When we reach into our pockets, and then on a glass plate around to wipe, to whom we owe the part of Jonathan Ive. The 52-year-old spent half of his life in technology-Apple, and was responsible for the Design of many products, including the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone. With its minimalist Design, the Briton was one of the most successful product developers in the past decades. Perhaps his greatest gift was to design computers that look like computers. Today, we wear them in our hands, on our wrists, in our ears.

More remarkable, therefore, is the news that Ive after 27 years at Apple, his Job as chief Designer low. He founded his own company, the love from and wants to have fun now, once again, outside of computers and their operating systems. The ties to his Ex-employers don’t want to be caps, but in the future he wants to work with the group, he explained. Apple CEO Tim Cook presented as joint projects in view.

This communication is likely to serve primarily to reassure the shareholders. For a secretive company like Apple is going to give the important projects to outsiders. This should know Ive worked for decades in a strictly separate Design labs, on the best. Who is out, is out.

Jony Ive, the shy genius

Jonathan “Jony” Ive was for a long time one of the most important men in the Apple. In Steve Jobs‘ biography, which appeared a few weeks after his death, will be quoted the Apple co-founder with the words: “If I had a spiritual Partner at Apple, it’s Jony.“ For Jobs, he was irreplaceable – a higher praise you could not get by the brilliant, but sometimes also for his verbal failures of the infamous Apple CEO.

Ive was the creative mainspring of the group. In the end, he decided to look, as the devices that took advantage of millions of people around the world. This responsibility was often a great burden, he told the journalist Ian Parker a few years ago. His personal tastes decided the fate of more than 100,000 employees, and the market value of the group. Ive described in the read values, a portrait of himself as a “very, very tired” and “always tense“. Long breaks he allowed himself, more than three weeks he was away never.

Apple CEO Tim Cook: “If you have built a chaos factory, you have to take the responsibility for it,” Christoph Fröhlich

The limelight shunned Apple’s top Aesthete as well as it goes. He gave rare Interviews, on stage he was seen almost never. Many knew him only from the few Minute long Videos, which are often seen in product presentations from Apple. In the Clips Ive sat often in a bright-white room, and described with a sonorous voice and well-sounding PR-phrases of the new devices. Even simple product videos have been collected from the Ive to the art form – and later, frequently satirized. For an artist, as the mind Ive always is, even a compliment.

Ive had almost

Ive quit want to reduce equipment to the bare Essentials. He made the Computer in our offices to be more beautiful and technology is easier to use. Sometimes he overdid it but also: The iPhone he was so slender, that it was prone to bending. Also the Macbook he saved a couple of mm too much, since the keyboards make for Trouble.

Almost, he would not have become the Design of the Pope, as he is regarded today: In 1997, Ive was 30 years old and worked for five years at Apple, seemed to be the fate of the company to be sealed. The company was on the verge of insolvency and was considered to be a takeover candidate. Then Steve Jobs returned and Ive met for the first Time on the Apple co-founder, he had to write his / her termination in the bag.

But the conversation took another direction. “I do not remember to have ever experienced. To meet someone and just click! It was bizarre, because we’re both a little weird and this click just are not accustomed to,” said Ive later.

In the past years, Ive dealt mainly with architecture. The 52-Year-old was instrumental in the Design of the ring-shaped Central Apple Park involved. Here, he created a monument of stone, glass and metal, in to the his and Steve Jobs‘ Vision, run together. To day-to-day business, the other took care of meanwhile. As the construction works were finally completed, advanced Ive again in its old Position. However, the passion seemed to have cooled down, he made headlines with projects outside of the Apple Park – about a full diamond Ring for $ 250,000.

personnel provides discussions

A new “Chief Design Officer” – as Ives official title was – there will be no more at Apple. Instead, Tim Cook is on a double-tip trust: Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, both of which have been around for many years, leadership roles. You will be to Jeff Williams reports, the head of a quasi-day-to-day business

The Team was able to show with the Apple Watch already, that it can also develop without Ive successful products with a high recognition value. The reconfiguration may be for Apple is a Chance to leave the well-trodden paths of the past. The stock exchange accepts the change anyway left.

John Gruber, one of the best informed Apple Blogger in the world, but also risks. “I get queasy at the thought that Apple’s chief Designer now reports to the Operations Team.” The Design was for the group, as essential as for hardly any other company. He was therefore of the opinion that there needs to be a new chief Designer, who is only committed to the Aesthetics. “I don’t think that Apple gets because of Ives finish a Problem. I think Apple has a Problem because it replaces it.”

sources: Apple, Daring Fireball, New Yorker

the report of the week the star promises exclusive To visit in Apple’s Secret lab

Apple: “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone”. Only: How is this possible? The star visited the annular Central and was able to throw the first German media a glimpse of two strictly shielded laboratories. In a quite a sweat.

By Christoph Fröhlich