Apple Ends Partnership With Former Design Chief Jony Ive

[aidler]

Or the tale how Tim Cook transformed a company that was full of vision and promise into a still successfull but boring and normal company.

 

[Tozovac]

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.

Funny, I think many of us felt Jony himself became TOO design-focused at the cost of operability.

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.

One thing from Jony I can agree with and see being frustrating.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Looking at the NYT article we can see why they parted
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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.
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How can one continue to run a design firm if Apple decides anything he is working on is competitive?

Thanks, this sheds light on another angle that I was not aware of. At first, I thought this disassociation after working 30 years together was sad.

Now this makes more sense.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

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

Doubt it, that’s how Apple up-sells the Magic Trackpad. Logitech also benefits highly off the poor design.

 

[anshuvorty]

Umm.....ok, so what exactly did Apple get out of this partnership in the end? Basically nothing, right? LOL...

 

[JPack]

Apple kept him on for optics only.

Nobody enjoyed the butterfly keyboard, port-less MacBook Pro, or small battery capacity iPhones.

It's been a few years and consumers enjoy the new Apple products, which are better designed for practicality. No need for Ive any more.

 

[MrRom92]

Sad day

 

[Diskutant]

Can we get rid of his flat soulless boring ugly minimalistic ui now too?

 

[jasoncarle]

Good, we can get back to function over form now...

 

[krakman]

Goodbye and take your dongles with you!

 

[macgabe]

Tim Cook should release a limited edition (signed) working wooden phone to commemorate the departure of Jonny Ives. Stick that in your design folio and smoke it Jonny. All proceeds to environmental charidee.

 

[JGIGS]

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.

I'm a little sad that thin isn't in anymore for tech products. Because thin also equaled lighter which is what I miss most at least with the portable devices. Either I'm getting old or iphones just keep getting heavier.

Maybe I just need to not have it in my hands as often? But don't take my battery life away.

 

[Black Magic]

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

you are concerned with only the charging port? It's a ergonomic nightmare that will destroy your hands eventually.

 

[andrewxgx]

Can we get rid of his flat soulless boring ugly minimalistic ui now too?

Wanna books app To look like a bookshelf again?

 

[MadeByApple]

New “i” punch out rumored for three next iPhone was Johnny Ive’s leaving mark haha.

 

[erikkfi]

To everything
Turn, Turn, Turn…
There is a season
Turn, Turn, Turn…

 

[Scott Baret]

Bring back frogdesign as the consulting firm. I'd rather see something that looks like it has character and personality like a Mac SE than another generic, thin, boring rectangular slab.

 

[GadgetBen]

He’s finally free from the white room!

 

[tgwaste]

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

But his philosophy seemed to be like jobs: Make great things and the money will follow. Where as the Tim era only cares about the money.

 

[TheDunne]

As collaborators, Jobs and Ive are the Lennon–McCartney of their era. They both balanced each other perfectly, keeping each other grounded and in check. However, without Jobs, Ive started to lose his way, his hubris grew and he lost perspective that Apple creates premium products for the MASS consumer. He befriended fashion designers and started focusing his efforts on the luxurious, high-end market, the gold Apple Watch, for example. Creating unique one of a kind products for auction and working with Marc Newson on high end furniture and other endeavours.

With Jobs and Ive, the sum was greater than the parts. Just like Lennon-McCartney.

On the other hand. Maybe consumer products have had their day…and Ive saw it coming? Apple’s focus on services, while depressing, is undoubtably the future. Just look at NFTs and the Metaverse. Virtual products. How long until Cloud Computing and internet speeds develop to the point that someone could pay a monthly fee to access a full OS and superior processing power from a server, rather than from an expensively designed box. iCloud and Dropbox are the infants of this technology. You could potentially sign into your computer from any piece of glass you have to hand, without necessarily being tied to a specific brand.

Ive is a design genius and his influence on consumer electronics is undeniable. While the news sad, it was inevitable.

 

[Gasu E.]

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

That comment implies you have something specific in mind, where someone who knows "something" about design and Jonny's work would take issue. Would you mind providing an example?

 

[ct2k7]

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.

Apple kept him on for optics only.

Nobody enjoyed the butterfly keyboard, port-less MacBook Pro, or small battery capacity iPhones.

It's been a few years and consumers enjoy the new Apple products, which are better designed for practicality. No need for Ive any more.

I‘m a little confuse, did I’ve design the butterfly keyboard or did engineering take his design and implement something based on it? The latter isn’t Ive’s fault.

 

[StellarVixen]

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.

People here tell me everything is good as long as the stock price is going up so Ive obviously has no idea what he's talking about.

 

[giggles]

1) Spin off a separate design firm but Apple is still the main client.
2) The Tripp Mickle book.
3) The NYT story: no more collaboration.

The soft landing distancing crescendo.

 

[Naraxus]

He departed in '19.....I almost wonder if this was some sort of "NDA" with Apple in that he had to stay on for a certain amount of time after he officially left Apple.