Jony Ive leaving Apple? Jonathan's father was a jeweler

Other designers noticed this and began to say that the object had a "john-ness" - a special quality that made people want to touch and play with it. Ive's signature trait of adding tactile elements to the design appeared already then.

Perfectionist disputes

Joni wanted to make special screws on the handles of a certain shape and type. Rubinstein objected that the cost would be astronomical and this would delay the release of the machine. He was responsible for on-time delivery and vetoed these screws.

Power Mac Cube

In 2000, all four cells of the table were filled, and Joni, together with a group of designers, began his most ambitious project at that time - the Power Mac Cube. The Cube was the first attempt to create the “ideal” computer, to pack the power of a desktop computer into a small package.

The Birth of the iPhone

“Because Steve was so quick to form an opinion, I didn't show him the multi-touch system in front of others,” says Joni. “He could have said ‘that sucks’ and ruined everything.” Ideas are very vulnerable, so you have to be careful while they are in the development stage.”

Strict Steve

There are different versions about the transition from plastic to glass. Jobs is said to have carried a prototype iPhone in his pocket along with his keys and was furious when he saw scratches on the screen: “I’m not going to sell a product that can be scratched.”

Select iPad size

Joni initially ordered twenty models of varying sizes, proportions and screen shapes. They were placed on one of the studio's display tables so Jony and Jobs could play with them. “That's how we figured out what screen size we needed,” Joni said.

The designer of most Apple products, senior vice president Jonathan Ive, was a kindred spirit. He was not among the richest or most high-ranking people, but is considered one of the most influential as the creator of the design for the iPod.

Biography

Jonathan Ive was born in 1967 in London, where he spent his childhood and school years. He graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic University, where he studied art and design. He got married in 1987 and had two twins. He knew his business very well, so already in 1989 he got a job in a design company. Then his first principles began to take shape: work not for money, but to create a quality product. He was quickly noticed by management and became a co-owner of the company.

In 1992, Ive moved to San Francisco because he was invited to join Apple. At first, his work did not inspire him; the priority was only profit growth and optimization. No one thought about the design; everything was done hastily and thoughtlessly. As a result, the company released 55 low-grade products. With the return of Jobs, everything changed, and Jonathan Ive, a designer with a capital D, changed his mind about leaving the Apple corporation. Steve almost immediately noticed and appreciated his brilliant potential, making him a central figure in the creation of Apple product design. This is how the first multi-colored iMac appeared, which sold two million units in the first year.

Career at Apple

In 1997, Jonathan Ive received the position of vice president of industrial design at the Apple corporation. The original iMac premiere was followed by the presentation of a twenty-two-inch Apple laptop. In 2000 he became an honorary doctor at the university. At the same time, the Apple G4 Cube was launched. In 2002, iMac with articulated displays of 15 and 17 inches and eMac were launched. A year later, the lightest and thinnest laptop in the world (at that time), the PowerBook, premiered. In 2004, a mini iPod and a super-thin iMac G5 were released.

In 2005, Ive was promoted to senior vice president and introduced the mini-Mac. In the same year, the touch and touchscreen smartphone iPhone was released. He was awarded the order and knighted in 2012. Jonathan Ive came up with the design of the robot Eve for the cartoon "WALL-E". In 2010, the company introduced the Apple iPad tablet computer. From 2012 to 2013 worked on the design of iOS 7.

About human qualities

Jonathan, without exaggeration, is the father of almost all Apple products. They were kindred spirits with Steve Jobs, they were friends, they shared views on the world, although not without disagreements. Jobs often came to his creative studio - the “glass cube”. Jonathan Ive, Apple designer, is a very modest and shy person, immersed in his work. Many of the company's products, which include more than 200 patents, were originally invented and developed by Jobs and Ive. Jonathan had access to all the resources and almost as much power as Steve himself. According to Ive, the key to success is a cohesive team. They have been working together for a long time, understand each other perfectly, and know what the “best product” should be.

For all his stunning success, Jonathan Ive remained a very uncommunicative and secretive person. His main character trait has always been shyness, and he never discusses his personal life at all. Ive lives in California with his wife and children and regularly visits his native England. He loves techno music, knows how to dress with taste, has an Aston Martin, but is otherwise no frills. He had a love for fast cars for a long time, even getting into a car accident in his Aston.

As a student, Ive was involved in the design of watches and mobile phones. They turned out to be similar to modern devices: ultra-thin and thought out to the smallest detail.
After graduating from college, already working at Tangerine, he designed a toilet room, but the customer abandoned the original idea due to its high cost.
Jonathan's father was a famous silversmith who developed curriculum for design schools in England.
It was Ive who introduced the fashion for white; while still at school, he created white designer clothes. At first, Jobs was against white and only agreed to gray and black.
When a talented designer wanted to leave Apple, his boss promoted him and motivated him.
Jonathan likes to play techno and other music in the company studio, where many employees play football and skateboard.
Quince's personal studio - a "glass cube" - is equipped with a minimum of things, there is a table, a chair, a lamp, and there are not even family photographs. The cube is so simplified that employees cannot find the entrance when they first visit it.
The designer keeps all developments secret even from relatives. His children were not in his studio.
Ive does not aspire to high positions, and managerial aspects concern him little.
It was Jonathan and his wife who were called to his room by Steve Jobs after the operation. He had a tumor removed from his pancreas.

Striving for simplicity

Jonathan Ive, a designer, doesn't like to spend his life expensive, but devotes his time to creating beautiful products that inspire users. The iMac computer, for example, has a reliable screen that moves in different directions, allowing you to work in any position. This mechanism was developed over 3 months of hard work.

Ive's love for simplicity and convenience was shared by Jobs. The designer identified his main task as creating minimalistic devices that do not require instructions. He gets rid of everything unnecessary, leaving what is necessary. Jonathan believes that if the functions of four buttons can be combined into one, then so be it. Apple's goal is convenient devices and maximum simplification of production. Ive not only worked on the company's main line, but also created applications for gadgets. The shared vision made Ive and Jobs close friends, which resulted in a fruitful collaboration.

The Idea Factory, where Ive spends a lot of his time, is a popular location in the campaign. It can be called the Californian heart of the Apple campus. This is not a simple studio where employees ride skateboards, scattering models and prototypes around, but also the workplace of a world-famous designer. New and interesting details about the work of this top-secret organization can be read in a recently published book.

Disagreements

Despite their strong friendship and mutual understanding, Jonathan and Steve did not always find agreement. In an interview for a future book about Jobs, Ive revealed previously unknown details. It turned out that Steve appropriated Jonathan's inventions, saying that he invented them himself, without mentioning the name Quince. He really didn't like that Jobs called his work his own. Jonathan was not greedy or ambitious, but rather fair.

Prospects

Jony Ive, whose biography confirms that he may in the future take the post of head of the Apple CEO department, was closest to Steve. But for a designer, creativity comes first, not money; his modest character is not at all suitable for high management. Essentially, Jonathan “carries” the company on himself. He develops beautiful designs for Apple products, striving to embody perfection and minimalism, and helps create gadgets that are true works of art. Many are inclined to believe that it was Jobs alone who pulled Apple out of near bankruptcy, but the heights and successes achieved would not have happened without Jony Ive.

What will happen to Apple without Ive? Today, one thing is clear: now Jobs is gone, and Ive’s power is only growing. Now he carries out industrial design not only of devices, but also of interfaces and software. However, Jonathan gets little attention, with the exception of videos about the launch of new products.

Conclusion

Jonathan Ive, from whose history it is known that he worked side by side with Steve Jobs for several years, participated in the creation of unique products. This creative union pulled Apple out of near bankruptcy and turned it into an international business. Today you can read two books about Jonathan Ive, published in 2006 and 2007. A modest man who did not like to appear in public, he created the highest standards of style, beauty and simplicity that have entered the lives of millions of people around the world.

Jony Ive

The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Scientific editor Stanislav Potemkin

Published with permission from Portfolio, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg

© Leander Kahney, 2013 All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with the Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by the Vegas-Lex law firm.

To my wife Tracy and our children: Nadine, Milo, Olina and Lyla

After I first met Jony Ive, he carried my backpack all night.

Our paths crossed in 2003 at a party after Macworld Expo. I worked for Wired.com as a freelance journalist and knew full well that Jonathan Paul Ive was a rising star, one of the most famous designers in the world.

I was amazed that he agreed to talk to me.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that both were British expats. Together with Heather, Joni's wife, we reminisced nostalgically about the pubs, great newspapers and the British music we miss so much. We also both loved beer. After a few pints I suddenly remembered that I was late for a meeting, jumped up and ran away, leaving my laptop bag behind.

Late at night, I unexpectedly met Joni at a hotel counter on the other side of town. To my amazement, I saw my backpack on his shoulder.

At the time, I was amazed that the famous designer would carry the bag of a forgetful reporter all night, but today I understand that such behavior is quite in his spirit. He's focused on his team and Apple. For Joni, work comes first, and when it comes to it, instead of “I,” he says “we.”

A few months later, in June 2003, I met him again at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. He stood next to Steve Jobs and showed off the Power Mac G5, a powerful personal computer in a stunning aluminum case. Joni was chatting with two formally dressed ladies from Apple's PR department. After Jobs' speech, I approached them.

Joni beamed and said, “Nice to meet you again!”

We shook hands and he very friendly asked how I was doing. I was embarrassed and didn't say anything about the backpack.

Then I came up and asked: “Could you say a few words for the article?” Representatives of the PR department shook their heads in unison - Apple has always been famous for its secrecy. But Joni replied, “Of course.”

He led me to a counter with a display model. I just wanted to hear a few words, but he talked very passionately for twenty minutes about his latest development. I even tried to interrupt him, but Joni couldn’t help himself, design is his passion.

The brushed aluminum body of the Power Mac G5 had a stealth-like feel. Army notes were in the spirit of the times. In those days, there was a megahertz war going on: Apple locked horns with Intel in a race for the fastest chips. Manufacturers touted pure computing power, and Apple prided itself on the fact that its new machine was the most powerful on the market. But Joni wasn't talking about power.

He said the design concept for this project was simplicity. “It was really difficult. We wanted to get rid of everything unnecessary and leave only the essentials. Do we need this part? Can it be made to also perform the function of the other four? It was an exercise in simplification, but it makes the computer easier to produce and easier for people to work with.”

Clean up and simplify? This doesn't sound like the usual talk in the tech industry. When releasing new products, companies usually do not remove, but add bells and whistles. Joni declared something quite the opposite. Simplification was not a new approach - this is the basics of design. But in 2003, the world looked different. It was only later that I realized that on that June morning in San Francisco, Jony Ive had handed me a precious key to the secrets of Apple innovation, to the deep philosophy that allows the company to make breakthroughs and be one of the leading corporations in the world.

Of course, Steve Jobs knew how to “sell” the result to the public. But Ive's thinking and design prowess led to powerful breakthroughs that included the iconic iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. As Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, he has become a force in shaping the information society and shaping the way we work, play and communicate with each other.

How did a dyslexic English art school graduate become the planet's leading technological innovator?

On the pages of this book we will meet a man obsessed with design, unpretentious in everyday life and at the same time a brilliant professional, whose brilliant ideas have changed our lives.

School years

The projector's hydraulics were so well adjusted that it folded almost silently. I saw Jonathan as a budding talent.

Ralph Tabberer

Legend has it that Chingford is the birthplace of the Sirloin steak. It is said that in the seventeenth century, King Charles II was so pleased with a banquet at a local estate that he knighted a large piece of meat and named it Sir Loin.

Another Chingford celebrity, Jonathan Paul Ive, was born much later, on February 27, 1967.

Chingford, a residential area on the north-east outskirts of London, is quiet and unassuming, and his son Jonathan grew up the same way.

Jony Ive's childhood was modest, but quite comfortable. His father, Michael John Ive, was a silversmith, and his mother, Pamela Mary Ive, was a psychotherapist. Two years after the birth of their son, they had a second child, daughter Alison.

Joni went to Chingford Primary School. Eight years later, future football star David Beckham will go to the same school. At school, Joni was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was also found in his colleague, left-handed Steve Jobs.

Even as a little boy, Joni was keenly interested in how things worked. He was fascinated by the structure of things, he disassembled radios and tape recorders, he was intrigued by how they were made, how the parts fit together. But when he tried to put everything back together, it didn’t always work.

“I have always been interested in objects made by man,” he recalled in a 2003 interview at the London Design Museum. “As a child, I took apart everything I could get my hands on. This is how my interest in how these things are made, how they work, in form and material developed.”

Mike Ive encouraged his son's passion and regularly started conversations with him about design. “I didn’t think about the fact that these toys were designed by anyone, I wasn’t really interested in that,” Joni said in the same interview. And although the boy did not always understand the potential meaning behind his play, his father nurtured his interest in design throughout his childhood.

Sir Jonathan Paul Ive- Anglo-American designer, chief design director of Apple.

It was he who created and thought through the appearance of the iMac, Mac Pro and MacBook computers, and he is responsible for the design of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. A large number of his ideas are used in all modern devices of the company.

Ive is not used to exposing his personal life to the public; he very rarely ends up on television cameras or on the front pages of news publications.

Here are some interesting facts from the life of one of the most outstanding designers of our time.

1. Jonathan's father was a jeweler

Mike Ive was a jeweler by training and taught jewelry making at college for a long time.

He instilled in his son a love of creativity and strongly encouraged manual labor and the creation of unique things.

2. As a student, Jonathan was already designing phones

One of Quince’s teachers recalled that he often drew and thought through the design of cell phones down to the smallest detail.

The young man imagined them small and thin at a time when they looked like large, heavy bricks.

3. Ive designed combs and toilets

In 1989, Jonathan Ive began his creative career at Tangerine Design. The London-based firm took on a variety of projects, regardless of the scope of application.

During the period of work, Quince's portfolio was replenished with sanitary products, furniture and combs. One of the projects was even the design of a toilet, which the customers refused due to too expensive production.

4. Jony Ive may never have met Jobs

Before Jobs returned, Apple was going through hard times. Ive, who had worked at the company since 1992, was thinking about changing jobs in 1996.

The company's vice president appreciated Ive's talent and made a significant raise to keep Ive at Apple.

5. Ive promoted the color white at Apple

Jobs agreed only to the moon gray shade, but Ive managed to convince Steve and began using white as the main color for Apple products and services.

6. Ive has a secret lab at Apple

Jonathan's studio is carefully hidden from prying eyes. Only a few senior company employees know about its location and have access to it.

Former vice president of iOS development Scott Forstall admitted in an interview that he had never been to Ive’s laboratory and did not know where it was located.

7. Jony Ive's office - an empty glass cube

Some Apple executives describe Ive's office as a large glass cube. Inside the room where Jonathan gets his inspiration, there is only a table, an armchair and a table lamp, there are no personal items or distracting little things there.

8. Quince shouldn’t discuss working at Apple with almost anyone.

One of the clauses in the contract between Apple and Jonathan is an extended commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of corporate data.

Ive has no right to discuss projects even with his closest relatives, cannot demonstrate developments or details, and is prohibited from bringing his children to work.

9. Ive doesn't want to lead Apple.

Close friends and colleagues often ask Jonathan about possible career prospects. Ive always answers that he is not interested in management issues and leadership, he just wants to do what he loves at Apple.

10. Ive participated in the creation of the cartoon

In 2008, a full-length computer animated film was released. WALL-E from the studio Pixar. Ive took part in the design of one of the main characters - a robot EVE.

11. Ive has been awarded several titles in the UK

In 2005 he received the title of Commander of the British Empire, in 2006 the Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. It was not until 2012 that Quince was knighted by Britain.

12. Jonathan really values simplicity.

In this they are very similar to Jobs. Ive's goal has always been to create a device that can be used without instructions.

Here is one of his quotes about the simplicity of devices:

We get rid of everything unnecessary, what we don’t consider necessary. If the functions of four buttons can be placed into one, we will do so. Our goal is to make the device convenient to use and simplify production as much as possible.

13. Ive’s salary is carefully hidden at Apple.

About the book
Thanks to Jonathan Ive and his fruitful collaboration with Jobs, iconic Apple products were born: iMac, iPhone, iPod and iPad.

Who is this book for?

These projects not only made Apple a wealthy company, but also changed the entire industry, creating an army of fans and a powerful brand. In addition, Jonathan Ive has won countless awards, been featured on the Time 100 list, and been knighted for his services to design and entrepreneurship.

Despite all these achievements, little is known to the general public about the humble Jony Ive. Linder Kani shows the journey of a creative genius from a British art school student to a man who influenced the lives of many of us.

Based on interviews with Ive's colleagues and the author's extensive knowledge of the world of Apple, this study reveals more about the man who changed the way we work, play, and communicate with each other.

Who is this book for?
For those interested in design

For those who love iconic Apple products and want to know more about how they were created

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