Apple Doesn't Care About Design Anymore, And That's Why Design Chief Jony Ive Has Left

A couple of days ago, Apple made the surprise announcement that its design guru, Jony Ive, was leaving the company. Now, reports are emerging that his departure may be more than just starting his own company, but a falling out with Tim Cook.

Apple

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, and something confirmed by analysts, Ive has been taking a more detached approach to the design projects at Apple for the past few years. Apparently, according to the publication, that's because he couldn't see eye-to-eye with the CEO anymore.

Following a similar Bloomberg piece last week, the story describes how the design team at Apple has been floundering since Jony Ive began adopting this hands-off approach. That apparently began in 2015, after the Apple Watch came out.

And this is weird for a company that used to put design front and centre under the late Steve Jobs. According to reports, all of this stems from the fact that Ive was "dispirited" by Tim Cook's supposed lack of interest in the product development process.

The Apple Watch is one example, where Ive originally envisioned it as a fashion accessory. However, "some Apple leaders" instead saw it as an extension of the iPhone. What they ended up with was a compromise, but apparently not one Ive found completely acceptable. The product eventually vastly undersold compared to Apple forecasts.

Reuters

Cook has since released personal statements to the media claiming any notion of a rift with Ive is "absurd". And given Apple's penchant for keeping internal workings secret, we might never know the full truth. It is important to note however that Apple will pay Ive's new firm, LoveForm, "millions of dollars a year" to continue working with them.

In the light of this revelation however, the newly-leaked designs for the 2019 crop of iPhones make sense. Because let's be honest, those things are jarringly ugly. So did Ive start to hate working with Cook so much he half-assed the new design as well? Or, more likely, maybe the team designing the iPhone XI had no input from him, and so what we're seeing is Apple design minus its sole aesthetic genius? In that case, here's to hoping they find a suitable replacement. Fast.