Wired News Talks To Apple's Ace Designer, Jonathan Ive

by , 11:00 AM EDT, June 26th, 2003

Apple largely met the expectations of its many watchers when Steve Jobs revealed the aluminum-clad Power Mac G5 on Monday. The Mac-faithful and many computer agnostics applauded IBM's new 970 processor and the fast system architecture that make the new G5, but what will move many to lay down the 2 to 3 thousand dollars for the new professional units -- and the PC industry to, in some ways at least, imitate Apple's new pro lineup -- is the industrial design.

Wired News recognizes that, to many, design is everything, and has posted an article by Leander Kearney that explores the world and the man behind the design, Apple's own Jonathan Ive. From the article, Design According to Ive:

Wired News asked Ive to provide a couple of quick comments about the design of the G5 case.

Instead of a sound bite, Ive launched into a passionate 20-minute tour of the new computer's design. He would have gone on longer if he hadn't been cut short by a member of Apple's PR team, who reminded him he had other appointments.

Ive couldn't help himself. Design is his vocation. Get him started, and he'll talk at length with great sincerity and enthusiasm about the design of something as deceptively simple as a latch for an access panel.

Ive was only too delighted to describe the philosophy -- and all the hard work -- behind the design of the G5.

"I guess every time you do something, you feel particularly pleased with something you just developed," he said. "This one was really hard." Ive walked over to a G5 display model sitting nearby. He indicated its plain aluminum case.

"There's an applied style of being minimal and simple, and then there's real simplicity," he said. "This looks simple, because it really is."

Mr. Ive goes on to discuss several key points about the design of the new Power Mac G5 including the quiet cooling system. The full article is an excellent read, and we highly recommend that you stop by Wired News and check it out.

The Mac Observer Spin:

While there may be a small cloud of controversy concerning how fast the Power Mac G5 really is, there is no doubt that Apple's new pro-puters are the absolute best designed desktop systems in the world, and we have Mr. Ive and his team to thank for it.

There is a lot of thought that goes into making a Mac a Mac. It is not just the OS that makes a Mac great, it is how things function, how each piece fits to create a whole, that sets Apple's computers apart from the rest of the industry. Expect more design awards in Apple's future.

There is no doubt in our minds that if Jonathan Ive ever decided to look for a job beyond the walls of 1 Infinite Loop he's be snapped up in a New York second. Hopefully, however, he enjoys what he does at Apple, and will continue to work his magic on new Macs.

Design According To Ive