If Apple Designed a Turntable, This Is Probably What It Would Look Like

[MacRumors]

Former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive has revealed his latest project, a collaboration with British audio brand Linn to design a 50th anniversary edition of its Sondek LP12 turntable.

The luxury $60,000 record player is the first non-Apple hardware project Ive is known to have been involved in since he and four other colleagues left the company in 2019 to found the design firm LoveFrom.

The premium piece of audio technology features many of the classic hallmarks of an Ive-approved product, right down to the smoothed off aluminum edges, circular elements, and neutral, minimalist aesthetic.

Speaking to Fast Company, Ive said he had owned multiple Linn products over the years, explaining that "music has always been profoundly important to me." He continued:

"So you can imagine, I think the first consequential music player that I designed was the first iPod, and that began a journey of multiple generations of iPod, and multiple AirPods and music accessories. I feel really fortunate to have gone the full circle... so many years on from my first visit to the factory."

Ive describes the LP12-50 as "a very gentle and modest project for us that was really motivated by our love and respect for Linn." Indeed, according to Fast Company, LoveFrom completed the work pro bono, and has no contract or other financial arrangement with the company.

"There's a substantial percentage of our work which we do purely for the love of doing it," Ive told the website, which noted that the design firm relies on its longer-term contracts with the likes of Airbnb and Ferrari to make money.

Since leaving Apple to found LoveFrom, Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson have designed a typeface, an emblem for the coronation of King Charles III, and a red clown nose for British charity Comic Relief.

Apple said in 2019 that Ive would continue to be involved in design at Apple and that it would be one of LoveFrom's primary clients. For example, Ive was reportedly involved in the creation of the 2021 iMac. It's unknown whether LoveFrom has worked with Apple since, and the design firm tends to keep a low profile.

Article Link: If Apple Designed a Turntable, This Is Probably What It Would Look Like

 

[UltimateSyn]

That’s really nice. If it was 400 bucks, I’d buy one.

 

[ForkHandles]

I think I had something that looked like that in the 1980s!

In fact mine was better as it had blocks around the turntable which became still when spinning at exactly the right speed. They seem to have missed theirs off.

 

[MacWiz_007]

Dropping $60k on this record player would be unapologetically stupid! 🤣

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

"There's a substantial percentage of our work which we do purely for the love of doing it,"

HaHa, yeah alright.

I’d say it’s the 60k asking price.

 

[dannys1]

Linn do make some phenominal audio equipment. My brother has had the same set of Linn speakers and Amp now for about 34 years. They're fantastic.

 

[trhoffmann]

“Ive describes the LP12-50 as "a very gentle and modest project for us”

The price certainly is not modest.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

It's interesting how people spend so much money to reproduce music from a piece of vinyl that is far from accurate to the master recording. Imagine not only $60K for the turntable, but what pre-amps and amps and speakers this is connected to. The total price tag is unreal. To play music from a piece of plastic.

 

[forza1976]

Just looks like an overpriced dust collector. Ive should just go away!

 

[Rogifan]

Space grey lives. 😂

 

[tridley68]

Its horrible looking and way overpriced

 

[mattopotamus]

Space grey lives. 😂View attachment 2229291

Let's hope the anodizing process stays on.

 

[4odomi]

Looks terrible, don't even want to talk about the price 🫨
Ive has been living off his reputation for a long while now 😏

 

[MNJohn]

Former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive has revealed his latest project, a collaboration with British audio brand Linn to design a 50th anniversary edition of its Sondek LP12 turntable.

The luxury $60,000 record player is the first non-Apple hardware project Ive is known to have been involved in since he and four other colleagues left the company in 2019 to found the design firm LoveFrom.

The premium piece of audio technology features many of the classic hallmarks of an Ive-approved product, right down to the smoothed off aluminum edges, circular elements, and neutral, minimalist aesthetic.

Speaking to Fast Company, Ive said he had owned multiple Linn products over the years, explaining that "music has always been profoundly important to me." He continued:
Ive describes the LP12-50 as "a very gentle and modest project for us that was really motivated by our love and respect for Linn." Indeed, according to Fast Company, LoveFrom completed the work pro bono, and has no contract or other financial arrangement with the company.

"There's a substantial percentage of our work which we do purely for the love of doing it," Ive told the website, which noted that the design firm relies on its longer-term contracts with the likes of Airbnb and Ferrari to make money.

Since leaving Apple to found LoveFrom, Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson have designed a typeface, an emblem for the coronation of King Charles III, and a red clown nose for British charity Comic Relief.

Apple said in 2019 that Ive would continue to be involved in design at Apple and that it would be one of LoveFrom's primary clients. For example, Ive was reportedly involved in the creation of the 2021 iMac. It's unknown whether LoveFrom has worked with Apple since, and the design firm tends to keep a low profile.

Article Link: If Apple Designed a Turntable, This Is Probably What It Would Look Like

Target market must be the rich and stupid.

 

[laptech]

“Ive describes the LP12-50 as "a very gentle and modest project for us”

The price certainly is not modest.

Ive is super rich thus is totally out of touch with the real world when it comes to 'us and them'. His 'us' is the super rich and wealthy thus $60,000 on turntable would be considered 'modest' when 'us' contains millionaires and billionaires.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Add another reason why I am so glad Jony Ive is not with Apple anymore.

Ive's fixation of making everything barebones and form over function while absolutely overpriced is in full display just from the fact this thing is $60,000, when most turntables that look like this are $200.

 

[Feek]

The thread title and the original article are very badly written. They suggest that Jony Ive and his company designed this entire record deck. They did not, if anyone bothers to read the actual source article, you'll see that the only parts they're involved with are the hinge and the switch. Nothing else whatsoever.


The LP-12 is one of the best turntables available in the world, it's been right at the top for many years and is worth every penny (talking about their standard models, not specifically this one). It's clear that the majority of posts in this thread already are being made by people who have never heard of Linn.

when most turntables that look like this are $200.

This is a prime example, there may be turntables that look like this and cost $200 but they don't sound anything like a Linn.

This limited edition is somewhat more expensive than the normal version.

I'm not sure that Jony designing the hinges and speed switch will make any actual difference to the sound quality though.

 

[dlopan]

Dumb. Never pay more than 1-2k for a new turntable. I have a Rega P1 that is great. 300.

 

[Larsvonhier]

Finally a turntable re-invented, re-imagined!
Not.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I wonder how many units they will sell. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands??

I own, and enjoy, a pretty solid vinyl collection. I know one man’s $60,000 is another man’s $600. Still, that’s a breathtaking price tag for a turntable. Weird world out there…

 

[IIGS User]

Does it come with a special cloth to clean it?

$60K for a turntable. Totally out of touch with the real world that 99.9999999% of people live in.

I get it, I suppose. No one is actually expected to BUY one of these. It exists for the sake of existing, and nothing more. In that respect, that's all well and good. That would make it "art".

So produce your work of art and don't put a price tag on it. Make it so each one is a custom "one off" for the customer that bids out the price for it.

Sometimes you should just let the market decide what it's worth. Again, like art.

 

[MNJohn]

Former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive has revealed his latest project, a collaboration with British audio brand Linn to design a 50th anniversary edition of its Sondek LP12 turntable.

The luxury $60,000 record player is the first non-Apple hardware project Ive is known to have been involved in since he and four other colleagues left the company in 2019 to found the design firm LoveFrom.

The premium piece of audio technology features many of the classic hallmarks of an Ive-approved product, right down to the smoothed off aluminum edges, circular elements, and neutral, minimalist aesthetic.

Speaking to Fast Company, Ive said he had owned multiple Linn products over the years, explaining that "music has always been profoundly important to me." He continued:
Ive describes the LP12-50 as "a very gentle and modest project for us that was really motivated by our love and respect for Linn." Indeed, according to Fast Company, LoveFrom completed the work pro bono, and has no contract or other financial arrangement with the company.

"There's a substantial percentage of our work which we do purely for the love of doing it," Ive told the website, which noted that the design firm relies on its longer-term contracts with the likes of Airbnb and Ferrari to make money.

Since leaving Apple to found LoveFrom, Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson have designed a typeface, an emblem for the coronation of King Charles III, and a red clown nose for British charity Comic Relief.

Apple said in 2019 that Ive would continue to be involved in design at Apple and that it would be one of LoveFrom's primary clients. For example, Ive was reportedly involved in the creation of the 2021 iMac. It's unknown whether LoveFrom has worked with Apple since, and the design firm tends to keep a low profile.

Article Link: If Apple Designed a Turntable, This Is Probably What It Would Look Like

Includes a 5 year limited warranty with the owner responsible for return shipping costs. What a bargain! 😂

 

[deebinem]

Sorry, without pitch control, this is useless for me. I’ll stick with these Technics SL-1200Mk2s

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Ive is super rich thus is totally out of touch with the real world when it comes to 'us and them'. His 'us' is the super rich and wealthy thus $60,000 on turntable would be considered 'modest' when 'us' contains millionaires and billionaires.

I’d replace “modest” with “nothing.”

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

The LP-12 is one of the best turntables available in the world, it's been right at the top for many years and is worth every penny (talking about their standard models, not specifically this one). It's clear that the majority of posts in this thread already are being made by people who have never heard of Linn.


This is a prime example, there may be turntables that look like this and cost $200 but they don't sound anything like a Linn.

This limited edition is somewhat more expensive than the normal version.

I'm not sure that Jony designing the hinges and speed switch will make any actual difference to the sound quality though.

I looked up LP-12s and most of them don't even cross pass $800.

This Ive designed turntable is a joke.