positioning itself as a premium brand for
everyday consumers.
Apple announced Thursday (June 27) that
Jony was to step down from the company after
spending almost 30 years in the driver’s seat.
Both sides cushioned the blow by confirming
they would continue to work together closely,
as Ive plans to launch his own design agency
called LoveFrom, and Apple will become one of
its “primary clients” in the years ahead. Rumors
suggest that Ive has been stepping back
from the company for a number of years,
with a Bloomberg report claiming that Ive’s
“day-to-day oversight of Apple’s design team
was reduced to coming to headquarters as
little as twice a week.” Prior, Ive had previously
told the New Yorker he’d become ‘deeply,
deeply, tired’ and was ‘always anxious’
working at Apple.
Still, the news shocked Apple fans and
technology critics around the world. In many
ways, Apple is Jony Ive, and Jony Ive is Apple.
How the two parties move forward will be
incredibly interesting to follow. And how
Apple will cope with a new design leader will
also be fascinating...
A TRUE VISIONARY
Ive’s journey to Apple’s design guru really
gained momentum with the launch of the
iMac back in 1997, when he took over from
Danny Coster, who was originally responsible
for the product. Many argue that the iMac G3
transformed the fate of Apple forever, as soon
after, similar-looking products spawned out
of its Cupertino headquarters, like the (now
somewhat unsightly) orange MacBook, as