Apple's Jonathan Ive Awarded Knighthood

ive hero20110204BBC reports that Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Jonathan Ive, has been awarded a knighthood in the United Kingdom.

Mr Ive, who can now style himself Sir Jonathan, has been made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).

Ive began work at Apple in 1992, but found himself frustated during the early years before Jobs' return. Ive is seen as responsible for many of the iconic designs coming out of Apple over the past decade. Jobs described Ive as his "spiritual partner" and had given him complete operational freedom at Apple.

Mercury News quotes a statement from Ive, reacting to the news.

"I am keenly aware that I benefit from a wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making,'' Ive, 44, said in a statement. "To be recognized with this honour is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful. I discovered at an early age that all I've ever wanted to do is design. I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple."

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
iphone fold text

'iPhone Fold' Arrival Expected to Cement Book-Style Era for Foldables

Friday December 12, 2025 3:55 am PST by
Foldable smartphone panel shipments are projected to jump 46% year-over-year in 2026, with Apple's entry into the market serving as the main catalyst, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Foldable-Rollable Display Shipment Tracker. "Apple is the key driver as it starts to procure panels for its first foldable iPhone," said Counterpoint's Guillaume Chansin. The research firm expects...

Top Rated Comments

gkpm Avatar
182 months ago
This is "honor" is so *** stupid.

I am ashamed to be a human sometimes
Yes, jealousy is part of being human.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chundles Avatar
182 months ago
Can someone explain why knighthood is important and what it is for the American readers?

Wikipedia can do that.

Congrats to Sir Jonathan!
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GQB Avatar
182 months ago
This is "honor" is so *** stupid.

I am ashamed to be a human sometimes
I join in being ashamed of you.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nomadski Avatar
182 months ago
Can someone explain why knighthood is important and what it is for the American readers?

Well Ive is British, and a Knighthood is one of the biggest honours our country can bestow upon someone, recognising excellence in their work, and their impact in the world. Its a pretty big deal to British people who receive an award like this. Plus you can replace Mr with Sir...

The relevance to international readers on this site is purely news relating to a senior and well known Apple employee.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WeegieMac Avatar
182 months ago
The sheer volume of arrogance, ignorance, insolence, and morbidly uneducated comments in this thread are an embarrassment to those who make them and to Americans in general, and detract from those who have been genuine in their questions and comments.

The terminology of a Knighthood does not mean you are any more important or part of any special club with exclusive permissions over anyone else. It's simply an acknowledgment from your nation that you have contributed to the world and that Britain is proud of you, your achievements, and what you've contributed.

Anyone, and I mean anyone, who thinks that a Knighthood and any reference to the British "Empire" means that we Brits still believe we are, in fact, an Empire just shows up a complete lack of education and a massive degree of ignorance to the traditions of another nation. Every single Brit knows that the British Empire is no more, we were taught as much in Primary School in basic history, but giving Knighthoods to those from our nation of whom we are proud is not an indication of us trying to revive a dead Empire.

We're simply proud of a Brit doing well for himself on such a scale, contributing to the world via his designs and work, and recognising him as such with an honour.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dkersten Avatar
182 months ago
I would just like to say that not all of us Americans are so ignorant and disrespectful, only a select few that give us a bad name.

BTW I think this is pretty awesome as Sir Jon has done great work which is evidenced by pretty much every Apple device in the past 15 years
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)