New Biography of Jony Ive Sheds Light on Apple's Design 'Genius'

[charlituna]

I find him interesting. I'll perhaps pick this up at some point.

I'll wait until a biography done with his cooperation comes out. Out of respect for the man and because that one is more likely to have vastly more fact and less speculation than one done by a blog editor who can't resist hit whoring etc on his site.

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I read the Jobs bio, I will probably read this. But why no cooperation from Jony or Tim?

Jony Ive is a private guy and it is his right to say no. Tim and Apple would be out of respect for the fact that Jony didn't want this to be viewed as any kind of 'official' biography'. Many laws in the US would back up the notion that Apple has no right to give out info about an employee, particularly private info. So that is in the mix as well.

All that said, this type of 'from articles' etc is how I wish a biography, particularly a biopic, of Steve had been done. Literally. Rather than making a fictional account with actors dramatizing things, use actual video of Steve, interview folks etc. Documentary style not dramatic style. I bet if someone like biography channel did a 4-6 hour mini series on him in said style it would be a huge hit.

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I didn't mean it in a negative way. Just an observation. He's been in many interviews and videos recently.

Not more so than before. He is interviewed when he or his team wins an award. And talks about the product or Apple. Not himself.

And he has always done the product videos so that's nothing new.

Perhaps the only 'Jony Ive' thing he has done was the Blue Peter bit.

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I don't think I want to read anything from Leander Kahney. Can't exactly explain, but I find everything he writes quite irritating.

Might be the fact that he runs a blog that is full of self serving, inane, idiotic and/or blatantly hit whoring articles.

 

[tai.michael]

It;s about checks and balances. Even the greatest literary masterpieces had a strong editorial hand. I think Jony Ive was always talented, but he's a designer, and not really a tech geek. For every design he puts out, what really needs to happen is Apple hardware engineers need to have the strength of personality to say "Um, beautiful, but where does the battery go?"

The revered position of Ive in the company (and Tim Cook's lack of expertise in hardware engineering) probably makes it really hard today to ask the practical questions. Steve Jobs had the strength of personality to put the fear of God in everyone. I don't see anyone in Apple's team daring to say no to Jony today.

You are right. Perhaps I have downplayed his involvement too much. But then again, all it took for Jony and Cook to do was say, "Hey, we don't know too much about software, why don't we keep the current look of iOS6 or hire someone who does know?" Instead, they took it upon themselves to create this iOS7 abomination, and then do an arrogant segment for Business Week with them all laughing on the front cover, titled "What Us Worry?"

Guys, you didn't create the cure for cancer. Real developers and designers know that iOS7 was nothing groundbreaking, instead actually a step back of ten years in graphic design.

 

[charlituna]

Kind of reminds me of those artists that pay young artists to create art/paintings and then sign their name on it as if they are the creator.

Back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance this was exactly how the guilds worked. Until you were made a 'master' or 'artisan' you didn't get credit for your work, your master did.

These days that generally comes in the form of the work you do for an employer being their property not yours.

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Guys, you didn't create the cure for cancer. Real developers and designers know that iOS7 was nothing groundbreaking, instead actually a step back of ten years in graphic design.

Many developers and designers take no umbrage with iOS 7 which makes me curious what qualifications you have to declare it an 'abomination' and qualify who is 'real' and who is not.

Perhaps the real issue is that you don't understand the difference between your personal opinion and fact

 

[Poisonivy326]

You are right. Perhaps I have downplayed his involvement too much. But then again, all it took for Jony and Cook to do was say, "Hey, we don't know too much about software, why don't we keep the current look of iOS6 or hire someone who does know?" Instead, they took it upon themselves to create this iOS7 abomination, and then do an arrogant segment for Business Week with them all laughing on the front cover, titled "What Us Worry?"

Guys, you didn't create the cure for cancer. Real developers and designers know that iOS7 was nothing groundbreaking, instead actually a step back of ten years in graphic design.

iOS7 can be fixed with new releases, perhaps tweaks of the GUI, etc. Apple has a great team of engineers who have a history of fixing bugs and improving functionality over time in their OS.

The uncontrolled "Ive imprint" on Apple hardware is more worrisome. When an iMac has an iPad-like glued display, that's not smart design, that's a fundamental misunderstanding about the function of a desktop computer vs. a tablet consumer device. When a LAPTOP has glued-in batteries, that again is an fundamental misunderstanding that a portable computer should have a way of replacing a battery if it's defective. When an iphone is more easily fixable than an imac, again, to me that's a sign that no one in Apple is willing to say no to Ive's designs, even if they end up wasting a lot of money.

For instance how many people complain about defective iMac screens? A lot. It benefits Apple to have a screen that can easily replaced by their tech engineers. It probably saves a bunch of money too.

 

[melendezest]

I'm sure Ive came up with several designs before *STEVE* approved the one *HE* wanted. So, NO! WE DID NOT GIVE CREDIT TO THE WRONG GUY! sheesh! Ive is GREAT and I love him but let's not go over the top please.

And that is why the Apple I knew and loved is dead. It died the day Steve did.

 

[Shrink]

I'm sure Ive came up with several designs before *STEVE* approved the one *HE* wanted. So, NO! WE DID NOT GIVE CREDIT TO THE WRONG GUY! sheesh! Ive is GREAT and I love him but let's not go over the top please.

Ah...so we now capitalize "He" is reference to Jobs!?

Deification is problematic in reference to a flawed, albeit talented, human.

 

[kobalap]

Many developers and designers take no umbrage with iOS 7 which makes me curious what qualifications you have to declare it an 'abomination' and qualify who is 'real' and who is not.

Perhaps the real issue is that you don't understand the difference between your personal opinion and fact

There are many many pros (people who design and build software for a living) who hold iOS 7 in high regard. That is not to say it is perfect or even better in all ways than iOS 6. Its just that this "sky is falling because of iOS 7" mentality that is pervasive in macrumors is not really a universal sentiment. At least, not with all people who can appreciate how hard it is to design something that works really well.

 

[everything-i]

Not sure I'd call him a genius. I see nothing groundbreaking.

What about the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, unibody macbooks, all ground breaking designs and all from Ive. Just one of these in a designers career would be special but all of them puts him up there with the best of the best. Yes he has come up with some crap too but there have been hell of a lot of successes.

 

[hipnetic]

Many developers and designers take no umbrage with iOS 7 which makes me curious what qualifications you have to declare it an 'abomination' and qualify who is 'real' and who is not.

"Many" is a meaningless word. There are also "many" developers and UI designers (myself included) who think the iOS7 redesign is horrible.

 

[B4U]

Can a MOD go through this thread and remove the pathetic negative comments.

what's wrong with people feeling the need to comment on things that they have no interest in.

/rant

Sorry that I did not get the notice about Mac Rumor is located in North Korea, China, or any dictatorship states...

 

[ScottishCaptain]

That sounds like a horrible test. Seriously flawed lame test. People are automatically going to go for the button that seems most practical. If they thought the iOS 6 button seemed like a most natural choice given that most people were still using iOS 6 at the time of your so-called 'test' than go figure.

Now that iOS 7 has caught hold, what say you do the test again? I'm sure you could come up with some way to skew the results for us if you are creative enough.

Emphasis mine, and thanks for proving my point. The last testing session I had was only 5 days ago, and the one before that was about two weeks earlier. At least half of my results occurred after iOS 7 had "caught hold", and I saw no noticeable difference from one test session to another.

It's a wonder why reps from usability labs around the world aren't knocking on your door.

Heh. Usability. Apple. That's funny, good one .

Business has increased by almost 2x ever since iOS 7 was launched. Personally, I couldn't be happier work wise. The demand for user interfaces that are intuitive and easy to use hasn't gone anywhere, and now that full fledged user interface designs are considered "high-end" and "premium" I can charge even more for the same thing I've always been doing.

I've found that iOS 7 is wildly popular with:

1) Those who don't have the talent or skill or desire to build a proper user interface, since there really isn't anything to two colour gradients and a couple of vector icons

2) Those who want to push out apps as fast as humanly possible, since iOS 7 applications take less time to design and write so they "fit in" with the rest of the system (where the bar has been placed exceptionally low)

For the rest of us developers, I can't say anything has changed. Premium user interfaces are still premium, even moreso now because they're easier to use then the rest of the iOS 7 system.

Your test sounds good on paper, but to me all it really does is affirm people's recent memory.

In the early 2000s, when LCD TVs came out, if you put a guy in a room with 10 flat screen TVs mounted to the walls, and a ca.1990s CRT TV on a table, and told him to "turn on the TV", he'd march right over to the CRT and turn it on.

Try that same test today. Things change.

Buttons are buttons.

A more apt analogy would be this: you're asking the same guy to turn on two identical monitors, except one has a power button (a pushable mechanical button) that says "POWER" and the other has a raised/engraved touch sensitive metal text that says "POWER" instead (which could very well be mistaken for the monitor's manufacture logo).

He will push the button first, because it's a button, and the operation of a button has been ingrained into every human being in existence as a basic physical construct that you can manipulate and interact with.

-SC

 

[MacSince1990]

This book should be designed the way this genius would have designed it:

• Make the book completely round and hide all of the complexity as to where to open the book (inspired by his round iMac mouse. Genius!)

• 
  
  Wait.... IVES was behind the iPuck? Ffs..... knew I didn't like him.
  
  
  

  [*]Use Helvetica Neue only, esp inside the book. If people don't squint to see the super thin fonts, you're doing something wrong.

  
  Honestly, I miss Apple Garamond.

 

[AaronEdwards]

What about the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, unibody macbooks, all ground breaking designs and all from Ive. Just one of these in a designers career would be special but all of them puts him up there with the best of the best. Yes he has come up with some crap too but there have been hell of a lot of successes.

Ground breaking designs? Those designs aren't all from Ive. Ever heard of Dieter Rams? You should google that name. You'll see the similarity, whether you would want to call that inspiration or stealing...

Not sure about Ive's crappy designs, those might be all his.

 

[numlock]

What about the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, unibody macbooks, all ground breaking designs and all from Ive. Just one of these in a designers career would be special but all of them puts him up there with the best of the best. Yes he has come up with some crap too but there have been hell of a lot of successes.

what is groundbreaking?

there had been all in one computers before the imac, there were similar looking devices to the iphone and ipod touch and ipad are basically different sizes of it.

the unibody is more an engineering feat than a design i would say

 

[jshulman10]

I think Ive's done a pretty good job for his first time working on interface. Still shouldn't have been moved to an unfamiliar area.

 

[Solomani]

I do have respect for what Jony has done over the years, especially with Apple hardware design.

But this new book…. is a premature celebration of his legacy.

This is about as stupid as a new biography of Adele saying she is The World's Best and Most Legendary Female Vocalist of the 21st century….. except that her career is nowhere near the end. And the 21st century has just started. And there has not been sufficient time passed to compare her "legacy" with that of potential peers.

It's like premature deification. It borders on arrogance, hubris.

.

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I read the Jobs bio, I will probably read this. But why no cooperation from Jony or Tim?

There were also many un-authorized biographies of Steve Jobs that did not have Steve's blessing.

 

[gnasher729]

Ground breaking designs? Those designs aren't all from Ive. Ever heard of Dieter Rams? You should google that name. You'll see the similarity, whether you would want to call that inspiration or stealing...

Not sure about Ive's crappy designs, those might be all his.

What an ignorance.

I'm aware that there are photos floating around on the internet of devices designed by Dieter Rams, that have been carefully photographed from a very specific angle to make them look like Apple devices. If you look at these devices from any other than the carefully chosen angle, there is no similarity.

Anyone who claims that any Apple designs have been copied from Dieter Rams is either mischievious or a gullible idiot.

 

[Poisonivy326]

What an ignorance.

I'm aware that there are photos floating around on the internet of devices designed by Dieter Rams, that have been carefully photographed from a very specific angle to make them look like Apple devices. If you look at these devices from any other than the carefully chosen angle, there is no similarity.

Anyone who claims that any Apple designs have been copied from Dieter Rams is either mischievious or a gullible idiot.

Hmm, this doesn't look a lot like the ipod at all:

 

[numlock]

Hmm, this doesn't look a lot like the ipod at all:

Image

its the angle man

 

[AaronEdwards]

What an ignorance.

I'm aware that there are photos floating around on the internet of devices designed by Dieter Rams, that have been carefully photographed from a very specific angle to make them look like Apple devices. If you look at these devices from any other than the carefully chosen angle, there is no similarity.

Anyone who claims that any Apple designs have been copied from Dieter Rams is either mischievious or a gullible idiot.

It's amazing that you can take a number of designs made by Dieter Rams and just by carefully photographing them at special angels they all look like later designs by Ive.
Even more amazing, it only works with designs by Dieter Rams.
Even more amazing when you read what Ives thinks about Rams.
Ives is a big fan of Rams' designs and principles and by chance (if you carefully photograph them at special angels), Rams' designs looks a lot like Ive's.

Amazing.

What a coincidence!

So, do you have photos of them from other angels?

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its the angle man

Agree, if you just tilted Rams' radio 2 degrees up, the wheel turns into a rectangle.

It's all lies!

 

[MacHumors]

So, do you have photos of them from other angels?

Seraphim or Cherubim?

 

[tai.michael]

iOS7 can be fixed with new releases, perhaps tweaks of the GUI, etc. Apple has a great team of engineers who have a history of fixing bugs and improving functionality over time in their OS.

I originally welcomed having a new designer in charge of the UI out of respect for the man Steve Jobs called his "spiritual partner at Apple." But what actually came out completely screwed with my mind. How can a company that perfected user interfaces come out with something so horrid and ugly? And how can losing two people make such a difference? Aren't their talented designers and developers at Apple?

It took me a while to let it sink in, and I finally accepted the fact that the fate of Apple always rested on one person. Without Jobs, Apple is dead. It happened before. It will happen again.

The uncontrolled "Ive imprint" on Apple hardware is more worrisome.

Did this push for glue exist during Job's tenure or after? I feel like for the sake of making things thinner it is justifiable. But in the long run, such a terrible way of designing.

 

[Poisonivy326]

Did this push for glue exist during Job's tenure or after? I feel like for the sake of making things thinner it is justifiable. But in the long run, such a terrible way of designing.

Well, I do know that each "generation" of Apple products seems to have more glue.

Looking at the product lines:

1. The original macbook pros (still sold in the 13" form) -- no glue. Held together by screws.

The new rmbp's: batteries are GLUED in. I don't see how this saves any space. It does save money, except for when someone has a defective battery. Oops.

2. iMacs 2011: LCD held in place by magnets.

iMacs 2012: LCD glued to back panel. iMac's thinness on the front belies the fact that it has an awkward pregnant bulge in the back.

3. Macbook Air: has changed very little in design. Things are still screwed in, although RAM is soldered.

4. iPad: original iPad 1 screen could be pried away with a screw. New iPad Air screen again, glued in. Batteries also glued.

5. iPhone: oddly, maybe the last holdout in terms of being a fairly fixable, non-glued device.

Again, there's no design magic in having parts glued in. Actually it's very sloppy and it's a sign that Ive's designs are now not to be questioned, tweaked, or altered.

 

[AaronEdwards]

Seraphim or Cherubim?

hehe

 

[tai.michael]

5. iPhone: oddly, maybe the last holdout in terms of being a fairly fixable, non-glued device.

Wow, I for some reason believed that the original iPhone used glue which was why I thought glue in the iPad was forgivable.

I just found out that the 5S uses some adhesive glue to hold the battery as opposed to a pull tab in the 5. Dear Lord, why is this happening?