It’s a heretical thought for some but…has Apple product design actually got better since Sir Jony Ive left? Writing for Bloomberg Businessweek, Alex Webb argues that devices now focus on function rather than form, to the benefit of the user.
Evans Hankey, who now heads the industrial design team, has overseen plenty of other tweaks that seem to indicate a change of philosophy. Take the iPhone. The latest iterations have ditched the curved edges that made the display liable to crack if dropped on its side. Or the Apple TV remote, whose symmetry made it visually appealing, but meant that users often inadvertently pressed the wrong buttons by holding it upside down. The design was revamped in May. “Since Jony Ive left, there’s not that gravitational force driving aesthetic before function,” Paul Found, a lecturer in industrial design at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, England. “Those who have taken over are now listening to what customers are saying.”
Check It Out: Is Apple Product Design Better Without Sir Jony Ive?
Jony Ive’s designs were remarkable. Even the ones that weren’t hits or had issues were beautiful and iconic: Newton MessagePad, eMate, Power Mac G4 Cube, ultra-thin MacBook/Air/Pro. And the home runs are well known: iMac (in all its editions), iPod, iPhone, iPad, PowerBook/iBook/MacBook(s)…
I think Apple just needed a bit of functionality/usability pushback against Ive’s quest for aesthetic perfection.
Well he did so well with the Apple Car ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, the car was pulled out of the showrooms after one month of dismal sales. I remember the hoopla when Apple “officially” announced it and how respected automobile reviewers loved its features.
Yes. Functionality should be first.
“Is Apple Product Design Better Without Sir Jony Ive?”
Overall I would say yes.