Apple Ends Partnership With Former Design Chief Jony Ive

[MacRumors]

Since former Apple design chief Jony Ive left Apple in 2019, he has continued to work for the company as a consultant through his LoveFrom design firm, but the partnership between Apple and Ive is now over, according to The New York Times.

Apple and Ive have agreed to stop working together, ending a more than 30-year relationship. Ive has been responsible for some of Apple's biggest products, designing the iPhone, Apple Watch, Macs, Apple retail stores, and more.

Ive announced his departure from Apple in June 2019, with the goal of creating his own design firm. At the time, Ive said that Apple would be one of his primary clients, with Ive continuing to do design work. Since then, Ive has worked on the 24-inch iMac and other products, plus he has provided guidance on the Apple Car design.

When Ive left Apple, Apple signed a multiyear contract with him that was valued at more than $100 million. Under the terms, Apple was LoveFrom's primary client, but the deal restricted Ive from working on projects that Apple felt were competitive.

Ive and Apple were set to renew the contract, but they decided not to extend it. Apple executives reportedly questioned how much Apple was paying Ive, and were also said to be frustrated that Apple designers were leaving for LoveFrom. Ive, meanwhile, wanted the freedom to choose his own clients without clearing his work with Apple.

Rumors have indicated that Ive left Apple because he became dispirited after the launch of the Apple Watch, with Ive reportedly feeling discontent as Apple was becoming less design focused and more focused on operations. Ive is said to have felt that Cook had little interest in the product development process, and he was allegedly frustrated that Apple's board was populated with directors with backgrounds in finance and operations rather than technology.

Since Ive's departure, Jeff Williams has been overseeing the Apple design teams, and will continue to do so. Industrial design continues to be led by Evans Hankey, and software design is led by Alan Dye. Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak is also said to have a central role in product design choices.

Article Link: Apple Ends Partnership With Former Design Chief Jony Ive

 

[CausticSoda]

He must be weeping super-thin tears.

 

[OwlBundy]

Good riddance. He made products and software that looked nice but was terrible to use.

 

[fwmireault]

The notch on MacBooks was too much for him lol

 

[jace88]

That’s a shame. No more love (from).

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Wow! shocking news. This article actually makes me very sad. Love him or Hate him, he is behind Apple's success.

 

[eoblaed]

Not surprising. Ive's designs were pivotal in refreshing Apple's image but his absolute insistence on form over function eventually became a liability.

 

[minik]

Does that mean we'll see a new Magic Mouse with proper charging port?

 

[19callum93]

It’s bitter sweet

 

[4743913]

adios teapot designer!

 

[Coochie Boogs]

I think we all seen this coming at some point, the real relationship was Steve and Jony, not so much Tim. I liked a lot of the things that Ive has done for Apple. Both teams are on different paths on what they want to give their customers.

 

[4743913]

he lost me with the butterfly keyboard.

 

[Think|Different]

Ouch – they planted this story and wanted the world to know they are distancing themselves. A new generation, for sure.

 

[utterer]

Yeah it is more than 30 year relationship, but he was phoning it in the past 10.

 

[Art Mark]

He is not and was not the only designer. Apple will be fine.

 

[Madhatter32]

Johnny Ive's more recent work gave us butterfly keyboards and touch bars. Sometimes, a guy just needs to know when to retire. Glad Apple forced it along before more damage could be done.

 

[adammusic]

Anyone read that second paragraph as a quote?

I’ve

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

The notch on MacBooks was too much for him lol

Maybe it was the Apple Watch 18K Gold Edition. That was too much for him.

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[dlondon]

he lost me with the butterfly keyboard.

Which version? There were a few!

 

[gugy]

I am not going to bash Ive. He did some amazing things for Apple. But since Jobs passing, many times his obsession with thinness design was way ahead of function and some of his decisions were very odd.
Apple seems far more in balance now on that front.

 

[vagos]

Funny how people who know nothing about design and Ive's work shout so much hate out.

 

[4743913]

Which version? There were a few!

macbook pro 2016-2018

 

[Wokis]

he lost me with the butterfly keyboard.

He's a designer. The keyboard was an engineering mishap.

 

[Realityck]

Looking at the NYT article we can see why they parted
--------
When Mr. Ive left Apple in 2019 to start his own design firm, LoveFrom, the iPhone maker signed a multiyear contract with him valued at more than $100 million. That made Apple his firm’s primary client, people with knowledge of the agreement said.

The deal restricted Mr. Ive from taking on work that Apple found competitive and ensured that the designer would inform the development of future products, such as an augmented-reality headset that it is expected to ship next year, the people said.

In recent weeks, with the contract coming up for renewal, the parties agreed not to extend it. Some Apple executives had questioned how much the company was paying Mr. Ive and had grown frustrated after several of its designers left to join Mr. Ive’s firm. And Mr. Ive wanted the freedom to take on clients without needing Apple’s clearance, these people said.
---------
How can one continue to run a design firm if Apple decides anything he is working on is competitive?

 

[4743913]

He's a designer. The keyboard was an engineering mishap.

following his dream of a paperthin pro machine...