It may seem that getting rid of Scott Forstall is a bad thing. He was, after all, the major architect of Apple’s most successful software: iOS, the software that runs the iPhone and iPad.
It’s actually a very good thing, and it means your iPhone is about to get a whole lot better.
Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design, is much like Apple’s products: at best, he only comes in two colors. Even though he has been used in promotional videos for eight new Apple products in just the past three years, he has only ever worn two shirts through all of them.
Luckily, he’s Lon Chaney-like in regards to the number of expressions he can put on his face. Unfortunately, not all of them are what we would call strictly dignified.
Since the death of Steve Jobs, many have wondered whether Apple’s core senior management team would stick around to continue Apple’s success. Most of Apple’s senior VPs are incredibly wealthy and extremely tired after launching Apple’s hugely successful products over the past decade.
For the most part, Tim Cook has been able to keep everyone on board. Retail VP Ron Johnson decided to leave before Steve’s death, but none of the important VPs have tried to call it quits other than Bob Mansfield who announced his retirement earlier this year. According to insiders, once Mansfield announced his retirements members of his engineering team complained about his replacement, and Tim Cook set out to get Mansfield back by offering an exorbitant salary.
It reads like some kind of fanboy fantasy: Jony Ive To Design Leica Camera. Only this fantasy is totally non-fantastic. Ive is set to design an ultra-limited edition of one single Leica, and it will be auctioned off by Bono (who else?) for charity.
Jony Ive is always so damn beautiful in every Apple product video. His gorgeous british accent just washes over my eardrums and magically hypnotizes me into buying whatever product Apple is pushing. Like, dude could sell me a mason jar of horse fat mixed with dead butterflies and pig’s blood and as long as Apple made a pretty video explaining why they made it, then I would be all about it.
To prove that point, Buzzfeed FWD mashed up Jony’s latest video with a video on how nasty, filthy, disgusting hot dogs are made. It’s sick and lovely, and pretty much proves that Apple could sell you anything they want and it would sound awesome. Do you agree? Let us hear your thoughts about Apple’s video sorcery in the comments below.
Source: FWD
Along with the announcement of the iPhone 5, Apple has also posted its traditional promotional video, touting the iPhone’s new features. As is typical, Jony Ive is present, talking about the new design and the iPhone 5’s larger display. The video is up on Apple’s website now, but you can also view it here, just after the break.
Renowned and long-time Apple executive Jony Ive has purchased a $17 million home on San Francisco’s exclusive “Gold Coast.” The 45-year-old designer behind products like the iMac, iPhone, and iPad is now the owner of a 7,274-square-foot abode overlooking the bay area.
Given Ive’s British heritage, it’s only fitting that his new house features its own courtyard garden and “cathedral” ceilings. Not too shabby, even for a man that’s been knighted by the Queen of England.
Do you remember what your first Windows PC looked like? Of course you don’t. But I bet you remember what your first Mac looked like sat atop your desk. That’s because Apple produces such incredible and iconic designs that we can’t help but remember them. But even Apple gets its inspiration from somewhere. And it’s quite clearly from Braun.
Apple is one of the world’s only companies that isn’t content to push out a great product with a few flaws. They want everything to be perfect. It’s one of their biggest strengths, but it also prevents a lot of neat products and ideas from reaching production. It turns out that the iPhone was no different during its inception, and even after all the cool prototyping and public demand for a great smartphone, Apple nearly axed the iPhone before it was launched.
Apple’s chief designer, Jony Ive, stated in a recent interview that small design flaws with the iPhone nearly caused it to get shelved, because even though the iPhone was good, it wasn’t excellent until they figured out how to fix some fundamental problems, like the proximity sensor.
The patent war between Apple and Samsung is just starting to heat up, with both tech giants scheduled to appear in U.S. court today. Apple accused Samsung of copying the iPhone and iPad back in April 2011, and Samsung countersued with similar accusations. In the months leading up to the trial, there have been treasure troves of previously hidden information uncovered, including hundreds of early iPhone and iPad prototype designs.
One design in particular, aptly named “Jony,” sparked an accusation from Samsung saying that Apple borrowed from Sony’s designs to create the first iPhone. To combat Samsung’s claim, Apple has since produced an early (and possibly first) prototype design of the iPhone from circa 2005.
Apple’s iPad, with its sleek aluminum casing, large 9.7-inch display, is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful tablets currently available. But there was a time when it was as thick as a cheap Dell notebook and made from tacky white plastic — as these images of an early iPad prototype prove.
When I first spotted those leaked images of what was claimed to be the next-generation iPhone’s rear panel, I wasn’t keen on the two-tone aluminum look, and I found myself wondering what Jony Ive was up to inside Apple’s design labs. But now that I’ve seen a few mockups of that design, I’ve changed my mind.
In fact, the latest mockups, created by Martin Hajek, look absolutely incredible.
Samuel L. Jackson may love Siri, but are every-day users as smitten? Find out what we think on our latest CultCast.
And someone call King Arthur, Jony Ive just got knighted. But is he ready to protect the realm?
All that and our thoughts on Facebook’s new Camera app on The CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes and read on for our show notes.
Jony Ive, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, swapped sunny Cupertino for London today to receive his knighthood from Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace. The 45-year-old Brit, who is responsible for the iconic designs behind Apple’s computers and iOS devices, said he is “both humbled and sincerely grateful” for the “absolutely thrilling honor.”
While in the capital, Ive also gave what is likely his most revealing interview yet to British broadsheet The Telegraph, in which he talks about Apple’s design and its focus on simplicity, Steve Jobs, and the company’s current projects.
The Notebook Case from CPeel is a plastic keyboard case for the iPad that’s designed to transform your tablet into a mini MacBook for €85 (approx. $111). It adds a full QWERTY keyboard that includes 13 function keys and connects to your iPad via Bluetooth.
But it’s not only its looks that make this case desirable. It also features an integrated 4,000 mAh Lithium-ion battery and a built-in USB port, which allow you to charge almost any device via a USB cable while you’re on the go.
Apple and Samsung have battled in court over the design of a number of Samsung’s Galaxy products, which Apple believes were “slavishly” copied from the iPhone and iPad. However, the Korean company’s chief of mobile design maintains that the Galaxy is “original from the beginning,” and believes that one day, he will match Jony Ive by designing a truly iconic product.
Sir Jony Ive hasn’t agreed to too many interviews during his time as Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design. But the London Evening Standard has managed to tie him down for a rare interview in which he talks about Apple’s design process, and why its competitors have the wrong goals.
How does Apple do it? How do they keep secret products that require huge billion dollar deals, years of planning and cutting-edge technology up until the moment Apple wants to announce it? How does Cupertino consistently leap frog the competition to market with new products at such low prices, then keep that lead for years? And how does Apple do all of this while maintaining record profits and 40% gross margins?
BusinessWeek has a fantastic look at the intricacies of Apple’s supply chain, which is the best on Earth. The secret? Hoarding lasers, they cheekily suggest. But that’s not actually all that far off.
As the legal battles between Apple and Samsung continue, the Korean electronics giant is seeking depositions from a number of Apple designers behind the company’s revolutionary iPhone, including its Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Jony Ive.
Back in 1997 at the beginning of the Second Jobs Dynasty, Apple introduced a special edition Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (TAM) to celebrate the company’s 20th year in business. The TAM was positioned as a high-end luxury system, selling for $7000 and delivered by a tuxedo clad technician, but highlighted where Apple was heading in industrial design with a vertical orientation, elegant fit and finish, and an LCD display later adopted by the iMac.
In this promotional video a (then) relatively unknown Apple designer named Jony Ive (with a full head of hair) shows off his newest baby and explains the company’s design philosophy. The TAM was a flop in the marketplace but foreshadowed Apple’s subsequent design renaissance, and has since become a coveted collector’s item.
[via 512 Pixels]
At Apple’s press events, Scott Forstall is the guy who introduces the company’s latest developments with the iOS firmware. He also pops up in the company’s infamous marketing videos in which they use words like “amazing,” “revolutionary,” and “magical.” But Scott’s not just that guy who gets up on stage every so often. He’s an incredibly important member of Apple’s executive team, and in a profile by Bloomberg Businessweek, he’s described as a “mini-Steve” who’s driven, obsessed over little details, and a magnificent salesman.
