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Apple's Jony Ive helped design a Christmas tree with no lights
Jony Ive and Marc Newson have designed a range of products that have little to do with their work at Apple, but their latest is something... different. They've worked with set designer Michael Howells on the Claridge's Christmas tree for 2016, and it largely lives up to your "if Jony Ive designed this, it would..." stereotypes. Just as your new Mac or iPhone is devoid of ports, there are no conventional tree lights in this hotel display -- you'll see 13-foot light boxes beaming images of snow-covered birches, but the actual tree arrangement is bare. It's like Ive was sent on a mission to destroy your holiday memories with his signature minimalism.
Apple wants to sell you a $300 photo book about its products
Apple is known for two things: design and modesty. Okay, one thing. Today, the company announced a new photo book that "chronicles 20 years of Apple design," called Designed by Apple in California. Dedicated to the memory of its co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, the new book intends to highlight both Apple's design process as well as its products. It features 450 photos of gadgets past and present, shot by Andrew Zuckerman, a photographer who is perhaps most famous for his Creature book and subsequent sequels.
Watch Apple show off its design studio and spaceship campus (update)
For years, most people have only known about Apple's secret design studio through anecdotes. There's talk of extreme security, loads of specialized manufacturing gear and other stories that make it sound more like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory than a real-world place. However, a lot of that mystery is about to disappear. CBS' 60 Minutes is airing a tour of Apple at 7:30PM Eastern that, on top of an interview with CEO Tim Cook, includes a rare peek at Apple's design wing. You unsurprisingly won't see future products (as hinted by the black cloth above), but there are promises of a talk with design chief Jony Ive about the process behind making all those iPhones, Macs and Watches.
Jony Ive becomes Apple's first Chief Design Officer
There's no question that Jony Ive is more important than ever to Apple's design process given his heavy influence on everything from the look of iOS to the philosophy behind the Apple Watch, and the Cupertino crew just gave him a promotion to reflect that fact. The Telegraph has revealed that Ive was recently promoted from Senior VP to become Apple's first-ever Chief Design Officer. He'll still oversee the company's broader design efforts, but there will be leaders dedicated to user interfaces (Alan Dye) and industrial design (Richard Howarth) as of July 1st.
Watch Jony Ive and Elon Musk talk design and sci-fi transportation
Tired of hearing little more than soundbites from tech luminaries such as Apple's Jony Ive and Tesla's Elon Musk? Today's your lucky day. Vanity Fair has posted its full video interviews with both Ive and Musk, giving you an insight into how the two executives work. Not surprisingly, Ive's chat focuses on his design philosophies and processes, including what he thinks of Xiaomi's eerily familiar-looking products (spoiler: he doesn't see them as "flattery"). Musk, meanwhile, drops both hints about Tesla's semi-automated Model S P85D and discusses the motivations behind the science fiction-inspired transport from SpaceX and Tesla, including why it's important for humanity to go to Mars. The two discussions are lengthy at about half an hour each, but they're definitely worthwhile if you want to see what makes key industry figures tick. [Image credit: Kimberly White/Getty Images for Vanity Fair]
Apple's Jony Ive: 'We're surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects'
In a rare interview, Apple's VP of Design offers at least a little insight into both his thinking and how Apple makes its products. Apparently, it all starts with Jonathan Ive imagining what a new kind of product should be and what it should do. After that, the process moves on to what it should look like. Inspiration here apparently comes from, well, everywhere, from candy manufacturers to metalworkers in Northern Japan. It's no surprise to hear that Ive labors over the details: "months and months and months" were spent on perfecting the iMac stand. "When you realize how well you can make something, falling short, whether seen or not, feels like failure." "We don't take so long, and make the way we make for fiscal reasons." More than any Apple product in particular, however, it's the idea that customers might not be completely driven by prices -- that's what he's most pleased with. "We're surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It's tempting to think it's because the people who use them don't care - just like the people who make them." Ive references that life-changing products, unimaginable before, are expensive - and that's part of the Apple premium. "We don't take so long, and make the way we make, for fiscal reasons."
Jony Ive turns Mac Pro RED for charity
Suddenly, the 20th Anniversary Mac seems downright commonplace. Apple's Jony Ive is teaming up with recent design partner Marc Newson to auction a one-of-a-kind red Mac Pro as part of a Product RED charity fundraiser. It's not clear what's different on the inside versus the regular black model, but look at that outside -- it's guaranteed that this workstation will be the centerpiece of the office. Be prepared to pony up if you like the idea of an ultra-exclusive system, though. Sotheby's estimates that the red Mac Pro will sell for $40,000 to $60,000; while that's a steal next to an Apple I, it's not exactly chump change. Check out both the Mac and some (slightly) more affordable rose gold EarPods at the source links.
Jony Ive named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world
Time magazine's annual list of the top 100 most influential people in the world is out and Apple design guru Jony Ive made the list. Ive's write-up in the magazine was penned by none other than U2 frontman Bono, who you might remember had a particularly close relationship with Steve Jobs and a long-standing working relationship with Apple with respect to Bono's Project Red initiative. Bono writes of Ive: Jony Ive is himself classic Apple. Brushed-steel, polished-glass hardware, complicated software honed to simplicity. His genius is not just his ability to see what others cannot, but also how he applies it. To watch him with his workmates in the holy of holies, Apple's design lab, or on a night out is to observe a very rare esprit de corps. They love their boss, and he loves them. What the competitors don't seem to understand is you cannot get people this smart to work this hard just for money. Jony is Obi-Wan. Ive's inclusion on the list shouldn't be all that surprising when you consider that there are currently hundreds of millions of Apple products in use worldwide that bear the design influence and sensibilities of Ive. What's more, Ive's influence on the products we use is only bound to increase in the years to come. While Ive has historically been a driving force in the industrial design of Apple's products, his design taste will soon be apparent in Apple's software as well. Remember that Ive, following the unceremonious departure of Scott Forstall, was put in charge of Apple's Human Interface design this past October. We should get a first glimpse of Ive's software aesthetic when Apple unveils iOS 7 at WWDC this year. That is, of course, if Apple can get it finished on time. Recent reports have suggested that Apple's next-gen mobile OS is running a tad behind schedule, so much so that Apple was reportedly forced to pull engineers working on OS X 10.9 to help out with iOS 7 development efforts. Returning to Time's list of 100 influential figures for a second, there are two other points of interest worth mentioning. First, Samsung CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon made the cut, and his write-up was, oddly enough, penned by former Apple CEO John Sculley. Second, Greenlight Capital hedge fund manager David Einhorn also made the list. You might remember that Einhorn caused a small stir in financial circles earlier this year when he sued Apple for not returning enough of its cash to shareholders. Einhorn subsequently dropped the suit in March.
Apple's Sir Ive honored with BBC kids TV's greatest honor, the gold Blue Peter badge (video)
Knighthood, schmighthood. Apple's British design head has just picked up a golden Blue Peter badge. The show, which has been running on UK TV for over 50 years, even had their gift reciprocated, with Sir Jonathan Ive offering up a solid aluminum Blue Peter badge (above) that took over 10 hours to craft. Ive can count himself in good company, joining other luminaries like JK Rowling and David Beckham. The segment will air during a gadget special tomorrow, but you can watch the exchange between kids TV and Apple design right after the break.
The iPad mini vs. the competition: fight!
The traditional trail of inventory listings, leaked casings and internal components have teased us enough: it's finally time to get down to the nitty gritty specs, and see how Apple's latest (and daintiest) iPad shapes up to the competition. We've collected a trio of like-sized slabs to pit the device against, just for the fun of it. Read on to see how it stacks up against its peers. For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
Entire Apple design team receives award in London
Apple's design team was named the best design studio of the last 50 years by D&D, and, according to the London Evening Standard, the whole design team was on hand to accept the prestigious Design and Art Direction (D&D) award. In honor of the award, Apple flew the entire 16-member team from San Francisco to London for D&D's 50-year anniversary ceremony. This isn't Apple's first design award, but it is is the first time the entire design team was present to receive an award. Sir Jonathan Ive lead the team, which includes 14 men and two women, in accepting the award. D&D is a London charity that promotes "brilliance in commercial creativity" and celebrates "excellence within the creative industries and beyond." Its annual awards event is highly regarded among advertising and design professions.
iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: what's changed?
Its name is enough to send CEOs into cold sweats, which is why the rest of the mobile world spent last week announcing their hardware back-to-back to steal a march on this handset. Now, after all of the rumor, speculation and leaks, Apple's sixth iPhone has finally been unveiled in San Francisco. We've got around 45 minutes before the world begins idly speculating about next year's iteration, so let's spend what little time we have delving into what's changed between now and the last time we were here. Check out our liveblog of Apple's event to get the latest news as it happens! Check out all the coverage at our iPhone 2012 event hub!
iPad prototype renderings from early-2000s revealed in Apple / Samsung court filings (update: comparison shots)
It's a strange bit of history that the concept of an Apple tablet led to what we know as the first iPhone. It's a fact that Steve Jobs made mention of back in 2010, at an appearance at All Things D, realizing that Apple was capable of building a handset based on the technology it pieced together for a multitouch display. Now, thanks to Apple / Samsung court filings (you know that whole little kerfuffle between the companies) and digging by the folks at NetworkWorld, some early concepts for an Apple slate have come to light. The dates of the mockups are a little nebulous at the moment, but during his deposition, Jonathan Ive, puts them at somewhere between 2002 and 2004. Check a few more angles and a stiff case usage in the gallery below. Update: Our friend Anand Shimpi of AnandTech pointed out that the first iPad prototype used a Pentium M processor. We sure have come a long way. Update 2: BuzzFeed obtained some color photos of the gigantic prototype placed next to an iPad 2. Head over there to see more.%Gallery-160618%
Jony Ive's knighting ceremony
Apple designer Jony Ive was knighted today in a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, according to a BBC News UK report. It's an honor he said was "absolutely thrilling." Ive's knighthood was announced late last year and the ceremony took place on Wednesday. The famed Apple designer shared some small talk with Princess Anne, who was doing the knighting. You can watch the short ceremony on the BBC's website.
London Evening Standard interviews Jony Ive
The London Evening Standard interviewed famed Apple designer Jonathan Ive. As the man credited with the industrial design of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Ive's name is well-known, but his face is not as public as CEO Tim Cook or Phil Schiller. This exclusive interview paints a personal picture of Ive that we often don't see. During the interview, Ive talks about his knighthood, London and, of course, his time at Apple. When asked about his earliest encounter with product design, Ive describes his first Mac: It was when I first used a Mac - I'd gone through college in the Eighties using a computer and had a horrid experience. Then I discovered the Mac. It was such a dramatic moment and I remember it so clearly - there was a real sense of the people who made it. You can read this and other gems from Sir Ive at the London Evening Standard's website.
Apple lead designer Jonathan Ive knighted for the New Year, how's your 2012 looking?
Apple Senior VP Jonathan (or Jony) Ive has been credited with fueling the company's resurgence alongside Steve Jobs with products like the iMac, iPhone and iPad, and for these successes has been made a Knight Commander of the British Empire as a part of the New Year's Honour's List. Aside from having a much better NYE celebration than yours, he'll be tapped on the shoulders by the Queen's sword and that will forever be Sir Jony to you, commoner (we'll see if he can make it through the ceremony without suggesting some tweaks for better balance and usability -- you can see his passion above as he eats an invisible sandwich pontificates about new iMacs). It's a bump up from his previous title of Commander of the British Empire and keeps the cycle going, as he released a statement appreciating the benefit of a "wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making". [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Jonathan Ive gets a knighthood
The UK's New Year's Honours list is out, and there's a familiar (well-muscled) figure on it. Apple's design lead Jonathan Ive has received the honorary title of Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE). Ive was honored as a Commander of the British Empire in 2005, but now he can legitimately call himself "Sir Jony." Ive is a 19-year Apple veteran and has long been considered one of the company's key leadership assets, with Steve Jobs referring to him as a "spiritual partner." His design sensibility and expertise has shaped Apple's aesthetic; visitors to Hamburg's design museum can still see examples of every Ive-designed product on exhibit through the middle of next month. Congratulations to Sir Jonathan! Correction: While the title itself is referred to as an honor (or honour), it is not "honorary" in the sense used to refer to an honorary degree or title.
Samsung to depose Jony Ive, other Apple designers
Samsung is set to depose Jonathan Ive and other Apple designers by December 1st. The depositions are in preparation for the July 2012 trial that will decide the outcome of the plethora of lawsuits the two companies have filed against each other. Originally the depositions were supposed to be done by mid-October, but Samsung's lawyers asked for an extension due to the lack of witness availability. Samsung told the judge that "Mr. Ive is unable to sit for deposition before November 1 for personal reasons." The three other people being deposed all had similar reasons for being unavailable. In addition to Ive, Samsung is set to depose former Apple color materials manager Doug Satzger; industrial designer Shin Nishibori, who is named on the MacBook Air and iPhone 4 patents; and Christopher Stringer, whose name Edible Apple points out has been appearing on Apple patent filings "for years."
iPod 10th anniversary: Apple design exhibit at MKG Hamburg
Since we're celebrating a decade of iPod today, it's a perfect time to share our photos from the Stylectrical exhibition at the MK&G museum in Hamburg, Germany. This collection features scores of Apple products (largely from the reign of design chief Jonathan Ive) alongside some of the industrial designs from other companies that informed, or were influenced by, the clean and functional Apple aesthetic. Check out the 'wall of iPods' that covers the full decade-long arc of the music player. %Gallery-137322% Some of the most remarkable juxtapositions in the exhibit come with the pairings of mid-20th century Braun products with the Apple designs that follow their distinctive looks. The three postcards from the exhibit (shown above) feature designs by Dieter Rams for Braun that would seem perfectly in place on the tables of an Apple Store, save that they were produced in the late 1950s and early '60s. Rams' influence on Ive's designs is widely acknowledged -- witness the iOS Calculator app, which is a dead ringer for the Braun ET66 calculator -- but there's a difference between knowing that and seeing it right in front of you. The exhibition is a must-visit for any Apple fan passing through Hamburg between now and mid-January. Don't miss the art gallery of prints from photographer Michael Tompert; his 12LVE project destroys Apple products (ow!) in the service of beautiful and haunting images. Enjoy the gallery of products and displays. Thanks to the Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe and curator Ina Grätz for inviting us to visit. Reader Neil Curtis also toured the exhibit and sent us the video walkthrough below. Photos by Michael Rose, © 2011. All rights reserved.
Exhibition of Apple design debuts in German museum
During the Steve Jobs II era at Apple, the company's product priorities focused on ease of use, delighting and surprising the customer, and of course the incredible design aesthetic that we all know and love. That design philosophy has been championed and executed by the industrial design team led by senior vice president Jonathan Ive, and it is Ive's work with Apple that is the topic of a new exhibition in Hamburg, Germany at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Arts and Crafts). Stylectrical: On Electro-Design That Makes History aims to take a close look at "the complex process of industrial design in the context of cultural studies." The show, opening this weekend, contains 300 separate exhibits; over half of those are Apple products. All products released by Apple under Ive's design oversight are supposed to be represented there (the first time that's happened), alongside other leading electronic product design examples. There is particular attention paid to the ties between Apple design and the German industrial giant Braun's products. In addition to a print catalog, the exhibition merits pride of place in the museum's own iPhone app (of course). You can see photos from the exhibit, check opening times and view museum information. The exhibition runs from now until January 15, 2012. Admission is €8 (€5 for Thursday evenings), and the museum is open every day but Monday. I'm planning to check it out in person next week, and I'll share some pictures and impressions from the visit.
