After more than two decades at the helm,
responsible for designing some of the world’s
most iconic technology products, Jony Ive has
announced he will step down as Apple’s chief
design officer. One could argue Ive’s vision
transformed the fate of a once-faded Silicon
Valley firm, single-handedly helping Apple
become the world’s most valuable brand. This
week, we look back on his remarkable career,
and ask what’s next for the Cupertino firm...
GOODBYE FROM IVE
When Jony Ive was first introduced to Steve
Jobs, he expected to be fired on the spot.
At the time, Jobs had made his return to the
company and was cutting Apple’s lineup to
reduce costs and focus on its core offering. Jobs
was responsible for laying off thousands of
employees in 1997 in arguably one of Apple’s
darkest periods.
Ive, who had only recently been put in charge
of design at the company, met Jobs at Apple’s
design studio. “He came over to the studio,
essentially to fire me,” Ive said in “Becoming
Steve Jobs”. In fact, Ive had a resignation
letter ready to hand in - but Jobs’ intentions
were the opposite. The pair formed a close
relationship and worked together to design
some of Apple’s most iconic products, taking
the company from the brink of bankruptcy to
the world’s first trillion-dollar brand. Cast your
mind back to candy-colored iMacs, and more
recently the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple
Watch. Of course, it took thousands to develop
the cutting-edge devices we all know and love
today, but Ive’s genius eye that helped Apple
edge its competitors on design and aesthetics,