Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Talks iPad Pro Design in New Interview

[Return Zero]

So, this includes removing the 3.5 mm audio jack? You people have lost it...

It makes a lot more sense here than it does with the iPhone, when you consider what he says about wanting the device to not have a specific orientation (not possible when cables are sticking out).

...says the man who choose to put these displays with square corners into designs without square corners for many years.

Rounded screens were too problematic until recently, and physical devices with square corners are not very comfortable to handle. Imagine your iPhone with square corners when you're trying to hold it one-handed. You'd have a narrow point digging into your palm... no thanks.

 

[ipedro]

It's now becoming obvious that the iPad is experiencing a metamorphosis into more of a Mac than a large iPhone where it started. The addition of the USB port is starting to make that clear. The iPad Pro has taken on a MacBook Pro design language with flat edges and rounded corners.

In retrospect, the move to creating iPad only Mac-like UI elements like the dock, drag and drop, split screen and more in iOS 11 were the first steps. I expect to see iOS 13 move iPad's iOS further away from the iPhone and closer to macOS. Perhaps we'll see the loss of the app grid which Apple seems to be shifting a focus away from in its iPad Pro marketing materials.

That iPad Pro is just as powerful as a MacBookPro shows us where Apple is headed.

 

[Targets R Us]

"The simple flat edge of the iPad Pro is also an achievement..."

Say what? It's the same design as iPhone 4/5. <sarcasm> That's some 'magic'..... </sarcasm>

-Jeff

 

[alpi123]

I seriously can't even look at it. The display corners are so small compared to the corners of the tablet itself.

 

[coolfactor]

I think this guy is quite the gifted designer. It will be a sad day for Apple when he goes elsewhere. Not to mention, he’s a great narrator.

He's building a world-class team. Just like Steve Jobs did. We have nothing to worry about.

 

[gaximus]

This is the problem with other phones with rounded corners and chins, the corner doesn't follow the edge of the device. The Pixel 3 tried to hide this by making the bottom corners of the screen have less of a radius, which make it look even worse in my opinion.

 

[deeddawg]

but whenever he speaks, holy crap. it's excessive hyperbolic buzzwords out the wazzooo

Bingo. I find it difficult to listen to him for all the fluff.

Someone ought to design a few Jony Ive Buzzword Bingo cards before the next keynote. LOL

 

[Porco]

It makes a lot more sense here than it does with the iPhone, when you consider what he says about wanting the device to not have a specific orientation (not possible when cables are sticking out).

But it has a USB-C port. And the buttons, camera and logo all give it an orientation. So would a headphone jack socket really make all the difference? I don't think so.

 

[deeddawg]

So, this includes removing the 3.5 mm audio jack? You people have lost it...

Can't speak for others, but I can't remember the last time I used wired headphones. On a phone or anything else. Do people still do that?

 

[Bacillus]

its' nothing more than Marketing.

Rather an F-word:
Either Fluff - or the sincerest form of Flattery when it comes to adhering to the shape of competing tablets, phones & pencil stoweaway solutions

 

[axantas]

"The new iPad Pro, says Ive, doesn't have an orientation because there's no Home button, speakers are all around the device, and Face ID works in landscape and portrait modes."

There IS an orientation. It wiggles in different directions, depending on the camera bump.

EDIT: Ok, It does not wiggle, but it is tilted depending on the position on the camera

 

[mrzz]

I think this guy is quite the gifted designer. It will be a sad day for Apple when he goes elsewhere. Not to mention, he’s a great narrator.

i really hope this guy is gone sooner than later. his obsession with minimalism badly hurt number of products. He is often unable to combine product design with product usability which is very important. some products (like MBP) are not a pleasure to use anymore

 

[DNichter]

"The new iPad Pro, says Ive, doesn't have an orientation because there's no Home button, speakers are all around the device, and Face ID works in landscape and portrait modes."

There IS an orientation. It wiggles in different directions, depending on the camera bump.

The current 10.5 doesn't wiggle from the camera bump, I'd imagine it's the same for this one.

 

[rowspaxe]

...some poster in Macrumors has suggested the idea of side mag-attachment before, probably last year.

Like the Surface...from 3 years ago

 

[BvizioN]

"Ive said when changing a well-known and loved product like the iPad, there's a need to not "fall into the trap of just making things different." It's important when changing things not to "make it different, but make it better."

So, this includes removing the 3.5 mm audio jack?

What 3.5 mm audio jack?

 

[mnewton91]

Can't speak for others, but I can't remember the last time I used wired headphones. On a phone or anything else. Do people still do that?

I have a close friend who is a DJ. He uses iPad Pro, but has an external interface & hasn’t used 3.5mm in years.

 

[Icaras]

"Ive said when changing a well-known and loved product like the iPad, there's a need to not "fall into the trap of just making things different." It's important when changing things not to "make it different, but make it better."

So, this includes removing the 3.5 mm audio jack? You people have lost it...

Or maybe you people have lost it. The removal of the audio jack doesn’t affect me one bit.

Either just move on or jump ship. You have choices.

 

[Techwatcher]

I think this guy is quite the gifted designer. It will be a sad day for Apple when he goes elsewhere. Not to mention, he’s a great narrator.

It’s funny how I don’t see this pointed out often. He literally have a voice made for nature documentaries.

 

[DocMultimedia]

"The curve in the corner of the display is concentric with and sympathetic to the actual enclosure, but doesn't look like the spike of the plummeting stock price. I should have cashed out my options."

 

[coolfactor]

"Ive says that designing products like the Apple Pencil that introduce features no one knew they wanted until they debuted is a "fundamental part" of his job."

Uhhh - people wanted a stylus against Steve Job's wishes. We also wanted a place to put it. And I actually use a magnetic sleeve on my Pencil 1 to snap it to the side of the iPad. And we wanted a side button because it's insane to have a pencil with no eraser. Wouldn't any user want these things? What I don't care as much about is the styling.

You're mixing things up. Earlier handheld devices needed a stylus to be usable at all. Apple perfected the "finger-friendly" design. That was Steve's point. The Apple Pencil (aka "stylus") merely adds to that experience, it's not essential for operating the device. And it's not just a dumb stick like earlier stylii were, but a smart device that adds value to the overall capabilities of the iPad. So it's not as simple as you are trying to make it out to be. It took a tremendous engineering effort to get the results we have today, not just casting a plastic stylus. That engineering is what Apple is proud of, and rightfully so.

 

[DDustiNN]

Not sure about the new sharp edges. I really liked the rounded edges of the last iPad. It’s easily the most comfortable iPad design to hold. It just feels perfect in your hands.

But more importantly... I just can’t believe they added a camera bump. Especially on an iPad Pro, where you’re more likely to be working on a flat surface with the Pencil. Now you’ll constantly have that annoying “wobble” that the iPhones have. Such a terrible idea.

 

[Rogifan]

Looks like he designed away the use of most cases...if you want to use the pencil. Ive is nothing special.

How so? Wouldn’t cases be designed to leave an opening on the side where the magnet/charging spot is? The 12.9” got smaller so existing cases won’t work with it anyway.

 

[netdudeuk]

I imagine this true. For someone who has never encountered a magnet in their entire life. Jony is a pathetic joke who should never be allowed to speak in public.

Yes, anyone who sees something attached with a magnet as 'magical' is an idiot.

Words such as 'Super', 'Pro' and 'Magic' have no true meaning in product names so why do they use them ?

The iPad is basically a flat rectangular shell with a rectangular screen. Big deal. The great things about it result from brilliant engineering minds, not the design minutia.
​

 

[coolfactor]

"The curve in the corner of the display is concentric with and sympathetic to the actual enclosure, but doesn't look like the spike of the plummeting stock price. I should have cashed out my options."

I wish Apple would go private. These investors don't care about the company they are invested in, only the money they can make. For the stock to crash *after* another record-breaking quarter is just an example of how disconnected they are from the long-game that Apple is playing with their product roadmap. Continual evolution of perfection, year after year. I fail to see how that can be seen as anything but being responsible with investors' money.

 

[Graphikos]

I seriously can't even look at it. The display corners are so small compared to the corners of the tablet itself.

I'm with you. I mean, it should be smaller than the bezel's corner but it still feels a bit "off" to me. Maybe it looks perfect in real life and I'd expect nothing less from Apple. Just look at the iPhones and their curves. Spot on from the bezel to the screen to the UI.