not very practical in my opinion.
    Unfortunately you can't have one without the other. Just got iOS 11 on anew iPhone 8plus and I hate the redesigned podcastbapp,
    edited December 2017 cgWerksdysamoriaasdasd
  • Reply 16 of 91
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,100member
    k2kw said:
    volcan said:
    dysamoria said:
    Bad news for software. He should not have influence over software.
    I think I remember that he was in charge of the UI design not the actual software functionality. Personally, I am not a big fan of tiny, thin gray fonts on a slightly different shade of gray background. Too hard to read, especially outdoors in sunlight. It might be pleasing to his design sensibilities but it is not very practical in my opinion.
    Unfortunately you can't have one without the other. Just got iOS 11 on anew iPhone 8plus and I hate the redesigned podcastbapp,
    Pretty sure Ive had nothing to do with the Podcast app.  I didn't like the change at first, but after a few weeks, it's working fine for me now.  Change can be hard.
    bb-15doozydozenwatto_cobrapscooter63
  • Reply 17 of 91
    bb-15bb-15 Posts: 283member
    I've seen what the competition can do with Windows 10/phone and the Pixel/Pixel 2/the PixelBook2+pen.

    As for Apple going downhill, for the last 17 years, in the Jony Ive era, the haters have said that Apple was supposed to be going out of business, every year. 
    - And yet the reality is that Apple is bigger than ever due to great products, ecosystem, superior support, ease of use and not having to use all my data to send me more ads. 

    Welcome back Jony.



    macxpressdoozydozenwatto_cobratmaypscooter63randominternetperson
  • Reply 18 of 91
    macplusplusmacplusplus Posts: 2,116member
    cgWerks said:
    9secondkox2 said:
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 

    I was thinking when Ive got involved was when it went downhill.
    Downhill? Ive’s interface is the best one for Retina displays. The old one was too cumbersome and heavy, not suitable to high resolution. No need to discuss that after so many iOS versions. It has just proven itself.
    watto_cobratmaypscooter63jony0
  • Reply 19 of 91
    christopher126christopher126 Posts: 4,366member
    dewme said:
    I'm sure that Jony has absolute freedom to do whatever he wants to do at Apple. He also has zero financial concerns. His decision to resume a more execution-focused functional role at Apple must be driven by his personal desires to contribute in a positive way to Apple's future success. Good for him and good for Apple.
    Well said, dewme. It was my first thought, too. I have a few hero's in my life, Ayrton Senna, Ali, Mercury Morris, Lennon/McCartney, (Doris Day), Jagger, and, of course, Steve, and I like that Jony (and Tim Cook) keeping Stevo's ethos alive, so to speak. Warms my heart.

    (A bit clumsy, but you get my drift.) :)
    edited December 2017 watto_cobramuppetrypscooter63randominternetpersonGeorgeBMacbb-15jony0
  • Reply 20 of 91
    ariearie Posts: 27member
    StrangeDays said:
    cgWerks said:
    Soooo glad to hear this. The hardware designs have taken s step back in some ways. 

    And Ive Revolutionized iOS with a perfect minimalist UI THAT WAS THOROUGH. 

    THE current iteration can use a thorough going over. Keep it minimal and consistent. 

    I was thinking when Ive got involved was when it went downhill.
    Yes, if by “downhill” you mean growth exploded in multiple sectors and industries, with the best grossing product of all time under his belt, not to mention the most desired mp3 players, tablets, smart watches, and notebooks, all imitated and aped by competitors domestic and abroad, all of which catapulted the company into the single most successful public company in the history of earth. Yeah, totally went “downhill”. What a shame. 
    I said it before: it was a team of people (Steve, Jony, forstall,...) that worked together on the IPod, iPhone, iPad.  I think that too much credit is given to a single individual.  In real life you have the confluence of creativity, human interactions, luck, hard work, that resulted in the Apple black Swann we have seen. Apple is not Jony, Jony is not Apple (he is obviously key as many other people). Apple is much bigger than any one individual.
    watto_cobrarandominternetpersondysamoria
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