Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Ends Partnership With Former Design Chief Jony Ive
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
End of an era that was influenced by SJ. 
Ah yes, the halcyon days of the uber popular iPod hifi and leaking G5 powermacs - and only a few years after the ergonomically brilliant puck mouse.
Apple’s always had hits and misses
And yes Ives did a lot for Apple, but he also drove some problematic design choices. Eventually he just made too many of them.
If anything, it sounds to me like margin focused product decisions like what you mentioned are precisely why he left. As the company moves further from a design-first balance, Apple is going to lean even further into selling high margin low expenditure products and product lines, as we’ve seen with the “new accessories” that launched alongside the colorful iMac. I.e. we rounded the corners a little bit more but it’s the same thing we’ve been selling for 10+ years. Or the SE product lines, or the iPad.
Not much has changed.
If you are really into Apple history like I am, this is all very reminiscent of the time of Apple's first boom in the beginning. Once Jobs and several others left, the people who inherited the place acted as if they were the ones who built it. In many ways, Cook reminds me of John Sculley. Craig Federighi is a lot like a current Jean Louis-Gassee.
Many big players there have retired, got fired (Forstall), or are just operations and marketing people. Look at the past few presentations, WWDC, etc. I don't know if it is because of COVID but they all feel dull, predictable, and "fake" if you could say that about such presentations. There just isn't any excitement. Hopefully, that part changes.
The board is also very reminiscent of the board of the early 90s. What the hell do most of these people even have to do with technology or fashion? When the hell was the last time Al Gore, the longest-serving current board member, relevant?
I suppose it is inevitable that Apple would become another faceless company for the masses where their magic is just superficial memes of their software guy dancing around like a monkey in basketball shorts, but I'll stick around for the ride because I'm a fanboy, and a sucker.
Many big players there have retired, got fired (Forstall), or are just operations and marketing people. Look at the past few presentations, WWDC, etc. I don't know if it is because of COVID but they all feel dull, predictable, and "fake" if you could say that about such presentations. There just isn't any excitement. Hopefully, that part changes.
The board is also very reminiscent of the board of the early 90s. What the hell do most of these people even have to do with technology or fashion? When the hell was the last time Al Gore, the longest-serving current board member, relevant?
I suppose it is inevitable that Apple would become another faceless company for the masses where their magic is just superficial memes of their software guy dancing around like a monkey in basketball shorts, but I'll stick around for the ride because I'm a fanboy, and a sucker.
And all you Apple consuming cheerleaders overpaid anyway for YEARS.
You don't get to gloat about this one, sorry.
Spot on... spot on. It's truly the end of an Era.
Well said. Steve Jobs reigned in Jony Ive’s worst tendencies and allowed his best tendencies to flourish. Tim Cook utterly failed to do the same.
Also, the amazing combination of Ive’s hardware design and Scott Forstall’s software design was made possible by Jobs knowing how to keep control of those two people and not let their dislike of each other negatively affect Apple’s products. Tim Cook utterly failed to do the same.
Was thinking about this the other day. I love Apple products because they take privacy and stability seriously. I got fed up with Microsoft and got to the point where I had to pull my hair out every other day, and switched over to the other side. But I don't care about having a "luxury brand" that screams status and an affluent lifestyle. I just want a device that works.
Apple delivers that, but the rest I just don't care much about. Some might, but I am gonna purchase what I need and let the rest be. When it comes to the presentations and so forth, the hype doesn't excite me much. I've been quite impressed with Apple Silicon, but I see no need to really jump on the bandwagon with everything. The presentations are cool, but I just want to use my computer, and I'm happy with that at the end of the day.
Apple does seem to be improving on several fronts over the last couple of years though. They fixed the butterfly keyboards, brought back magsafe and added HDMI ports, among other things. I have high hopes for the future, but repairability and upgradability are some of the biggest things I hope to see them take seriously again, and they haven't done that yet.
Apples board is a bunch of accountants just the Cook. You have to have visionaries and designers, maybe not to run the place but at least make new stuff, not over priced garbage.
Yeah don't get me wrong there are things they are doing that I love, above all the Apple silicon. The Apple Watch was a risky pure Jony thing that Cook seemed to try to also take ownership of and the crazy thing is, even though it wasn't this insane thing everyone was hoping it would be it's still better than any wearable out there. A lot of people could blame Jony for the I/O situation but when you had folks like Phil Schiller saying taking ports out is "brave" and they are removing cords and accessories "for the environment" I don't think his hands are the only ones dirty of those decisions.
I would say since Jobs passed the best things to come from Apple would likely be their headphones, the watch (which is ok), iPhone X on up, and above all Apple Silicon which really started while he was still around. But then you have all these blunders or things they do out of pure greed: Taking out ports that don't make sense, announcing products or even teasing products that are years away or they just cancel, and so much more that is very unlike Apple of the past.
More than a few. Damn near killed the pro market because of non pro machines. Huge numbers left for windows.
And let's add putting the charging port on the bottom of the mouse so you have to stop work while it's charging.
This is exactly on point. His greatest failures occurred when he had sole control.
Thanks, Jony. It was nice for a while, but don't let the door hit you on the way out. Steve Jobs' greatest achievement was in building Apple, the company. He knew that. I'm sure the design team in place is more than up to the task. It's in their DNA. No person is bigger than the company. And it's actually not "the end of an era," as some romantics here have bemoaned. First off, Jobs' hand-picked successor is still running the show but, again, it comes down to this: Jobs built Apple and went to some lengths to make sure it could function on its own, had a strong DNA, and hewed to certain principles. I think we'll be more than fine, especially when I count on both hands the number of bad design decisions that went side by side with Ives' good ones. Let some young blood take over.
I wasn’t sad to see Ive go in the end. Once Jobs passed away Ive went overboard on form over function. I think Jobs helped keep that partially in check.
The notion of putting out a computer that costs thousands of dollars but that can’t be repaired or upgraded either at all or without spending hundreds of extra dollars for an Apple certified technician to do the work, which takes hours, doesn’t make sense to me.
If we’re talking about a consumer level device like an iPhone, iPad or even an all-in-one like the iMac it’s pretty clear what you’re getting. If you’re purchasing a computer marketed toward pro’s like the Trash Can then it’s a bad joke.
The notion of putting out a computer that costs thousands of dollars but that can’t be repaired or upgraded either at all or without spending hundreds of extra dollars for an Apple certified technician to do the work, which takes hours, doesn’t make sense to me.
If we’re talking about a consumer level device like an iPhone, iPad or even an all-in-one like the iMac it’s pretty clear what you’re getting. If you’re purchasing a computer marketed toward pro’s like the Trash Can then it’s a bad joke.
i dont like Ive's design anyways, he is all about the look and not about its functionality.
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
In reality, design is becoming much less important in a mature tech market. I mean, what more can you do to the MacBook Pro? It’s a screen, a keyboard, and a trackpad. There’s not some magic new design out there waiting. Same for cell phones. Heck, I was looking through Android phones today and you can hardly tell them apart when looking at the screens. No wonder Apple stayed with the notch as that’s the most distinguishing feature given that all phones are just large screens. These are all mature products and have little more to offer design-wise at this point in history.
His best work came out of his collaboration with Steve Jobs. On his own, there was no opposing force to rein him in.
Still, he is an absolute titan of the field and will rightfully be remembered of the most famous industrial designer at any point in history up until now.... And possibly for decades to come.
Still, he is an absolute titan of the field and will rightfully be remembered of the most famous industrial designer at any point in history up until now.... And possibly for decades to come.
Exactly. Jony couldn’t self-police when it was ok to put the pencil down or at least recognize when he was trying too hard. TP works best on a roll, Kleenex works best as individual sheets in a box. Never needed OS X to look and act like iOS and vice versa. Good riddance to him, we got the best from him in his prime, when there still was enough low hanging fruit to exploit, and when Steve was around to reign him in.
I didn't know Ive's involvement on the iMac. If so, yes, it looks beautiful (form), but for a cable that's not detachable (function), is a headscratcher.
Also, someone pointed out, the butterfly keyboard and obsession over thinness is something I actually don't appreciate. It doesn't make the product that much more beatiful if it's 0.5mm thicker...
Also, someone pointed out, the butterfly keyboard and obsession over thinness is something I actually don't appreciate. It doesn't make the product that much more beatiful if it's 0.5mm thicker...
You do remember when mice only worked when their cable was plugged in, right? There was this "USB" port connector (yeah, blast from the past there), and that "PS/2" connector only the old folks remember, and that ancient "db9" connector you only read about in ancient history books in the back of the library on the 5th floor, with the flickering fluorescent lights, and carpet that smells like a wet dog.
(All of which I used in my time.... COM1 IRQ3, woo! Woo! Who's with me? Shared IRQ lines for the win, right? 🙄 ah the good ol' x86 days... and ADB for the Apple folks).
So what you say is neither unreasonable nor unheard of. It was even just "regular", once upon a time...
