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Jony Ive Named Chief Design Officer at Apple, Alan Dye and Richard Howarth Take Over Day-to-Day Design Management
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Because they are probably building a natural order of succession. Don't want huge infighting over who is next in line case need a new CEO quickly.
Reportedly Mansfield was retiring because didn't want to do with management , "big picture" and human organization, stuff. Just wanted to do chip design only on projects he was interested in. Also as a non named executive, Apple doesn't have to publicly broadcast what his compensation is in the SEC reports.
This 'C' move on ive just raises visibility. Not lowers it. More than likely there will be a bigger eye popping compensation boost too of golden handcuffs.
Jony Ive, promotion timeline:
1997 Padawan of The Returned Steve
2013 Senior Vice President of Design
2015 Chief Design Officer
2018 Sith Lord
1997 Padawan of The Returned Steve
2013 Senior Vice President of Design
2015 Chief Design Officer
2018 Sith Lord
Just add each of them to your ignore list. You won't miss anything because all of their posts regardless of the subject of the thread are the same.
As plain (that's not a complaint) as Apple Watch is, moving Ive aside as a figurehead is likely to benefit Apple immensely.
Coasting along with very minor "new designs" aka: iP6 series and a very old, common style tank watch copy, J Ive has certainly been well taken care of by Apple.
His replacement could very well be the best thing to happen in Apple Design in a very long time. A change I welcome.
I think a lot of us want him to spend ALL his time with his family. His time has come and gone. Thanks Ive but we want new designs... Yours aren't cutting it anymore.
We appreciate it, and all, but it's time to fade away
Pretty sure this is an exit strategy. Ive has all the money and fame he is ever gonna need. So if Britain and family is important to him, it makes sense. But I think its healthy for Apple too, share the brilliance over more than a few people. For future products. Its important for apple to survive in the long run without Ive.
I have to agree. Someone new with a fresh outlook on the design end of things would be welcome IMO.
This is Jon's slow walk into retirement. He's giving himself less and less day to day responsibilities. So he can do as much work as he wants to. The days of Apple without Jon are coming. This is the first step towards those days.
Also it means the new guys can be trained by Jon on how the Apple way is. So all in all a good thing.
Also it means the new guys can be trained by Jon on how the Apple way is. So all in all a good thing.
I think these are weird assumptions not based in reality. No where has Ive mentioned anything about his family or said being in Britain is important to him. If Ive was slowly marching towards retirement Apple wouldn't be giving him a promotion along with a C-level title. Cook specifically said he would be working on new ideas and initiatives. So basically Cook is freeing up his time to work on bigger things than new iPhones and iPads.
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He needs a promotion and C-level title to slow walk to retirement? Note: John Gruber doesn't think this title is ceremonial at all. He thinks it's a serious C-level role within the company.
It is. With what Apple has planned for the future Ive needs to have others working on already established products so he can work on different things.
Automobiles!
I believe this is a genuine promotion and that Jony is being recognized, for his significance to the company - probably for the benefit of the investor pool, who have been wondering how the company can continue to deliver the growth it has been achieving, going forward.
It's clear, Tim isn't going to leave and he's really been doing an astonishing job... Likewise, Jony has been doing stunning work and he will continue to do what he does best and that includes those 'areas of interest' that Tim continually reference and inevitably this also covers those 'amazing' future products people don't even know about... This possibly also includes a product category, which next to buying a house, is the most expensive and personal expression of style and taste that people make - a car.
So, for what it's worth, I don't think Ive is close to leaving. I don't think this is the start of anything like a retirement plan. I think this is a coronation of sorts. A true acknowledgement that Jony and Tim ARE the 2 most significant and influential people at Apple and at this stage it's 'their' company. They honor Steve's legacy, keep his DNA strong, whilst keeping the business relevant going forward. Nothing has changed and everything has changed!
I
I believe this is a genuine promotion and that Jony is being recognized, for his significance to the company - probably for the benefit of the investor pool, who have been wondering how the company can continue to deliver the growth it has been achieving, going forward.
It's clear, Tim isn't going to leave and he's really been doing an astonishing job... Likewise, Jony has been doing stunning work and he will continue to do what he does best and that includes those 'areas of interest' that Tim continually reference and inevitably this also covers those 'amazing' future products people don't even know about... This possibly also includes a product category, which next to buying a house, is the most expensive and personal expression of style and taste that people make - a car.
So, for what it's worth, I don't think Ive is close to leaving. I don't think this is the start of anything like a retirement plan. I think this is a coronation of sorts. A true acknowledgement that Jony and Tim ARE the 2 most significant and influential people at Apple and at this stage it's 'their' company. They honor Steve's legacy, keep his DNA strong, whilst keeping the business relevant going forward. Nothing has changed and everything has changed!
I
To be honest I don't care how far they promote Ive, just get rid of the useless 'flat' look and go back to something usable by people with less than perfect eyesight. The current Yosemite look gives me a headache when I start doing any serious work.
I've been a Mac user for 20+ years and it's the first time I've looked seriously at making the jump to something else.
I've been a Mac user for 20+ years and it's the first time I've looked seriously at making the jump to something else.
This is it. One of the two Vice Presidents will become SVP of Design when Ive retires. But they won't be strangers to us now when that happens.
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Uhm, I think its you that hasn't paid attention. It has been brought up multiple times, in books and in blogs, that he wants to move back to britain and wants his children to have a British education (this is common knowledge from reliable sources)...Jony Ive even went public a few years ago when the rumour mill all thought he would leave, assuring people that he will still work for apple for the time being. Of course this new role is a more overseeing role and he is still as important. But, it is also a transition role to let new players become a bigger part of the company (something that is important for companies that doesn't want to be completely reliant on one person for a task). So no matter how you look at it, this is all good News.
Only time will tell, whether that move is for the worth or better.
I hope, he still going to be supervising especially the hardware design as closely as it gets.
I hope, he still going to be supervising especially the hardware design as closely as it gets.
Carmack, Shigeru Miyamoto and Mr Ive are all brands unto themselves that each company that employ them must truly thank the gods for. Any other tech company would kill to have someone of that universal stature
Exactly my thoughts. The first time I saw the Apple watch, all I could think was "that's it?!" I saw the light and left Apple's walled garden (prison camp) a couple of years ago, but I must admit that traditionally they've always had the most aesthetically pleasing hardware. It's the main driver of their continued success with the non-technical majority. Apple watch and the iPhone 6 are just mediocre though compared to what Apple has put out in the past.
The Apple watch is way too geeky looking, and it's just not very pretty when when looked at as hardware alone. As a nerd who'd have no problem wearing a geeky watch around, Apple watch just looks tacky to me. It's the equivalent of spending $20k pimping out your Honda Civic. They kept the same calculator watch design that's been around forever and just made it shiny and slapped on an astronomical price tag. It's not a "compelling" (hahaha) form factor. This is exactly what Apple was supposed to change amount smartwatches.
I'm not saying round is the way to go, but a flat rectangular screen in a rectangular case just isn't an elegant look. Being that Apple is totally willing to sacrifice practicality for aesthetics on the iPhone - sacrificing battery life and ergonomics to make it unnecessarily thin, one would think they'd do the same when the item is actually a fashion accessory. The only reasonable explanation is that they went that way to keep the BOM cost low and boost profit margins. Either that or they've lost their touch.
Same thing with the iPhone 6s. They're just a less attractive copy of the HTC One's design. They're using LCD screens even though AMOLED are objectively better at this point to cut costs. They both have huge bezels making the already huge iPhone 6 Plus have larger dimensions than phones with larger screens. It's 7mm thin though, since shaving that extra mm of thickness off makes it easier to fit a lunch tray into your pocket. Then there's still only 1 Gb or ram and the base model is crippled with 16Gb of storage.
Even if you love Apple's products, do you not realize that Jobs and Ive aren't Gods. They're really both just talented guys who got lucky. They were in the right place at the right time for their skillsets to shine. Talented I'd apply to Ive more than Jobs. Jobs' secret to success was largely being an extremely arrogant sociopath. It didn't work out so well earlier in his career, but once he got in a position of power, his ability to claim superiority over others and manipulate people put Apple on its path to success. I won't go into it, but it's just like how women tend to be more attracted to guys who don't act interested in them. Apple's elusive nature is exactly that. They treat you crappy and don't care about your concerns, so they must be superior!
Apple's corporate structure is itself marketing. Do you really think Ive has that much influence over Apple's products? And if he does, like others have stated, that's not necessarily something to be proud of with the latest products.
There is a very real possibility that Ive would be just another nameless designer in the trenches at Apple if he didn't have that sexy British accent that Americans love. Seriously, his position at Apple has little to do with his design skills at this point. I'm not saying he doesn't still sign off on things etc or even that he's not very talented, but Apple is a religion, and the followers need a leader to show them the way. Now that Jobs is gone, Apple needs another figurehead with an air of superiority and exclusivity to keep it's followers in line. Someone to tell them what's good for them, so they don't have to make their own decisions (paradox of choice). And what's best for people just happens to be whatever pulls the most money out of their pockets every year.
Announcements like this one are literally propaganda. Apple wants you to be loyal to these infallible Godlike figures rather than the product itself. Why do you need to know anything about these guys? I'm sure there are other products that you like. Do you closely follow every detail of the management of those companies? It's one thing to see someone as a role model in your field, but it's a huge conflict of interest when that person is constantly preaching about a "compelling" new product that you need, and how you shouldn't be making any decisions yourself because they'll tell you what's best for you. And if you don't like something that doesn't mean the product isn't for you, you're just wrong, so don't speak up.
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If anything, I think it is a step AWAY from retirement. Recently he looked really bloated and burned out. He was spread way too thin in this company. I think the only consequence would have been him either having a heart attack or quitting.
So now he doesnt have to manage every day to day design operation and can focus on the important stuff and the bigger picture. This is giving him air to breathe and is essentially a good thing.
So now he doesnt have to manage every day to day design operation and can focus on the important stuff and the bigger picture. This is giving him air to breathe and is essentially a good thing.