MacFormat UK – September 2019

Ive played a key role in the

design of the landmark original

iMac, and every product since

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design of the landmark original iMac, and

led the design of every product since. He

and Steve Jobs famously shared the same

minimalist aesthetic, and the same

conviction that form should follow

function – or indeed that function and

usability are paramount, and the hardware

should be unobtrusive. “In many ways,”

Ive is quoted as saying, “we’re trying to

get the object out of the way.”

Ive’s legacy

Since 2012 Ive has been responsible for

human interface design as well as product

design. In 2015 he gained the title of Chief

Design Officer and stepped back from

day-to-day operations to focus on the

completion of Apple Park.

His official Apple profile says: “Jony

is responsible for all design at Apple,

including the look and feel of Apple

hardware, user interface, packaging, major

architectural projects such as Apple Park

and Apple’s retail stores, as well as new

ideas and future initiatives.” As one

observer put it, “Ive’s mark is on

everything Apple builds, from the airy,

minimalist chic of its retail stores to

seminal devices like the

iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

and HomePod.”

Ive was knighted by the

Queen in 2012 for services to

design and enterprise. He and

his team have received

numerous design awards, including a

D&AD award in 2012 for Best Design

Studio of the past 50 years.

Ive is setting up LoveFrom with his

friend Marc Newson, an industrial designer

who contributed to several Apple products

starting with the Apple Watch, and the

company will reportedly focus initially on

wearables and healthcare, areas also

firmly on Apple’s agenda. So Apple

products will continue to reflect Ive’s

touch. As he says, “While I will not be an

employee, I will still be very involved – I

hope for many, many years to come.”

macformat.com @macformat SEPTEMBER 2019 | MACFORMAT | 7

pple Watch Series 5, or a later

version, might be the first

smartwatch with a camera, if

a recent Apple patent is any indication.

Unexpectedly, the patent shows the

camera at the end of a long watch strap,

which can wrap around to point in any

direction. This could be easier than a

camera in the watch face – that would be

fine for selfies, but how would you frame

a scene as you twist your arm around to

point your watch face away from you?

Apple already has a patent (granted

September 2018) for a watchband with

one or two cameras near the bezel,

suitable for Face ID and FaceTime. There

already seems to be a third-party version

available in the US (see getcmra.com).

Adding a camera seems to be part of

a plan to make the Watch independent of

iPhone, which could broaden its appeal.

Apple’s own previews confirm that the

forthcoming watchOS 6 will add a Watch

App Store, so you can find and install apps

without an iPhone, and developers will be

able to make stand-alone Watch apps that

work without an iOS app. It will also

reportedly be possible to offload unwanted

default apps directly from the Watch.

The future of Apple Watch?

A stand-alone device... with a camera?

A

Finally, that ‘secret spy’ style future of snapping

a shot with the tap of a wearable could be upon us.

Apple reports

takedowns

> Apple is big on privacy, but

it’s often legally required to

provide information or assist

in law enforcement. In the

second half of 2018, its latest

Transparency Report reveals,

Apple received 80 requests

from government authorities

to remove apps from the App

Store for alleged violations of

local law. It removed 634 apps

out of the 770 requested. 56 of

the requests came from China,

leading to the removal of 517

apps, “the vast majority

relating to illegal gambling or

pornography.” Russia was a

distant second with 10 requests

relating to 11 apps, most to do

with illegal gambling.

Worldwide, government

agencies investigating

credit card fraud, stolen

devices, etc, filed

29,183 requests for

information relating to

213,737 devices. Apple

provided the information in

78% of cases. Full details

at bit.ly/mfapptranrep.