Apple Park office chairs cost nearly $1,200 apiece, handpicked by designer Jony Ive

AppleInsider

Apple's new "spaceship" campus in Cupertino, Calif. is stocked mainly with one kind of office chair -- the Vitra Pacific, personally chosen by lead designer Jonathan Ive at a cost of $1,185 per unit, though the company likely paid less in its bulk order.

The designers of the chair, Barber and Ed Osgerby, met with Ive several years ago over drinks, Fast Company said on Tuesday. The pair explained to him that the Pacific was designed to be "quiet," with curves that let it blend into any environment.

Ive reportedly raised an eyebrow, telling the Osgerbys "That's interesting." Although it took several more months, Apple became the first party to buy the Pacific -- ordering enough chairs for every workstation at Apple Park, which can accommodate some 12,000 people.

Ive is known to prefer simple and elegant designs, such that they appear "inevitable" to the end user even if they actually took months or years of testing.

Close attention to detail -- by Ive, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and others -- is believed to be one reason why Apple Park took so long to complete. While Jobs presented the project to the Cupertino City Council in 2011, Apple didn't break ground until 2014, a year late and just one year before an intended 2015 opening. Apple employees finally began moving over in early 2017, and some parts of the campus are still under construction.

In total the project may cost Apple $5 billion or more, over the net worth of many fellow corporations.

baconstang

Armrests always get in my way.  I would hope they come off easily.

jpellino

That's a US$14M buy over a couple of beers.  Beats going on Shark Tank any day!

bbh

Nice chair. I want one.

sunman42

Oh, puh-lease. Apple most certainly did not pay $1,185 per chair if they ordered 12,000 of them. Try half that figure for a ballpark number.

I work for a large outfit that is distinguished by its ownership of thermonuclear devices, among other things. Aeron chairs have never cost us much more than 60% of list. And for what it's worth, Aeron chairs have been my place of calm (and slouching) for the last twenty years. The Pacific may be much better in many ways, but I will never go back to an upholstered chair. The upholstery wears out much faster than the chair (or the Aeron webbing) does, and is far less comfortable on warm days.

racerhomie3

I want one.Are these on sell anywhere?

macxpress

So this is what all of the dongles paid for.... /s

StrangeDays

In the late 90s the dot com I worked for had pricey Aerons that were about that as I recall. Doesn’t seem crazy for corporate. 

xraynano

Yeah, I prefer the Herman Miller Aeron as well, but these are in the ballpark for price, maybe 15-20% higher list. The Aeron are easily discounted 50% on the web these day, and I would not be surprised if Apple got a larger discount, because at the quantity, they were manufactured to order. So they probably paid about the same or $500 per chair. Hey that it still not cheap, but not ridiculous if the chair is worth it. The Aeron is, IMO, but it's all about that web. Not sure about comfort of the Vitra Pacifica. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't chosen as an assist to launch of new design by a local company.

steven n.

sunman42 said:

Oh, puh-lease. Apple most certainly did not pay $1,185 per chair if they ordered 12,000 of them. Try half that figure for a ballpark number.

I work for a large outfit that is distinguished by its ownership of thermonuclear devices, among other things. Aeron chairs have never cost us much more than 60% of list. And for what it's worth, Aeron chairs have been my place of calm (and slouching) for the last twenty years. The Pacific may be much better in many ways, but I will never go back to an upholstered chair. The upholstery wears out much faster than the chair (or the Aeron webbing) does, and is far less comfortable on warm days.

I agree on the quality of the Aeron chairs. I had one for 3 months at work once. Spoiled me and now I gamble at the cheap $50 office chairs I currently get.

jbdragon

I guess the iPhone X isn't that expensive if a Computer Desk chair costs more money!!! They have Billions, might as ell spread some of that money around to other company's like this. Helps keep other people employed also. It's better then Government just taking peoples money to spread the wealth.

lkrupp

Is there a coordinated snark campaign going on? You know, yes, there are more elegant ways of doing things that are above the ‘good enough’ standard most of us live by. A Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano, handcrafted in Vienna, Austria, the piano played and preferred by Franz Liszt, sells for between $256,000.00 and $560,000.00 depending on design and finish. You can get a Roland Digital Piano for $899.00 at your local Guitar Center but you won’t see it on a symphony concert stage with Evgeny Kissin playing the Rach 3 on it. And yes we Apple customers paid for these chairs in a certain way, quite voluntarily I might add.

volcan

sunman42 said:

Aeron chairs have been my place of calm (and slouching) for the last twenty years. 

Count me among those posting similar sentiments.

macgui

sunman42 said:

Oh, puh-lease. Apple most certainly did not pay $1,185 per chair if they ordered 12,000 of them. Try half that figure for a ballpark number.

No shit, Sherlock. 

 ...though the company likely paid less in its bulk order.

Of course they paid less, and they did so without having to buy 12,000. 'Yes Mr. Ive, they're $1,185 retail but for orders over 10,000, there's some wiggle room.'

bloodshotrollin'red

Jony. Come on, mate. You got your Knighthood. You wont recall our meeting years ago in Camberwell, London. You wanted my company to commission design work by yours. Since when much water has flowed under the bridge. I was wondering now if, rather than purchasing stupidly expensive chairs for the fat arses at Apple, couldn't you instead ask the Apple Board to pay us Brits a great deal more tax? It would be most gratefully received.

woodycurmudgeon

Jony Ive’s response to employees who develop an RSI because of that hideous chair:  “you’re sitting in it wrong”

tallest skil

bloodshotrollin'red said:

couldn't you instead ask the Apple Board to pay us Brits a great deal more tax?

You’re free to give your entire income in taxes if it bothers you so much. You’ve no right to say what someone else pays in tax. You lost your colonies over that; I would think you’d learn a lesson by now.

dewme

Geez, what's next, a big "reveal" to let everyone know that the spaceship campus has 2-ply toilet paper in the restrooms? 

Soli

macgui said:

sunman42 said:

Oh, puh-lease. Apple most certainly did not pay $1,185 per chair if they ordered 12,000 of them. Try half that figure for a ballpark number.

No shit, Sherlock. 

 ...though the company likely paid less in its bulk order.

Of course they paid less, and they did so without having to buy 12,000. 'Yes Mr. Ive, they're $1,185 retail but for orders over 10,000, there's some wiggle room.'

His point is valid. Reading the headline gives the impression that these chair cost Apple nearly $1200 apiece and then in the article is reiterates that with "personally chosen by lead designer Jonathan Ive at a cost of $1,185 per unit" before tacking on that bulk orders likely means Apple didn't have that cost.

His comment about the MSRP being close to double the price of a heavy discounted product for a major client as part of a marketing strategy also holds true, in my experience. It certainly doesn't send up any red flags to suggest that Apple may have paid around $700 per chair, which can't be inferred in the article with a simple statement of "likely paid less."

mavemufc

If it’s comfy, then it would be worth it, nothing worse than sitting at a desk in an uncomfortable chair all day.

rogifan_new

Looks like a standard office chair to me.