I think this has a lot more to do with Ive's self-indulgence. TC isn't a designer and in a sense that's not what a CEO should do. But Ive now has free roam over OS & hardware UI. There's nobody there to tell him 'this looks like ****' or 'you should rethink that'.
This isn't even constructive criticism because I have no idea of Apple's inner workings and can't suggest how they'd fix it.
Before the Apple Watch I'd have said they're fine. But the Apple Watch is disturbingly ... un-Apple.
I agree.
I think Ive is a tremendous talent. Genius, even. He's a master of manipulating materials and geometries. But I've come to realize that I actually don't think he has the impeccable sense of taste I always assumed he must. I think his raw talent works best when channeled through the lens of someone else's vision. When he's the head chef in the kitchen, I don't actually care for the food as much.
I used to be somewhat inspired by his impassioned voiceover monologues during product unveils. But the more I listen to them, the shallower and sillier they seem to become. I almost chocked with laughter today when he was describing using your finger to zip around those goofy round icons on the watch and said the experience was "vital."