Apple's Longtime Design Chief Jony Ive Leaving to Start New Design Company With Apple as a Primary Client

[Rogifan]

Former Apple employee talking sense:

may-li khoe (@mayli)
6/27/19, 5:59 PM
People also don’t understand that the innovation and ideas came from the amazing team at Apple, and what leadership did was a fantastic job of curation and storytelling and clarity-providing and ops.

Jony and Steve didn’t sit around coming up with all of the ideas themselves

And here’s what she says about the new head of ID (who is a woman):

may-li khoe (@mayli)
6/27/19, 5:49 PM
When we worked with the ID team, it felt to me like Evans made **** go and everyone knew it. To be frank, I found her pretty inspiring.

 

[mrxak]

so the mac pro was his mic drop?

I think it was his FU to the push back he was getting from pros who just wanted a new cheese grater. He said, fine, I'll give you a literal cheese grater.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great machine, internally, but externally it's a joke, an embarrassment really. Jony Ive is a form-over-function kind of guy, and only the respect he had for Steve Jobs kept his worse impulses in check. With Steve gone, all Jony Ive ever cared about was shaving off millimeters even if it made for a worse product with less utility. When forced to finally do a function-over-form computer, for people who need to do actual work, he lacked the respect or ability to make something that worked good and looked good.

I think he's wanted to leave Apple for a while now, and the feeling is mutual from the other Apple executives.

Let's just hope the engineers will finally be in charge again.

 

[garoto]

The “good riddance” comments are very funny. Did you know that he’s likely the reason you’re even at all excited about Apple enough to be in this forum.

We are attracted to Apple because of his design. I can’t say the same about the quality of the software, because it has been extra buggy for years. But the design and human interface, and the way you interact with the hardware, a lot of that is thanks to Jony.

iPhones have actually gotten larger and heavier, and have more volume, not less. So the “thinner” comments make no sense either. Apple is not going for “as thin as possible” they are rather going for “just make sure it’s not actually thick.”

I however, have faith in the products to come. As Steve left a solid company, that’s the best product he built. And I do foresee great designs to come, as Jony left a design language in the team.

Looking at 5-10 years from now, I can see things starting to naturally drift. If consumer products in general are any indication, likely not in the right direction.

 

[Since1987]

What I hope comes out of this is seeing the last of form over function in Apple Hardware.

What i hope is that Apple will go back to choosing what is best for it's customers, instead of what's best for Apple.

I don't expect either to happen.

And Ive makes even more money this way, he will still be 100% in charge of Apple design.

 

[pmore]

I think it was his FU to the push back he was getting from pros who just wanted a new cheese grater. He said, fine, I'll give you a literal cheese grater.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great machine, internally, but externally it's a joke, an embarrassment really. Jony Ive is a form-over-function kind of guy, and only the respect he had for Steve Jobs kept his worse impulses in check. With Steve gone, all Jony Ive ever cared about was shaving off millimeters even if it made for a worse product with less utility.

Let's just hope the engineers will finally be in charge again.

Exactly. iPhone SE/5S and MacBook Pro 2015 were the last designs that didn't compromise the user experience.

 

[4jasontv]

"Jony is a singular figure in the design world...," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. There are plenty of talented people out there. To say someone is singular in their field, while it might be great praise, it doesn't reflect or acknowledge the many other people who might have actually done the work that Johny oversaw.

It's like bowing to a creative director of an ad agency because he/she has won so many Gold Lions at Cannes. They always take the limelight but rarely ever say it was a junior team that actually created the work.

How many of those juniors would have released terrible designs had it not been for Ives leadership?

 

[richmondhill]

Apple watch is the most uninspired bland design of nearly all their products.

Literally a rounded rectangle following the exact design philosophy of the iPhone 6.

At least it's not as stupid looking as Airpods, which truly transform it's wearers into identifiable iSheep.

 

[dannyyankou]

The updated headline paints a much more accurate picture. While he won’t technically be an “employee” at Apple anymore, I’m sure he’ll be making design contributions for years to come.

 

[Nitrokev2]

I hope they still let him say "aluminium" in the product videos.

You Americans say it wrong, what the hell is AALOOOOOMINUM

 

[Tozovac]

YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES!!!!

Bring back good design!! Function before form!!

Don't let the white/glass door hit you on the way out Jony J-Ive!!!!!!!!
[doublepost=1561677889][/doublepost]

Wow. That’s not good.

No, it's good. Jony jumped the shark around the time Steve passed away and Apple banished Scott.

 

[mrxak]

I really don't like these kinds of arrangements. I don't see the point of leaving a full time job, but keeping your former employer as a client.

If he's looking for more personal time, or more opportunity to pursue the kinds of projects that started to seem like a distraction from his day job, then maybe this is just a way of not spooking the shareholders with an abrupt transition...

What it means is he's out, but they're allowing him to save face. As soon as his new firm gets some other clients Apple will part ways with him. He's unlikely to have much if any involvement in anything Apple going forward, whatever designs he's already got in the roadmap he'll consult on if they need to tweak something but that will be it.

 

[dannyyankou]

Apple watch is the most uninspired bland design of nearly all their products.

Literally a rounded rectangle following the exact design philosophy of the iPhone 6.

I think the Digital Crown is intuitive and smart design. But I guess that’s all subjective.

 

[pmore]

iMac gets a redesign.
iPhone gets a redesign.
iPad gets a redesign.
Macbook gets a redesign.

 

[Since1987]

Did you know that he’s likely the reason you’re even at all excited about Apple enough to be in this forum.

If you are under 30, you believe this statement. If you used Apple products prior to 2005, you despise Sir Ive. After Jobs died Ive turned "Apple Computer" into the Gucci Phone company.

Let's be honest... from the sound of his (annoying) voiceovers during MacPro rollout, it was clear to me the thing he was most proud of was his monitor stand... his $1000 dollar monitor stand.

 

[audiophilosophy]

Hopefully this means we can flush the toilet on the iOS 7 flat user interface.

Hopefully he’ll be replaced by someone who realizes that people want more ports on their MacBook than a USB-C. Form over function really got out of control with Apple’s design since Steve Jobs passed.

 

[I7guy]

Wow, wow, wow.

 

[LeoNobilis]

Duh.

Long over due.

Rubbish. Ive is a genius. I expect, Apple's / Ive's design direction has been instilled in Ive's protegés ready to take his position, but Ive is still a genius. The late Steve Jobs (RIP) was wise to hire Jonny Ive and Avie Tevanian and all the hugely talented OS interface designers to manage company's software and hardware. Although inevitable, it is still a shame that everyone, at one point or another, ends up leaving the company - Avie, Rubinstein, Serlet, and now Ive… and countless genius OS UI designers & programmers.
In any case, Jonathan Ive is Apple in a way, as Jobs was - one of the most iconic figures to represent the company.

 

[SomeMacGuy]

To be fair aside from reducing/removing the chin what is there that can be changed about the iMac design anymore?

Exactly, that's the problem. Apple needs designers who can answer that question. Ive's vision for Apple's products has run its course.

 

[gugy]

Ive has done amazing work at Apple. I think it will be great for both parties to break up.
New ideas and a fresh start can be great for all.

 

[itguy06]

So, here we go. Jobs, Ive, Forstall. The old skewl is gone. The new generation will shepherd this ship forward.

You mean drive the ship into the ground. Read up on Apple history. They are coming very close to those dark years. Fleecing your customers never ends well.

 

[mrxak]

Ironic isn’t it? Most of the reasons people on here buy Apple products is because of their designs, now they are all moaning like kids how good this is Ive is going and how Apple can design better devices...

So they like the designs one minute, then hate them the next..

Yes, as designs get worse, and less functional, the designer who made things worse and less functional from his earlier designs gets the blame.

 

[Vulkan]

The beginning of the end.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Oh wow, I just realized this could affect iOS as well since he's done design on that since iOS 7.

Possible iOS 14 redesign incoming??

Maybe my standards are too high, but I can imagine a universe where skeuomorphism returns in iOS 14. If that universe is the one we live in, I’ll go nuts.

 

[jonnysods]

Wow. Well, so many people here on this forum are hopping mad and wanted Ive gone, now you have your wish...

Ive was the one two punch combo with Steve - now the number two is gone.

I just want butt kicking computers - doesn't matter who is at the helm.

 

[Abazigal]

What i hope is that Apple will go back to choosing what is best for it's customers, instead of what's best for Apple.

I don't expect either to happen.

And Ive makes even more money this way, he will still be 100% in charge of Apple design.

I doubt it. You can’t have a design-led culture at Apple if your design is being outsourced to another company.

All things in life must evolve. Apple must evolve. Jony is evolving. Apple's in-house team must evolve. People and ideas age, new ideas need space, potentially great designers need experience running the show and can't get it in the shadow of Ive.
I like the idea of a transition where Ive is still a consultant, it allows a smooth transition. Ive was never going to live forever.

None of the current execs will live forever. Even if there is an executive at Apple that you like very much, eventually, he or she too will move on.

I remain optimistic that Apple's best days are still ahead, because they have a world class human-centered design culture bigger than any individual that tackles more impactful problems around personalized technology as the company continues to grow. I believe that the transition will be fairly smooth and has probably been years in the making.