Pundits believe Apple's Jony Ive no longer involved in iPhone, Mac product design [u]
According to numerous reports said to be out of Apple headquarters, the company's Chief Design Officer Jony Ive hasn't contributing much to Apple's consumer goods design as of late, and has been more interested in architecture and similar projects for the last few years.
Based on comments that he had heard over time, long-time Apple journalist Jason Snell and John Gruber speculated that Jony Ive is focused on Apple's "Spaceship" campus and store design with retail head Angela Ahrendts.
"I've heard that he has lately been checked out or not as directly involved with product design and that he's been largely focused on architecture," said Gruber on his "The Talk Show" podcast. "And that maybe the?other?top-level executive who's been working the most with Ive?is Angela Ahrendts."
The pair discussed the possibility that Ive "has assumed a Jobs-like role" within Apple and can mandate product direction that may not be in the company's best interest, like a gold Apple watch or an Apple-branded car.
Gruber and Snell postulate that Apple's car project, recently rumored to be dramatically scaled back, was originally started at Ive's bidding, and the rumored collapse is the herald of Ive's future departure from the company. Potentially reinforcing that belief, the pair discuss rumors floating about that the recent coffee-table "Designed by Apple in California" tome was "decreed" by Ive, is his swan-song, and acts as a portfolio of the designer's work.
Gruber thinks that Ive "may only be spiritual leadership at this point."
The recently released "Designed by Apple in California" book was developed over eight years, and documents materials and techniques used in assembly and construction of all the products in 400 pictures.
"The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve's motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future," said Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer. "This archive is intended to be a?gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines."
Update: Gruber has since written a post to his website Daring Fireball to explain he did not hear Ive was on his way out, but that Ive had checked out of day-to-day design work to concentrate on architecture projects like Campus 2 and Apple retail. That said, the blogger does make note of rumors regarding Ive's eventual departure.
Based on comments that he had heard over time, long-time Apple journalist Jason Snell and John Gruber speculated that Jony Ive is focused on Apple's "Spaceship" campus and store design with retail head Angela Ahrendts.
"I've heard that he has lately been checked out or not as directly involved with product design and that he's been largely focused on architecture," said Gruber on his "The Talk Show" podcast. "And that maybe the?other?top-level executive who's been working the most with Ive?is Angela Ahrendts."
The pair discussed the possibility that Ive "has assumed a Jobs-like role" within Apple and can mandate product direction that may not be in the company's best interest, like a gold Apple watch or an Apple-branded car.
Gruber and Snell postulate that Apple's car project, recently rumored to be dramatically scaled back, was originally started at Ive's bidding, and the rumored collapse is the herald of Ive's future departure from the company. Potentially reinforcing that belief, the pair discuss rumors floating about that the recent coffee-table "Designed by Apple in California" tome was "decreed" by Ive, is his swan-song, and acts as a portfolio of the designer's work.
Gruber thinks that Ive "may only be spiritual leadership at this point."
The recently released "Designed by Apple in California" book was developed over eight years, and documents materials and techniques used in assembly and construction of all the products in 400 pictures.
"The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve's motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future," said Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer. "This archive is intended to be a?gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines."
Update: Gruber has since written a post to his website Daring Fireball to explain he did not hear Ive was on his way out, but that Ive had checked out of day-to-day design work to concentrate on architecture projects like Campus 2 and Apple retail. That said, the blogger does make note of rumors regarding Ive's eventual departure.
Comments
Apparently, Ive decreed this book eight years ago, while Jobs was still alive, as his leaving portfolio?
Mmmm.
Still, if it is true then he's not the only designer working at Apple.
The next iphone - in terms of design - is basically a year late, for technical reasons, but the design will have been locked down since at least september. iOS ovehall is done, Mac - well, they didnt really do that. So yea, what do you think he's doing? The rumoured on-off car - there must have been a design for that. The rest, basically is iterative and he has a solid team.
For what it's worth i dont thnk Ive will ever actaully 'leave' apple. He'll just sort of stay on nominally.
well, not exactly a lie but an assumption that ive is not designing iPhones/macs anymore...
IMO the headline should state "Ives new project is the Space campus"
SO, it seems that everybody does not care about what "assume" stands for... you make an "ass" of "u" and "me"...
thus, twitter people don't care that they are donkeys.
Facebook does not like donkeys, and they are doing something about it.
2) He'll likely always be enthused with Apple. His vision is a key part of Apple's ethos. It may never be rid of Ive's influence.
A fellow who didn't educate any of her/his subordinates doesn't deserve that fellowship already. The design department is a team and Ive is a high-level executive. Such an executive is not expected to ride mouse on AutoCAD after so many years of brilliant service. Expecting that Ive would design by his very own hand is a layman's thinking that has nothing to do with any business or corporate reality. Apple has a design tradition and Ive is the guardian of that tradition, that's it. Just like some other executive being the guardian of the software tradition or another the guardian of sales and marketing tradition, another of the production and manufacturing tradition...
Journalists use confidential sources to lead them to people willing to go on the record. They only publish a story using anonymous sources if they're willing to go to jail to protect their anonymity.
I imagine if he were somehow dragged into court on such a non-story, he'd squeal like a pig.
The car actually may be more a trial on government's green car project than Apple's own. Every large corporation may go into such trials to benefit from government incentives, this is a business reality and nothing wrong with that too. Also I don't think a car can be a fellow designer's dream. This is a layman's understanding of design. Instead a car may be a designer's nightmare, given the number of "concept cars" in shows that have gone into production so far, if any.
I will only agree with people that spell the doom of Apple based on its design decisions the day Apple releases a device that looks like some of those routers shown here yesterday.
1. Try new glasses when you see no difference. And no, the competition doesnt come out with new designs every year.
2. Its the best place for occasional charging without spoiling the clean design. What is your (better) idea? Please, let us know.
3. Again, the same argument. What is your (better) idea? Please, let us know.
4. The battery is most effective when bulky. This design doesnt make the phone bulky. It fits ergonomically into your palm. Have you ever used one of those thick but "flushed" battery cases from competition?
This looks slim just like with regular rubber case when placed on the table or from most angles. And is very easy to put on and off.
5. Again, this is the compromise with the best usability and quality of the keyboard. You would like to have the nonkeyboard part the same thickness only to look flush?? What is your (better) idea? Please, let us know.
6. Camera bumps - you can find them on many phones and there is a reason for it. When you manage to brake the rules of physics, please, let us know.
Yes, these are small details, nitpicking. But it only proves, that Apple did think about those designs more than you ever did and they did it not only from the primitive perspective of how it looks, like you did, but how it works and how it is used!