Apple stocks go down 1%, cause Jony Ive, designer behind iPhone and iMac, leaves the company
Don't panic - Ive will remain ‘very involved’ with Apple as he launches new creative company and his first Client will be...Apple. Uff, our phones and computers will continue being beautiful. He will still be taking care of Apple hardware and software design, as he was during his 30 years within the company. Well - 30 years - don't you think it is time to move on?
Jony Ive, the chief architect of groundbreaking and distinctive designs from the iMac to the iPhone, announced on Thursday that he is leaving Apple after nearly 30 years.
Ive’s departure, which was announced in an exclusive interview with the Financial Times, is sure to set off shock waves in the tech and design worlds, but the 52-year-old Briton will remain involved with Apple. He plans to launch a new creative company called LoveFrom – and said Apple will be his first client.
“While I will not be an employee, I will still be very involved – I hope for many, many years to come,”
Ive told the FT.
“This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change.”
“Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated,”
chief executive Tim Cook said in a statement.
“Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built.”
Ive’s departure comes at a tricky moment for Apple, which became the world’s first trillion-dollar company in August 2018, but has faltered amid increased competition, slowing demand for smartphones, and the escalating trade war between the US and China. The company shocked investors in January when it was forced to downgrade sales forecasts , the first such warning the company had issued since 2002.
In recent months, Apple has moved to diversify its revenues away from hardware sales and toward subscription services, including a bid to take on Netflix with original entertainment content.
Apple’s stock fell approximately 1% in after-hours trading on news of Ive’s departure.
Ive’s influence at Apple pre-dates his employment there. He worked on the company’s original Apple PowerBook 140, released in 1991, while still employed by the British design firm Tangerine.
His first truly iconic hit after joining Apple was the 1998 iMac with its translucent “Bondi blue” casing. Next came the iPod, the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
But Ive’s influence extended beyond hardware design. Starting in 2012, he took over design of Apple’s software, which resulted in a total overhaul of the iPhone’s operating system, iOS. Ive jettisoned the cutesy faux leather and paper icons and pseudo-3D textures, opting for flat and abstract iconography.
He was also involved in designing Apple’s new headquarters, Apple Park, the $5bn futuristic “spaceship” that opened in 2017.
Undoubtedly, he is a "beautiful mind" and seems that his departure is rather formal change, since he still be supporting Apple, but be paid by invoice, not salary. Which economically is definitely better opportunity. Additionally, he will be able to work for other companies and improve their design and user experience. Personally I think it is good move, and cant wait what other Clients (Google? Samsung?) will pick up his brain and start working together. Apple shares went down 1% after announcements but I am sure that soon everything will come back to normal when people will realise that it is rather technical move than a real departure.