Wired News: Design According to Ive

isegwayisegway
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I havn't seen this posted here...



Wired



02:00 AM Jun. 25, 2003 PT



"Like the protohumans confronting the alien monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, thousands of Mac programmers appeared awed by the brutal austerity of Apple Computer's new G5 Power Mac when it was unveiled Monday.



As the machine rose on a pedestal from the stage at San Francisco's Moscone Center, the crowd of several thousand Mac programmers gathered to witness its launch fell silent, as though in the presence of something mysterious and powerful.



After the machine's unveiling by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the chattering began. But the man primarily responsible for the stark, minimalist look of the G5, Jonathan Ive, stood quietly at the edge of the crowd, chatting with a couple of colleagues.



Ive, the 36-year-old, British-born designer who heads up Apple's industrial design team, is a quiet-spoken, somewhat shy man. In spite of all his awards and plaudits -- he was recently named Designer of the Year by London's prestigious Design Museum -- he is accessible and friendly, almost egoless." continued at link

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    appleluvaappleluva Posts: 26member
    That was a good article. Thanks for posting it! Ive Rules!
  • Reply 2 of 16
    shatteringglassshatteringglass Posts: 176member
    It's almost like Ive did a 180 and went against trying to make an effort to dress up the exterior, which is the complete opposite from the El Capitan design.



    That's awesome.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    To me, it's a strong look, and I like it. Not the prettiest case ever, that goes to the QS, not the cube, which is second, and the MDD tied, not as pretty but perhaps the best balance of size and internal expansion ever -- the one glaring weakness of the new G5, though I wouldn't lay blame at Ive's feet for that, I don't think 2 HDD bays was his decision.



    And the rest of Ive's work is a lot of fun. The iPod's look just perfect, the snow iMac is quite beautiful and of course the iMac FP is gorgeous. To say nothing of the Al and TiBooks and chicklet iBooks. I love the way the iSight looks like a futurists impression of an old mic. Great stuff. All so simple you might say, anybody could do that, except nobody does it, or makes it look that good when they try.



    Class act.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    chu_bakkachu_bakka Posts: 1,793member
    He really has the ulitmate designer's job. And the toughest.



    Building machines for the most critical eyes... designers, artists and musicians. We're the biggest style snobs out there



    He rocks. And I've read he drives and Aston Martin.



    Luuucky Foook.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Yeah, I have to say that if I could trade shoes with someone, he'd be at the top of the list: universally respected, loved by millions, coolness precedes him, etc.



    Must be a nice little life he's carved out for himself.



    I'd love to wake up everyday knowing that my job was to make this stuff look and function great.



    He IS a lucky bastard!







    For what it's worth, I've got the whole "gesturing compulsively while talking" thing down pat, so...







    Been doing that FOREVER.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Matsu

    All so simple you might say, anybody could do that, except nobody does it, or makes it look that good when they try.



    Class act.





    Didn't you hear? Clive can do better
  • Reply 7 of 16
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    After reading that article, I look at the Powermac G5 in a new way; as a hulking piece of state-of-the-art machinery. Now, when I see that case, I think: strength in its most essential form.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    michael greymichael grey Posts: 384member
    Does anyone know the name/codename for this case design? I would hate to see this case take over the tired 'cheese-grater' moniker.'
  • Reply 9 of 16
    isegwayisegway Posts: 133member
    Quote:

    Does anyone know the name/codename for this case design? I would hate to see this case take over the tired 'cheese-grater' moniker.'



    I don't know what the codename is, but someone here called it somehting cool, I forget who came up with it but they called it the "wind tunnel". Kinda neat name, and very appropriate.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    talishtalish Posts: 3member
    hero?
  • Reply 11 of 16
    burningwheelburningwheel Posts: 1,827member
    the case is nice but i hate the front grill
  • Reply 12 of 16
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    Quote:

    Ive pulled out the twin fans for the chips, indicating the lack of a power cord. Because the fans have to be removed to insert more RAM into the motherboard -- an operation likely to be done only once or twice in the machine's lifetime -- they don't have a cord. Instead, they slide into a pair of power slots.




    damn they rule sometimes.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    rmendisrmendis Posts: 71member
    There are some elements of the design the strike me as being very Steve (Jobs).



    That is the single (and expensive) Aluminium panel that envelopes 3/4 the machine. (There was no real need for this? It could have been 3 separate panels).



    This is very NeXT. In the way the original NeXT cube was entirely Magnesium, when in reality only the frame or parts of it could have been. like the NeXTstation.



    The handles/stand also made from the same sheet.

    Now i think transparent plastics like that of the Displays, the Cube and some of the 3D renditions we've seen on the Web would probably be stronger and more practical.



    In fact the transparent plastics could have covered thin Al plates for the sides of the machine. And they could have still had the vents going from front to back, even if they didn't want the vents to go from bottom to top.



    Without a doubt though the detail to the design has been on the inside of the case - as many people have said - is a work of art.



    Ive's design philosophy is flawless as he explains that his 'refinements seeks simplicity'. He has been awarded countless awards to that end.



    However, i suspect that Steve has played an increasingly larger and more influential role in the design of the PowerMac case - and it is apparent here. I doubt any of the asthetic flaws we see are a Ive's design choices, but probably more a reflection of Steves
  • Reply 14 of 16
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Ives' designs are very European... and he used an important description about the design in the Power Mac G5 video... he called the new G5 very "honest".



    The look and feel of Apple's lineup has been becoming rather minimalist. If you compare a PowerBook to any current windows notebook offering... the PowerBook is cleaner, simpler, looks less cluttered, etceteras; it is most definitely not busy, and very "honest".



    Reminds me very much of Banf & Olufsen's industrial design, which I love so much that half the apartment is practically made up of their kit It also helped that they were a client of mine



    As for Jobs influencing Ive, I would say that he does in the capacity of creative director. Much like looking at how he worked with Woz on the Apple boxes... he seemed to respect Woz as the professional, and merely guided him with his expertise. I see a lot of that happening with Ive, in the sense that jobs has a good idea as to the philosophy, albeit it typically conceptual, surrounding what he wants to do... and Ive is there to make it happen. If only creative directors were always like this in the real world...
  • Reply 15 of 16
    musicaltonemusicaltone Posts: 189member
    I think the new Powermac G5 is awesome. Yet again Ive has managed to turn the rule book on its head. In a age where everything is dressed up to be something else I really appreciate the honesty and simplicity of the new design. I think that the stunned silence with which it was greeted by many attests to the boldness of the new design. Only a true genius can throw away his previous work and look at somethng completely anew as Ive has done here.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    rmendisrmendis Posts: 71member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LoCash

    The look and feel of Apple's lineup has been becoming rather minimalist. If you compare a PowerBook to any current windows notebook offering... the PowerBook is cleaner, simpler, looks less cluttered, etceteras; it is most definitely not busy, and very "honest".



    The PowerBooks are a work of art for sure.



    But just as the TiBook underwent a revision for practical purposes (The Titanium corrodes very quickly and easily as witnessed on my TiBook having been 6 months in the heat of the tropics i'm sure that the PowerMac G5 case could undergo some overhaul or refinement in the asthetics.



    Sometimes it is an insult to an artist when fans blindly and faithfully consume anything that is thrown at them...it is usually the start of the decline.



    If you have respect for Ive and any of his work, you shouldn't really be afraid to say that you don't like it...same goes for anybody you respect or idolise.



    Here is where it is important to be HONEST
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