Jony Ive's Involvement at Apple Reportedly Tapered After the Original Apple Watch Launched in 2015

[Nicksd84]

This doesn’t explain the iPhone 6 design. That phone and subsequent iterations were terrible in the hand.

 

[JetTester]

Doing my happy dance. No matter how good someone is, doing the same thing for too long results in stagnation. Hopefully this is the first step in infusing new blood in Apple’s design team. This is great news!

 

[HobbesInVA]

The flat iOS design was Ive's and Cook's middle finger to Scott Forstall because he wouldn't take the fall for the Apple Maps debacle.

I've not been a fan of the flat design since Day 1.

 

[Roscorito]

Man, are the haters here really so full of impotent rage that they don’t see how fundamental Jony is to Apple’s success? It’s like John leaving the Beatles and people saying ‘good riddance’. I mean, Ive practically IS Apple.

 

[smaffei]

I think Tim Cook and the new environment make jony quit... and the apple culture (it used to be) is long gone

I'm fairly sure that's part of it. I think Ive stayed until the majority of his stock was vested.

 

[iapplelove]

They paid him well,so I don’t feel sorry for him that the job burnt him out.

Thy paid him very well.

 

[nwcs]

Change is the name of the game. While I understand some people being nervous this is actually a good thing. It provides an opportunity for one or more people to step up and lead. Perhaps this will be a fresh wind for the design team.

 

[JimmyBanks6]

Imagine any other employee whining they’re too “deeply deeply” tired and forcing people to have meetings at hotels and random venues.

I do feel sorry for him though, considering the salary that Apple pays the executives, especially in comparison to their developers and other employees, it’s understandable why he couldn’t afford a house closer to work to shorten his exhausting commute in his multiple Aston Martins and Bentley’s. /s.

 

[macgabe]

Ive atque vale

 

[MattMJB0188]

The flat iOS design was Ive's and Cook's middle finger to Scott Forstall because he wouldn't take the fall for the Apple Maps debacle.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Its just unfortunate consumers had to suffer by the new look.

 

[tcgjeukens]

Maybe slimness of products isn't going to be the driving force anymore.

 

[EdT]

He was influential at Apple for a long time, but if that influence was primarily responsible for a lot of form over function decisions concerning Apple products over the last 7 years or so then I can’t say I’m sorry he’s leaving. If he’s being made a scapegoat I hope that story isn’t buried forever either. I don’t know if he got tired of being blamed for decisions when he was only peripherally involved with them or if some of the questionable design decisions of the last decade really were his. I do think the announced Ive company along with the “Apple as a primary customer “ seems like a story being released to calm investors.

 

[nwcs]

The flat iOS design was Ive's and Cook's middle finger to Scott Forstall because he wouldn't take the fall for the Apple Maps debacle.

No, it was Apple’s attempt to follow the trend Google popularized with their material design.

 

[joueboy]

I'm 100% sure Tim Cook has something to do with this.

 

[rpat701]

Always good to put your COO in charge of product direction. Apple is officially and operations and efficiency company.

 

[Shearwater]

Tim.." In recognition of his service to Apple, I'm so excited to present Jonny with this Notch!"

...it's watch Tim...watch!

Oops.....

 

[sunapple]

It will be interesting to see how it all folds out over the coming years. Ive is still around however, so I'm sure they'll turn to him whenever they need. This is more of a change that suits Jony better, I can only imagine what a relief it must be stepping down and starting your own firm. Apple is a company that relies most on the design team, that must sometimes be a huge burden.

 

[RadioHedgeFund]

Good for him I say. There is nothing worse as a creative than being promoted and taken away from that you love.

And thank you for the Apple Watch

Every time I use it it feels like the glorious early days of the iPhone again.

 

[Yaboze]

I like Jony, but I think this is a good thing. Remember, under his direction we have unrepairable devices that are partially glued together with soldered parts that used to be swappable. This helps Apple's bottom line but is horrible for the consumer. Thinner is not always better. I like battery life and ports, don't you? Many in the industry have copied Apple's philosophy and there are lots of Windows laptops out there with similar designs. Thank god some companies are still making laptops and desktops that are still expandable and have ports.

 

[smaffei]

The fact that Ive is forming his own design company should be the telltale sign that he wants to get out from under the yoke of current Apple management.

Jony is worth well over $150 million. If this was surely a "tired" situation, he could retire and do anything he wants stress free.

 

[TimFL1]

I like Jony, but I think this is a good thing. Remember, under his direction we have unrepairable devices that are partially glued together with soldered parts that used to be swappable. This helps Apple's bottom line but is horrible for the consumer. Thinner is not always better. I like battery life and ports, don't you? Many in the industry have copied Apple's philosophy and there are lots of Windows laptops out there with similar designs. Thank god some companies are still making laptops and desktops that are still expandable and have ports.

Speak for yourself, I am a big fan of the direction their hardware is heading (thin, USB-C, I love the butterfly keyboards if they weren‘t so prone to breaking).

I don‘t want a thick Macbook Pro or iPhone. Hope they don‘t do a gigantic U-turn in terms of product design under the new leadership.

 

[sracer]

I, too, have become "deeply, deeply tired" of someone who used to bring exciting, whimsical touches to design like translucent colorful plastic, shiny aluminum, and a white pulsating LED to make the Mac look like it's snoozing, but has now become a one-trick pony who only asks "can we make the side of the iMac nobody will ever look at even thinner?".

There were a few rays of light in between, like Apple Watch bands, but for the most part, hardware design at Apple in the past 18 years (the May 2001 white iBook) has been an endless march towards thinness, silver-y or golden shades of aluminum or steel, black bezels, and a glass. Functionally, it has gotten worse.

Enough with the sameness.

The question I have now is... will Apple product designs get better or worse with Ives' departure?

 

[ChineseBots]

He gets paid THAT MUCH only to show up twice a week? With minimal effort he had put into Apple design recent years, this is straight up stealing LOL.

 

[cmichaelb]

The butterfly keyboard is the surest sign he started phoning it in long ago. Showing up twice a week? No wonder this crap happens.

He gets paid too much to get any sympathy from me. This is a man who will never have to worry about having enough money for whatever he wants or doing a job that he loves.

Here’s the world’s thinnest violin for you Jony. Good riddance.

I don't understand what Ivy had to do with the butterfly mechanism. Wasn't that designed by the engineers? I was under the impression, please correct me if wrong, Ivy and his team dealt with the aesthetics, not the engineering.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Remember when Apple was concerned about product design, and how exterior esthetic was as important as function?

Remember when Apple's direction would whip function into packaging?

Remember when Apple was "Space:1999", before it became "Thunderbirds"?

Remember when Apple's releases made you WANT to see them?

IT'S OVER, JONY. IT'S OVER!