What you need to know
- Jony Ive's profile is no longer on Apple's leadership page.
- It was announced that Apple's design lead was leaving earlier this year.
- No formal date was provided at the time.
Apple design chief Jony Ive is no longer part of Apple's leadership page on apple.com, as spotted by The Verge. It was announced earlier this year that Ive would be leaving to set up his own design shop, but no date for the departure was given.
Ive first joined Apple in 1992 and has been head of its design operations since 1996. During that time Apple has become synonymous with forward thinking design that while not pleasing everyone, certainly had an aesthetic. Ive's fingerprints are all over some of Apple's most iconic products, not least 12 years of iPhones.
Ive's new project is LoveFrom, a shop he is setting up with fellow designer Marc Newson. Apple is said to be a client of the new firm, although some believe that is simply a way for Apple to make the transition seem less worrying to investors.
With Ive now out of the picture, software and hardware design will fall under COO Jeff Williams. Williams is someone who many have tipped to eventually replace Apple CEO Tim Cook, although his design chops have been questioned. He's no Jony Ive, but who is?
