If you're new to AirPods, considering buying a pair, or just want to pick up some new tips.
AirPods and AirPower: Everything We Know
'Slide to Unlock' Engineer Greg Christie to Depart Apple After Fallout with Jony Ive [Updated]
Apple's Vice President of Human Interface Greg Christie is set to depart from the company after clashing with Jony Ive, Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design who oversees and guides the Human Interface teams, reports 9to5Mac. Ive first took on a role "providing leadership" for the Human Interface teams in late 2012, following Scott Forstall's departure from the company.Christie has led much of Apple's software design and reports to Craig Federighi, who oversees development of iOS and OS X, but Christie interacts with Ive during design meetings. Christie's team was responsible for redesigning iOS 7, which reportedly led to disagreements with Ive.
Sources say that Christie's upcoming departure is significant and stems from a falling out with Ive. When Ive tasked Apple's Human Interface team with redesigning iOS 7 to include an entirely new look, Christie and Ive reportedly clashed over design direction, after which Ive is said to have circumvented Christie's leadership of the team during the new operating system's development.Following Christie's departure, software design will fall under Ive's umbrella, with software designers working alongside Ive's industrial design team rather than Federighi's group.
Christie, who has worked for Apple since 1996, was one of the original software engineers who developed iOS for the first iPhone. He recently did an interview with The Wall Street Journal detailing the development of the original iPhone and he testified in the second Apple vs. Samsung patent trial, telling the court that the "Slide to Unlock" feature he's credited with inventing is an essential iPhone feature.
Along with "Slide to Unlock," Christie has been instrumental in developing many important iPhone features, with hundreds of Apple patents in his name. It is unclear what he plans to do after his departure or when he will officially depart from the company.
Following the departure of Scott Forstall, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke on the importance of collaboration and noted that the merging of software and hardware design was needed to take Apple's collaborative efforts to the next level. Last year, Ive and Federighi also spoke on collaboration and how they worked together to create iOS 7. With Ive taking full control over software design with Christie's departure, the integration between Apple's software and hardware may improve even further.
Updated 2:30 PDT:
Apple issued a statement to Financial Times reporter Tim Bradshaw saying that Greg Christie "has been planning to retire later this year" and that he "worked closely with Jony for many years".
Apple: Greg Christie "has been planning to retire later this year after nearly 20 years at Apple... worked closely with Jony for many years"
— Tim Bradshaw (@tim) April 9, 2014Tag: 9to5mac.com
[ 304 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
64 months ago
Look Greg, I want the backgrounds to be white, the icons to be white and the type to be white. Then you can tap anywhere, or nowhere. Monochrome ... its the ultimate simplified user experience!
~ J.I.
~ J.I.
64 months ago
And any hope of iOS 8 reclaiming iOS 6's superior usability or (my opinion) good looks are gone.
Jony Ive: Brilliant hardware designer. Amateur software designer.
Jony Ive: Brilliant hardware designer. Amateur software designer.
64 months ago
Greg Christie has shown himself to have good software design (visually speaking), Ive's not so much with the iOS7 rollout.
I cannot see this being a positive thing for apple, imo.
I cannot see this being a positive thing for apple, imo.
64 months ago
With Ive taking full control over software design with Christie's departure, the integration between Apple's software and hardware may improve even further.
Spin alert
64 months ago
I'd trust Ive over everyone else in this area. He should be the one overseeing all of the design from hardware looks to software looks.
Ive's background is in industrial design and he's a brilliant hardware designer but sadly his talents in that area don't translate well into UI design.
64 months ago
the problem with a "flat" design is that it will be looking dated in no time and isnt really a step "forward" but more like a compromise with a current trend
[ Read All Comments ]
The Gardena Smart System is now compatible with Apple's HomeKit, thanks to the availability of a software update that brings HomeKit integration to Gardena devices like the Smart Water Control,...
Apple this week was awarded a patent for a potential Apple Watch design featuring a flexible microLED display that integrates with and encompasses almost the entire watch band.
Titled...
In his wide-ranging research note today touching on Apple's product releases for 2019, Ming-Kuo provided a glimpse at upcoming AirPods, iPads, iPhones, displays and MacBook Pros. Regarding the...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Luna Display adapter. The Luna Display is a handy little dongle that's designed to...
In late November, Apple launched a limited time promotion that offers up to $100 in additional credit when trading in an iPhone 6 through iPhone 8 towards the purchase of a new iPhone XS or...
Apple today filed its 2018 Conflict Minerals Report with the SEC as part of its commitment to supplier responsibility.
Apple said it remains "deeply committed" to upholding human...
Apple's Beats by Dre brand today unveiled a new NBA collection, with Beats Studio 3 Wireless Headphones available in six colorways representing the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers,...
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey today commented on the possibility of an edit button for tweets, suggesting Twitter is considering a feature that might let people go back and add clarifications or...
