Jony Ive Partners With Leica for One-of-a-Kind Charity Camera - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Jony Ive Partners With Leica for One-of-a-Kind Charity Camera

by

Apple hasn't produced a dedicated camera since it released the QuickTake in 1994, but a new collaboration between Apple's senior vice president of design Jony Ive and Leica gives a glimpse of what an Apple camera could look like today (via Pop Photo).

leica5
Ive has designed a one-of-a-kind Leica M Rangefinder to be auctioned off at Sotheby's to benefit Product (RED). The camera, which utilizes a sleek aluminum design, took more than 561 models, 1000 prototype parts, and 85 days to design.

leica6

Leica Camera is pleased to present The Leica M for (RED), designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. The camera, based off the Leica M, will be auctioned off at Southeby's on November 23rd 2013 to raise money for The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. From a design standpoint, it features a laser machined aluminum body and an anodized aluminum outer shell.

Like all Leica M Rangefinders, the camera features a full-frame 24-megapixel sensor, a 3-inch LCD, and full HD 1080p video. The standard Leica camera retails for $7,000, and Ive's version could fetch quite a bit more.

leica7
The camera will be auctioned via Sotheby's on November 23, along with a number of other products including solid gold EarPods that were also designed by Ive. Proceeds will go to Product (RED), a longtime Apple partner. Apple has raised more than $65 million for the charity since 2006.

Top Rated Comments

musika Avatar
164 months ago
I prefer how the classic Leica designs look.



I always remember how Steve Jobs compared the design of the iPhone 4 to a "beautiful old Leica camera".

The iPhone 4 is even more beautiful.

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
164 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
164 months ago
@above me: it's in the old Mac Pros color, not design, which you obviously have no idea of.
It picks up Leica's design combined with Ive's taste.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnparjr Avatar
164 months ago
FUGLY for sure:o
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
164 months ago
Maybe Ive should focus more on iOS 7 then working on these side projects. Just proves my point that Ive just blindly rubber stamped approval for iOS 7 designs and concentrated only on hardware. They just used his name to sell us iOS 7.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Noctilux.95 Avatar
164 months ago
Sorry Jony, but I like the Hermes edition even more.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in September With These 10 New Features

Saturday May 9, 2026 6:03 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

macOS 27: Two More Changes Leaked Ahead of WWDC Next Month

Sunday May 10, 2026 9:45 am PDT by
macOS 27 will have a "slight redesign" compared to macOS Tahoe, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the design changes will help to improve the readability of macOS Tahoe's Liquid Glass interface:If you've used Tahoe, you're likely familiar with some of the quirks — particularly the transparency effects and shadows that...