Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Discusses iPhone X and Apple Park in New Interview - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Discusses iPhone X and Apple Park in New Interview

Apple design chief Jony Ive recently sat down for an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, where he once again discussed his work on Apple's newest campus, Apple Park, and the latest flagship iPhone, the iPhone X.

As he mentioned in a prior interview, Ive is excited about the design space at Apple Park because it will allow the entire design team to work together. Industrial designers, font experts, motion graphics experts, and computer interface designers will be able to come together to interact in new ways and share ideas.

jonyiveinterview
The design space will also feature several milling machines to create prototypes, which Ive believes are an integral part of the design process.

"I think you only really understand a material--its properties and attributes and, importantly, the opportunity the material allows--if you actually work it yourself," Ive says. "And the most remarkable point in the whole process is when you make the first model. We might like it, we might not, but the first model you make, everything changes."

On the subject of the iPhone X, Ive says its all-glass design and edge-to-edge display is something Apple "aspired to for years." In comparison, Ive critiqued older iPhone designs. "It now seems to me a rather disconnected component housed in an enclosure," he said of the iPhone 7 Plus.

The rest of the interview, which also includes anecdotes on Ive's childhood and the Apple Watch, can be read over on the Smithsonian website.

Along with his interview in Smithsonian Magazine, Ive today spoke about the future of design at the Hirshorn Museum in Washington, DC. The one-hour speaking engagement took place at 3:00 p.m. local time and appears to have covered many of the same topics that Ive spoke about in the interview.

Ive is also a 2017 honoree of the Smithsonian's American Ingenuity Awards, designed to honor revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, education, and social progress.

Popular Stories

Apple Park Visitor Center

Apple Park Visitor Center Has 'Update in Progress'

Wednesday July 22, 2026 5:49 am PDT by
There is an "update in progress" at the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, California, according to a new notice posted on Apple's website. The building remains open to the public while the work is completed, but the area housing a 3D augmented reality model of Apple Park is temporarily closed. "Please pardon our appearance while we improve our store," says Apple. "During this time,...
Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs

Apple Likely Left Jony Ive Out of Its OpenAI Lawsuit on Purpose

Monday July 20, 2026 7:19 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple's decision not to name its former design chief Jony Ive in its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI was likely a deliberate one, shaped in part by the company's relationship with Laurene Powell Jobs. Apple's roughly 40-page complaint refers only to unnamed "former Apple leaders" rather than calling out Ive, even though he leads design on OpenAI's hardware...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Month With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 2, 2026 7:21 pm PDT by
It is now August, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max should be launching next month. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...

Top Rated Comments

Zaft Avatar
113 months ago
Jony does know that Apple sells the 8 Plus which has the same design at the 7 Plus...
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kazmac Avatar
113 months ago
Of course he's going to praise the X and now be critical of the older designs: funny how the older designs did not bother him or other Apple brass for the past few years. Money, baby.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Mad Vibes Avatar
113 months ago
Ivy, your disconnected mate. Notch says hello
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
113 months ago


This guy is a legend, but I feel his best work is behind him. He's caught up in his own BS.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WannaGoMac Avatar
113 months ago
Of course he's going to praise the X and now be critical of the older designs: funny how the older designs did not bother him or other Apple brass for the past few years. Money, baby.
I disagree. You really think money drives these folks anymore? They all have hundreds of millions of dollars, they wouldnt work anymore if they were in it just for the money. Successful people usually work because they are passionate about what they do and not just for money.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
-BigMac- Avatar
113 months ago

On the subject of the iPhone X, Ive says its all-glass design and edge-to-edge display is something Apple "aspired to for years." In comparison, Ive critiqued older iPhone designs. "It now seems to me a rather disconnected component housed in an enclosure," he said of the iPhone 7 Plus.

Article Link: Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Discusses iPhone X and Apple Park in New Interview ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/29/jony-ive-apple-park-iphone-x/')
SO..

“The iPhone 8 Plus to Ive seems rather a disconnected component housed in an enclosure.”

Because the 8 and 7 are same fundamental design.

He just threw so much shade at a current product that his team designed haha wow.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)