Jony Ive Now Featured in London's National Portrait Gallery

[ellsworth]

I thought my screen was having issues or I was experiencing a stroke with this photo

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Seriously, he couldn't find white shoes for that picture?

 

[citysnaps]

This clown seriously needs to get over himself.
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Are you even serious? Loss of functionality for thinness? Good riddance.

While that's an adorable tiny rant, try and think a little deeper. Also think about why Apple has been so successful and why so many companies have tried to emulate Apple's physical designs over the years.

As an aside, my Apple products have loads of functionality.

 

[LBM4]

The plastic products you cited are absolutely hideous monstrosities. Moreover, the transition to aluminum-bodied minimalistic designs began well before Steve Jobs died.

So yeah, as you suspected, you're wrong.

I'm guessing you aren't old enough to remember the beige, plastic computers of the time? I remember when the personal PC's started taking off in the late 70's. The Commodore 64 and my dot matrix printer, with dual harddrives served me well all through the mid-80s in high school. Loved that set-up! Steel and aluminium was only used in military, government and large corporation tank computers.

When candy colored plastic Apple PC's came out (late 90's as I recall), I remember people talking about how awesome they were and it was a big difference to the still beige and still plastic Windows laptops I had. Apple would take almost another decade before aluminium became standard on their PC's after that. I don't recall the exact timelines, but to call them hideous monstrosities, tells me you weren't alive at the time to remember how computers used to look. Ive was ahead of his time when he came out with those designs and the Cube design. It was so different and cool from the standard cookie cutter windows machines.

And I never said the transition to aluminium began after Jobs died. I simply stated Ive just did iterations of the same thing, since Jobs died. Not sure what point you were trying to make there?

But hey, maybe you know more than me?

 

[MarkB786]

I’m sure Apple appreciates your concern, but not to worry! Apple covered the entire cost of Apple Park with just one month’s profit back in 2017.

It should last at least 40 or 50 years, so a few indulgences are well worth it, don’t you think?

Depends what you mean by "worth it." What is the basis of that consideration? Ego? pride? Helping homeless people camping out in CA?
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While that's an adorable tiny rant, try and think a little deeper. Also think about why Apple has been so successful and why so many companies try have tried to emulate Apple's physical designs over the years.

As an aside, my Apple products have loads of functionality.

Ive ran out of ideas. Stale products abound. I agree that Apple and Ive had their day, and maybe they will again, but your mean post attempts to distract from the reality that Apple is stuck.
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Kinda like spending $200+ dollars on any smartphone when you can just get a $20 bucks Nokia phone at Seven Eleven that serves the same basic purpose?

Um, no. Not like that at all. Too much hyperbole in that.

 

[JRoDDz]

As far as I'm concerned Jony Ives is the iPhone. He designed it. He evolved it.

 

[nicho]

When Jony was younger and Steve was still alive, he seemed to take risks with his designs. Candy colored iMacs, all aluminium phone designs, and the clear plastic G4 Cube! Even the first gen iPod was a simplistic, but beautiful design with the click wheel and of course, the beautiful spaceship campus (although maybe that was all Steve Jobs?)
But when Steve died, I think part of Jony died and with it, his inspiration. I have found everything since Steve's death little more than iterations of the same. Either the new leadership at Apple has squashed what Ive can do or he lost the spark. Maybe I'm wrong, just seems that way from my perspective.

The first gen iPod didn’t have a click wheel. The click wheel was introduced on the iPod mini and came to iPods in the 4th generation.

 

[jdiamond]

Thanks for giving us white electronics, Jony. You will be sorely missed. No matter who they are, designers can't accomplish great things unless they have the right rapport with corporate executives.

 

[diego.caraballo]

What a privilege going to work in pajamas

 

[TheIntruder]

Thanks for giving us white electronics, Jony. You will be sorely missed. No matter who they are, designers can't accomplish great things unless they have the right rapport with corporate executives.

I'd suggest you look into the history of Dieter Rams, and his designs for Braun, which predate Apple's by decades.

His influence on Ive is clear, and been acknowledged as such. If industrial designers had as much notoriety then as they do today, Rams would have been a rock star like Ive is.

 

[moderniste]

I like the portrait, mainly because Jony Ive himself is very small.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Depends what you mean by "worth it." What is the basis of that consideration? Ego? pride? Helping homeless people camping out in CA?

I’ll help you out with what I mean, since it looks like you could really use it. Worth it in this sense: Creative, smart, productive people at the top of their game have the choice of where they want to work. In my long experience, they’d rather work in a beautiful, stimulating, highly functional environment rather than some soviet-style concrete tilt-up with few windows, dreary walls and little natural light. YMMV.

re: ego and pride... highly competent individuals who are expert in what they do, confident in their capabilities and accomplishments, and widely acclaimed by their peers are often perceived as “having a big ego” or “arrogant”—especially by those who lack such skills and stature, and whose perceptions may be clouded by envy. No matter. Anyway, I think Jobs would be (and was) proud of Apple Park, as should Ive, Cook and many others such as the designers, architects and builders involved in creating Apple Park.

re: helping the homeless, what’s your point? That Apple as a company is insufficiently philanthropic? Maybe or maybe not, but that has zero to do with Apple Park.

 

[litmag01]

Jony Ive is made from one sold piece of extruded aluminum.

 

[Naraxus]

so what?

 

[Tech198]

neat photo.. Reflections and water like..

The Macrumors comments are making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Jony will be missed but I can't help but think that the dozens of hardware designers at Apple and the hundreds of people who design things at Apple are ready for the next chapter. 20+ years as design head is a long time. Who will be the next Jony? What will they do with the company's products? Will there be multiple Jony's who share the spotlight? What is the design language of the next 20 years? I'm excited for the future and excited that Jony was able to call it quits and go work on something else. He's earned this semi-retirement and his team is ready to shine their light and stand on their own w/o "Sir Jony" looking over them.

"their next chapter" would be all lined up waiting to be snuffed out the door too..

Later...

Now, it all reminiscing over Jony..

 

[Codpeace]

I think it's truly an amazing photograph! And highly doubt any tourist would have had the vision and imagination to pull it off.

For me, photographs best release their power and stir my imagination when they pose questions, rather than providing answers (as most literal/casual photos or snapshots do). The colors are muted almost to monochrome, and the cast light through different glass panel shapes is beautiful. This photo cleverly hides information and oozes mystery, and with Ive's contemplative pose and reflection suggest narratives that will be different for different people.

It's a great photo!

Really good comment! Professors of Photography 101 everywhere are clapping softly.

 

[Piggie]

Whilst I'm english also, and I used to like him, My god, I'm so glad he's gone.
the further away he stays from Apple the better.

Sure, he started off fine, with Steve along side him, but he simply went too far and made products worse simply to satisfy his "Design Ego"

I'm 100% sure, Apple will NOW listen more to customers, and design things that work/function better as pieces of equipment, now that he's out of the way.

Good times ahead I'm sure of it.

 

[cinq2]

I might not always agree with his taste in design, but I definitely don’t agree with his taste in shoes /s congrats to him tho

I find his taste in dressing just stunning!

 

[Classie]

Hmmm. A rather odd stance there. I know he's leaning on glass, but looks like a ranch hand who's been riding horses all day.

I can’t get my head around this picture. Where is he actually standing, on some kind of sloping ledge?

I’m pretty sure this image is photoshopped. Gursky is openly emitting that he uses digital tools to heighten his images.
Otherwise there is something magical going on in the glass at Apple HQ 😉

 

[travelsheep]

I don't quite comprehend what I'm looking at... does this building have Star-Trek invisible walls made from energy? Where's the seams? Is this a glas like polished downhill slope ending in an invisible wall? What is this?

 

[Kabeyun]

We'll miss you Jony 😢

But his design made Apple what it is today, I sincerely hope he left a strong team behind.

Lot of people will regret him leaving I’m sure, depending on future designs.

Apple will be a LoveFrom principal design client, and I’m confident Ive will see to this particular client personally.

The plastic products you cited are absolutely hideous monstrosities.

Fortunately for Apple and the rest of the world, those plastic products were not objectively hideous monstrosities (no such thing) but utterly revolutionary. Those wonderful iMacs taught us that personal computers could actually be personal. Everything else followed from that idea. I find it hilarious that Apple critics complain of them not being imaginative enough, yet also, as in your case, complain when they showed real imagination.

Yes, rather indulgent. Money well-spent. 🙄

Depends what you mean by "worth it." What is the basis of that consideration? Ego? pride? Helping homeless people camping out in CA?

You’re saying you wouldn’t buy a cool exotic super car or some other purportedly expensive treat if you could afford one with pocket change? Now imagine it were simultaneously an investment in your future. Apple Park is the corporate version of that.

I'm 100% sure, Apple will NOW listen more to customers, and design things that work/function better as pieces of equipment, now that he's out of the way.

Jobs himself famously said that customers don’t know what they really want until you show it to them. That approach made Apple what it is today.

And what's he leaning against and has his reflection on? Seems like two photos

Glass.

 

[citysnaps]

Really good comment! Professors of Photography 101 everywhere are clapping softly.

Thanks... The narrative the photograph releases that's strongest for me comes from the clever posing of Ive. And his resulting reflection on the glass he's leaning against.

At the time of his leaving he's looking out, contemplating his contributions to Apple over his 27 years (including the conceptual design of Apple Park with Jobs), helping to propel Apple to where it is today.

His reflection however, looking inward and weaker, speaks to when he's gone - not as strong being an outsider, but with his legacy present that continues to influence Apple going forward. And though he's no longer an employee, he's not totally gone, as Apple will be a major client for Ive's new design company.

This is quite a remarkable photograph, on many levels.

 

[NufSaid]

I think his designs have been amazing and shown great restraint.

This portrait is pathetic. The media can report on an innovative Designer but one that clearly was in capable of selecting a truly gifted photographer.

The unnatural positioning of his legs and poor composition is sad.

 

[jgdeschamps]

A $20 phone from 7-11 is not remotely in the same ballpark as a $200 smartphone. Equating the two is like comparing a 1986 Yugo to a 2019 McLaren 650GT. Yes they both have 4 wheels and transport people. That's where the similarities end.

Did you read my first post where I'm amazed by the beauty of the distortion-free glass and some bitter person actually responded to me that Apple is self indulgent and just spent money for the sake of luxury? Well, my sarcastic response to that person was that we all spend more money on a smartphone rather than getting a 20 bucks phone because we see more value in it, even though they both basically do the same.
Same case as that glass for Apple.
Shampoo instructions printed on the bottle are a sarcasm on society for a reason.

 

[jgdeschamps]

Depends what you mean by "worth it." What is the basis of that consideration? Ego? pride? Helping homeless people camping out in CA?
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Ive ran out of ideas. Stale products abound. I agree that Apple and Ive had their day, and maybe they will again, but your mean post attempts to distract from the reality that Apple is stuck.
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Um, no. Not like that at all. Too much hyperbole in that.

Why? A response equally as yours exaggerating their design and architecture teams reasons for choosing the glass. Within your logic, there wouldn't be any architecture because we all should live, work, pray, study and eat in (sustainable) wooden boxes devoid of anything anyone's morale considers inappropriate. We shouldn't have computers either because they are an ode to laziness. Wanna do music now, because WOW, those musicians are a whole other level of what ego trip means... damn you, Liszt!