Jony Ive Said to Be 'As Connected to Product Design as Ever' Following Speculation About His Role

[timber]

Jobs said:

“It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.”

Nowadays the problem is not so such that technology is alone but that there isn't enough technology. The design side of Apple has taken too much leverage over the rest.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

Is he connected to product design with an adapter?

LOL! Joni's single-port, all-in-one adapter which connects directly to Cook's pipeline, clogged and leaking.

 

[oplix]

What he means by "connected as ever" is that soon they will actually connect Jony Ive's body into a computer so that he can become the next Siri. It's his most daring design yet.

 

[timborama]

'Twill be a sad day when Ive does leave.

No! Pretty obvious that he has already checked out, at least "mentally". Definitely time for some new blood/ideas.

 

[theluggage]

The new mac pros have best in class SSD/RAM - can power 2 5k monitors and have 4 USBc ports and are super thin.

...which is great for bragging rights, but how many users actually need that SSD performance, i/o bandwidth and screen estate but don't also need 32GB+ RAM and a beefier CPU and GPU? If you really are running 2x5k screens and a pair of TB3 RAID arrays then super thinness, ultimate battery life and a touch bar over the keyboard that you rarely touch might not be your top priorities. These are unbalanced designs: workstation-class I/O and storage hobbled by ultrabook CPU/GPU/RAM, betting the farm on a new connector and throwing everything else out, with key decisions based on what would fit within the pre-ordained 10% smaller case rather than what would make a well-rounded system.

 

[MallardDuck]

Cool, so we can continue to blame him for the obsessive focus on thin and light versus usability.

He should just go design fashion....that's where the thinner the better.

 

[nt5672]

I think its bad if he stays. He needs a counterpoise and Tim ain't it. The best thing for Ive is to leave, get his head out of his @#!#@$! and let Apple figure out its vision then come back with a fresh perspective. Overall I think he is a good designer, but he has outlived his usefulness in a company without a vision.

 

[Cole Slaw]

Jonys still in control of design, eh?
That's too bad...

 

[nt5672]

...which is great for bragging rights, but how many users actually need that SSD performance, i/o bandwidth and screen estate but don't also need 32GB+ RAM and a beefier CPU and GPU? If you really are running 2x5k screens and a pair of TB3 RAID arrays then super thinness, ultimate battery life and a touch bar over the keyboard that you rarely touch might not be your top priorities. These are unbalanced designs: workstation-class I/O and storage hobbled by ultrabook CPU/GPU/RAM, betting the farm on a new connector and throwing everything else out, with key decisions based on what would fit within the pre-ordained 10% smaller case rather than what would make a well-rounded system.

Just Wow! This is best description I have heard so far of the current Apple MBP product line. its Disjointed. Extra power/speed for people that don't need it and not enough for people that do.

 

[seatton]

I am half convinced Ive is done with Apple design. Look at iPhone 6, 6s, 7. Apple Watch series 0, 1 and 2 are the same design. Also iPhone SE design looks too familiar...hmmmm. Let's not hope this is true.

 

[NY Guitarist]

Locked-down, disposable hardware running dumbed-down software is not the Apple I used to admire.

I'm of the 'form follows function' mindset.

'Less is more' isn't an absolute when it comes to design, and perhaps if Apple had less of that mindset they would have more. Thinner and less ports is not always better.

Sometimes 'Less is Less'. Ive's latest designs are a corporate vanity book and a christmas tree.

 

[geoff5093]

I think Macrumors needs some fresh members besides trolls.

You mean like yourself? His comment was not trolling.

 

[wesk702]

You don't need a widely acclaimed designer for emojis.

Or for deconstructed Christmas trees

 

[Born Again]

talk about covering your own a$$ Gruber.

 

[BarcelonaPaul]

I think it's really important to 'move on' in business after a few years. Humans get very very stale when doing the same thing day after day, year after year. I think we've all seen that with Apple for quite a few years now.
I remember the excitement that the iPhone 4 created in the day - even though it had the worst camera that I've seen in a smartphone. Gosh, it was bad.

 

[pat500000]

Ive needs to be yelled at to get motivation going.

 

[iChrist]

Ive wanted to leave CA and return to England long ago. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see him go and unlike some, I think it might actually benefit Apple to get a fresh perspective and new blood in product design. Now all we need is a CEO who can decide on a coherent product strategy...

I too would like to see him go. Sadly, it will be one of his brainwashed underlings to take his spot so his departure may not lead to the much needed improvement in design.

 

[ph001bi]

Over the last few days, speculation has begun brewing over the potential winding down of Jony Ive's career at Apple, where he works as the company's chief design officer.

During an episode of "The Talk Show" podcast posted last Friday, John Gruber mentioned that he had recently heard Ive has been "checked out or not as directly involved with product design" at Apple, and instead focused on architecture projects for its campuses and retail locations.

Earlier this week, a couple of websites began sharing Gruber's words in stories angled with Ive's lessening involvement at Apple, backed up by the recent release of "Designed by Apple in California," which many look at as the designer's swan song within the company.

Rumors of Ive being "on his way out" of Apple have existed for a while, however, going back to his promotion to chief design officer last year. The position was described as allowing Ive to focus less on management and more on design, or as Gruber said, "the skeptic's take is that this new arrangement allows Ive to be less involved, period."

Following all of this, Gruber yesterday posted a new blog to clear up his original statement. He reiterated on the second and third-hand sources speaking of Ive's status in the company, stating that no one has directly mentioned Ive has stopped overseeing Apple's day-to-day product design, but what he's heard is from sources who "think" he has. After addressing the nuance he meant to convey during his podcast, Gruber admitted that he's in fact heard from "well-placed sources within Apple" that Ive is as devoted and involved as ever.
Gruber ultimately bet that Ive is "not going anywhere," because the arguments that state the designer is leaving Apple must also argue that he is giving up being a designer altogether, and "that doesn't sound right" to him. Addressing the recently released design book -- which covers all of Ive's history with Apple -- Gruber also mentioned that while it could be construed as a goodbye to Apple, "it feels to me like Ive's heartfelt goodbye to his best friend and colleague, five years gone. I don't think Jony Ive is going anywhere."

Check out the full blog post on Daring Fireball.

Article Link: Jony Ive Said to Be 'As Connected to Product Design as Ever' Following Speculation About His Role

Great news, for a second I was worried the iPhone would stop getting thinner.

 

[Mildredop]

It must be extremely frustrating to read about speculation of your imminent departure in all the tech press, yet have zero intention of doing so. Also, what would he do next - retire? Doesn't seem like the sort of person who would be content with kicking back and relaxing for the rest of his life. He's still young. Plenty more left to give. By the same token, what other company could he move to and get the same level of satisfaction, exposure and importance? I can't think of one.

But is he really designing at Apple? What new products have they brought out recently? The Watch is the only one really. Everything else over the last decade is just tweaks here and there - variations on the same theme over and over.

If he's still hungry to design, it wouldn't surprise me if he's just bored.

 

[0958400]

(laughing)

I just don't see it. And that's the problem.

Don't we love lip-service, it's the new Apple product! It's amazing. Never before have we served so much lip-service in such a short time! Listen how we magically transform your experience by repeating the same phrases over and over again.

Listen!
New Macs... will arrive (at some point),
the next big thing... will arrive (sometime),
we have so many great things in the pipeline... (man, Apple, you've got pipelines which must be about the length of the USA!)

We love the pros... and we want their money (but we've got nothing to offer).
Ooops. Anti-climax.

 

[RedOrchestra]

we have so many great things in the pipeline... (man, Apple, you've got pipelines which must be about the length of the USA!)

And, currently suffering from a severe case of constipation, apparently.

 

[satchmo]

talk about covering your own a$$ Gruber.

Well, of course...but it's expected since he's made a fortune cozying up to Apple.
It's difficult to bite the hand that feeds you.

 

[mrxak]

Since Jobs is no longer around to edit Jony, the products have become worse. Tim Cook either doesn't have the relationship with Ive needed, lacks the political power within the company, or more likely doesn't have the talent and vision to do it. I'd be happy to see Jony go, or Tim, or both.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

The thing that concerns me as a shareholder is ... Heading into the busiest time of year for shopping with low or no supply of iPhones, MacBook Pros, Apple Watches and of course AirPods isn't good.

Black Friday is in two days.
Near the top of the MacRumors site is a banner for Black Friday deals.
Just above it is the buyers guide, showing a "Do Not Buy" warning on almost every item listed.

lol

I keep feeling like 2016 was an especially disappointing year, until I realize so were 2015, 2014, and 2013. The news just keeps getting worse, and people are obviously noticing. It's pretty rare spotting a post on here that's not deeply pessimistic.

 

[kdarling]

But is he really designing at Apple? What new products have they brought out recently? The Watch is the only one really. Everything else over the last decade is just tweaks here and there - variations on the same theme over and over.

Even the Watch is just a repeat of an old theme:



Some see a simplicity in this. I see someone playing it safe. YMMV.