Jony Ive Shares Thoughts on Design, Fashion and Apple Watch in Met Gala Interview

jonyivemetgalaAhead of last night's Apple-sponsored Met Gala, Apple design chief Jony Ive spoke with fashion website Business of Fashion about the "Manus x Machina" theme of the event and accompanying Costume Institute Exhibition, giving some insight into his thoughts on design and some hints on the future of the Apple Watch.

According to Ive, who has had a hand in the creation and design of all of Apple's modern product releases, including the company's first wearable device, the goal of the designer is to solve problems without making the consumer aware of the problem that was solved.

In our work, we've always tried to design in a way where you're not aware of the problems that we've had to solve. That's the job of the designer: to solve problems and explore, but not really drag you through what all the problems were.

He went on to explain that tech products, like the Apple Watch, are becoming "more and more personal," something that he says technology companies still have a lot to learn about.

I think we have always had a very clear and a very singular approach to how we design products that are more familiar to people, more established in terms of product categories. I think it's very hard to have that same clarity and singularity when you're not absolutely confident in your subject matter."

Business of Fashion asked Ive about his future plans for the Apple Watch and while he refused to give specifics, he hinted that there could be some dramatic changes in store based on Apple's general product release philosophy. He said the Apple Watch is a "natural" category for Apple and that the company thinks about it in a non-opportunistic, "authentic" way.

It's quite interesting that if you look back at the first generation of the iPod or the Phone -- what happens in the next two, three, four years is dramatic. You'd be very surprised about some of the things you would absolutely assume that the first Phone did and it didn't have. [...]

I personally love products when they're at this level of maturity," Ive said of the Apple Watch. "You know we can't talk about future products, but if you look at what we typically do is that we don't make something and stop.

Jony Ive served as co-chair for the 2016 Met Gala and Costume Institute Exhibition alongside pop star Taylor Swift and actor Idris Elba. Last night, Ive, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Steve Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs attended the Met Gala alongside hundreds of celebrities, major fashion designers, and other well-known tech leaders like Kevin Systrom, Marissa Mayer, and Elon Musk.

(Image via Vogue)

Top Rated Comments

colbertnation Avatar
99 months ago
I guess everyone is entitled to their personal opinions, with mine being:

Jeez man, stop being so obsessed with thinness and lightness! And focus on the ergonomics of your designs! iPhone 6/6S is absolutely one of the worst form factors I have held in my hands for any device in this general category: too slippery and very unwieldy. I can't change the volume without interfering with the lock switch, as well as the other way around.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pedrom Avatar
99 months ago
You know... I see Ive, Phil and Cue as Apple's Mccartney. Hair force one, the hardware engineers, other software engineers, Scott were Apple's Lennon.

When Steve was alive, there was a balance in power. Since he died, Cook had to be CEO (face of the company, not part of the brain anymore. Beancounter), Scott is gone, and Ive/Phil/Cue got way more power. The balance was destroyed.

Consequence? The best beancounter on the planet has no one to put him in check, and despite having the best software and hardware engineers in the world, they are powerless against Ive, Phil and Eddy. Everything that comes out of Phil's mouth is pure ********. Ive needs someone to control his genius otherwise it all becomes excessive and narcissistic (rose gold. It's pink, dude.). Cue... I know nothing about him, but I know that he was in control of the MAS and iTunes and he killed both of them, as far as potential is concerned.

Steve itself doesn't seem very important to me. Apple was 100% the work of fantastic talented people. Steve wasn't a great engineer, or a great designer, or great at management. But he was great at putting those Paul Mccartney in check.

We see the result in Apple having the best products and ecosystem (iPhone 6s/6s plus/iPhone SE/iPad Pros/rMBP/iMac) and also the most useless, overpriced, outdated, foolish piece of garbage in the whole tech industry (Every iOS device being sold with 1GB of RAM or 16GB of onboard storage, HDD Macs, Macs with TN Panels, cMBP, Mac Pro with rebranded cheapass """""""""firepros"""""" and not pro at all.).

It all makes sense to me. Seeing Ive in that picture only intensifies this feeling.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
99 months ago
Sometimes I suspect that Apple execs must sit around thinking of pompous phrases to repeat, that will awe the naive.

With Jobs, I actually had a strangely perverse admiration of the way he could twist the meaning of words. It was his forte. But they still made sense.

These remaining guys are just Jobs-wannabes, spouting nonsense.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
99 months ago
What a boring and uninspiring outfit.
It just needs a few accessories.



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Narrator Jack Avatar
99 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tinmania Avatar
99 months ago
In our work, we've always tried to design in a way where you're not aware of the problems that we've had to solve. That's the job of the designer: to solve problems and explore, but not really drag you through what all the problems were.
Nowhere is that design ethic more apparent than in the exquisite humpback battery case.



Mike
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...