Apple Park's 'rainbow' designed by Jony Ive for celebration honoring Steve Jobs, campus op...

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in General Discussion edited May 2019
Rumors about a multi-arch rainbow structure adorning Apple Park's main "spaceship" building have circulated since the peculiar addition was spotted in a drone flyover on Wednesday. According to a report on Thursday, the rainbow is part of a stage designed by Jony Ive's design team for an upcoming special event.




An article detailing what is referred to simply as "the rainbow" was recently posted to Apple's internal AppleWeb communication platform, informing employees that the structure is part of a celebration planned for May 17, reports Cult of Mac.

Dreamed up by Ive's team, the rainbow is the culmination of months of cooperation between groups at Apple, live event and concert rigging specialist TAIT and engineering firm Stageco.

As with all Apple products, the distinctive stage is meticulously crafted. Six aluminum arch segments incorporate smoothly curved tops and bottoms achieved by a machinist rolling the metal over a 12-day period. To achieve a seamless appearance, the arches are covered in a polycarbonate liner, while a UV-resistant coating protects the sections from fading under California's blistering sun.

Thirty machined components form the rainbow's underpinnings, while the entire assembly consists of some 25,000 parts. Apple designed the structure to be erected and dismantled as needed, according to the report.

Ive described the genesis of Apple Park's rainbow in an interview posted alongside the Apple Web article.

"Our goal was to create a stage that would become immediately recognizable as the Apple Stage," Ive said. "The idea for the rainbow was one of those rare occasions where the earliest thoughts worked on a number of different fronts."

Apple's CDO said working on a project for employees, whether it be Apple Park or a rainbow-themed stage, is a "special" and "motivational" experience. He presented a similar sentiment in 2017 when responding to flak about Apple Park's design, saying at the time that criticism from outside parties is "utterly bizarre" because the campus was built for employees, not the general public.

In the AppleWeb interview, Ive goes on to explain that the stage is a physical manifestation of Apple's rainbow-colored logo. Indeed, the rainbow's colors mimic those of the company's iconic logo, albeit in brighter shades.

"There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that's been part of our identity for many years," Ive said. "The rainbow is also a positive and joyful expression of some of our inclusion values and I think that one of the primary reasons the idea resonated so immediately and so profoundly with us was the form -- the connection from an aesthetic design point of view. A semi-circle relates so beautifully and naturally to the form of the ring."

Ive and company imagined the stage as a three-dimensional object rather than a flat surface so passersby are able to appreciate it from all angles. And while it is located in a seemingly insignificant spot, the rainbow's unique design allows for its presence to be known over a wide area.

"My space in Apple Park is on the external part of the perimeter. But I can see the rainbow reflected in the ceiling all the way through to where I sit. That truly wasn't planned but one of those lucky accidents," Ive said. "We had planned the way in which the colors interplay between the discrete bands of the rainbow throughout the day making it more vital and fluid. There are some wonderful but subtle combinations and reflections."

It appears the rainbow will be removed following the May 17 celebration -- itself something of a mystery -- but, considering the effort that went into its creation, is likely to reappear at subsequent events.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 39
    McJobsMcJobs Posts: 29member
    That’s the guy who also designed the most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind?
    elijahgwilliamlondonchemenginSpamSandwich
  • Reply 2 of 39
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    minicoffeelarryjwtyler82StrangeDaysAppleExposedyojimbo007ferdinandccspice-boygutengelcaladanian
  • Reply 3 of 39
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,112member
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    I miss the days when Apple catered more to the counter culture “the misfits, the rebels” and the community was much tighter, friendlier, and forward thinking. When Apple sold its soul for the dollar, its user base has become much more.. knuckle dragging. 
    edited May 2019 elijahgdavgregspice-boy
  • Reply 4 of 39
    “Indeed, the rainbow's colors mimic those of the company's iconic logo, albeit in brighter shades.”

    The colors in the video are badly blown out from over saturation. I’m willing to bet the actual colors are Pantone-perfect matches to the rainbow logo knowing Ive’s perfectionism.
    elijahgAppleExposed
  • Reply 5 of 39
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    McJobs said:
    That’s the guy who also designed the most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind?

    Yeah because Apple products are designed and engineered by one person.
    racerhomie3AppleExposedspice-boymaltz
  • Reply 6 of 39
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    That’s not even the rainbow flag colors.
    AppleExposed
  • Reply 7 of 39
    Hank2.0Hank2.0 Posts: 151member
    "Dreamed up by Ive's team, the rainbow is the culmination of months of cooperation between groups at Apple, live event and concert rigging specialist TAIT and engineering firm Stageco."

    Really...months? I wonder where they got the idea?

    The Best Places in Los Angeles for a Picnic  Discover Los

  • Reply 8 of 39
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,940member
    McJobs said:
    That’s the guy who also designed the most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind?
    Seriously? We're still bitching about this? Get over it already!
    StrangeDaysAppleExposedwilliamlondonlolliver
  • Reply 9 of 39
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,103member
    tyler82 said:
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    I miss the days when Apple catered more to the counter culture “the misfits, the rebels” and the community was much tighter, friendlier, and forward thinking. When Apple sold its soul for the dollar, its user base has become much more.. knuckle dragging. 
    When exactly was Apple not in it for money? Remember when Sculley raised the price of the original Macintosh to cover marketing? 

    Anyway I’d argue Apple is one of the more generous and involved mega-corporate citizens around. 
    edited May 2019 racerhomie3AppleExposedwilliamlondon
  • Reply 10 of 39
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,103member

    Hank2.0 said:
    "Dreamed up by Ive's team, the rainbow is the culmination of months of cooperation between groups at Apple, live event and concert rigging specialist TAIT and engineering firm Stageco."

    Really...months? I wonder where they got the idea?

    The Best Places in Los Angeles for a Picnic  Discover Los

    Pretty sure the months refers to all the work and collaboration needed to make what they made. 
    edited May 2019 AppleExposedwilliamlondonlolliver
  • Reply 11 of 39
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    tyler82 said:
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    I miss the days when Apple catered more to the counter culture “the misfits, the rebels” and the community was much tighter, friendlier, and forward thinking. When Apple sold its soul for the dollar, its user base has become much more.. knuckle dragging. 
    Serving 1.4 Billion devices has consequences.
  • Reply 12 of 39
    McJobs said:
    That’s the guy who also designed the most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind?
    I'm pretty sure that he had nothing do with the engineering of the butterfly keyboard or the silicone gaskets added later.  He's a designer not a mechanical engineer.
    pscooter63AppleExposedwilliamlondonlolliver
  • Reply 13 of 39
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,307member
    Now you know why we still have the same design for the iMac. 
  • Reply 14 of 39
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,103member
    entropys said:
    Now you know why we still have the same design for the iMac. 
    Same design since when? The current iMac is different than my iMac. And as has been explained numerous times, they don’t do change for change’s sake. What are your functional problems with the excellent iMac design? That it’s not something else? Apple’s design ethos doesn’t really rank alleviating boredom of forum enthusiasts real high. 
    williamlondonfastasleeplolliver
  • Reply 15 of 39
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,454member
    It ALMOST mimics the colors of the first Apple logo, but there is no #F5821F Orange:

    https://d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net/uploads/2014/11/logocolors-7.jpg
  • Reply 16 of 39
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    McJobs said:
    That’s the guy who also designed the most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind?
    Nope. He did design the most successful product in human history though.
    And what have you created that's so genius?

    -Sent from my most unreliable laptop keyboard in history of the mankind

    tyler82 said:
    Macrumors article on this had comments mostly made by homophobes. What is wrong with those people?
    I miss the days when Apple catered more to the counter culture “the misfits, the rebels” and the community was much tighter, friendlier, and forward thinking. When Apple sold its soul for the dollar, its user base has become much more.. knuckle dragging. 

    What the fuck does this stage have to do with the gay community or anything you said?

    Seriously, leave macrumors at macrumors.
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 17 of 39
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    "the rainbow is part of a stage designed by Jony Ive's design team for an upcoming special event. "

    Well, I was hoping it would be used for this
  • Reply 18 of 39
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,485member
    So it is a permanent addition then, given the amount of work that has gone in to it. 
    edited May 2019
  • Reply 19 of 39
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,286member

    @Mattinoz, not too sure. From the Article:

    "It appears the rainbow will be removed following the May 17 celebration -- itself something of a mystery -- but, considering the effort that went into its creation, is likely to reappear at subsequent events"

  • Reply 20 of 39
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,312member
    It’s a neat design, but doesn’t seem to prevent rain from falling onto the lighting trusses and the performers. Maybe Apple Park has an invisible dome over it. 
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