Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is still working with Apple, he confirmed today in an interview with Vogue's Anna Wintour at the RE:WIRED event. Ive participated in a panel called "Designing for the Future We Want to Inhabit," where he spoke on topics like Steve Jobs, wearables, and LoveFrom.
Ive confirmed that his LoveFrom design company is working with Apple, but he did not provide details on what specific projects he has done for the Cupertino company, nor did he outline if he has been involved with the development of new devices.
In addition to working with Apple, Ive's company has done work for Airbnb, Emerson Collective, Moncler, and Ferrari, among others.
Ive also spoke on the future of wearables, and he said that he expects wearable technology to continue to advance to the point where some devices are embedded in the body. "There's no doubt... that some of these products will disappear beneath our skin," he said. "I can't think of anything more personal, more specific, more individual, and more intimate than things being inside us."
Ive said that the iPod was, essentially, Apple's first piece of wearable technology, in a discussion about the recent 20th anniversary of the device. "I think what the iPod really marked was the beginning of creating far more specific products and devices," he said.
Steve Jobs often comes up in Ive's interviews, and today's panel was no exception. Ive said that he remembers Jobs for his drive and his values. "There was this relish, this celebration of being surprised," said Ive. "Even if the surprise actually meant that he was wrong. He was far more interested in the learning than in being right."
According to Ive, some of his memories of his most productive times with Jobs were when the two were just walking together and thinking close to one another. "Almost always, in my experience, the most powerful ideas occur quietly, and they are fragile," he said.
Ive's full discussion with Anna Wintour can be watched on WIRED's website.
