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A page turns for the firm at the apple. Apple has decided to terminate the consulting contract of Jony Ive, legendary designer of the iPhone and the iMac, according to the New York Times.
Jony Ive and Tim Cook. © Getty — Justin Sullivan
This time it’s really over between Jony Ive and Apple. Indeed, the Cupertino firm has decided to terminate the consultant contract of its former head of design, according to the New York Times. Initially, this contract was to be renewed, but the two parties finally agreed not to extend it, according to the American daily.
the New York Times last indicates that the leaders of Apple had wondered about the remuneration of Jony Ive and would have had very little taste to see several of their designers join LoveFrom, the company of its former star designer. Moreover, the Californian group did not appreciate not having been consulted by Jony Ive before working with clients.
A 30-year partnership
Obviously, relations are therefore now quite fresh between Apple and the legendary designer of the iPhone and the iMac. By definitively separating from Jony Ive, the American firm puts an end to a particularly fruitful collaboration which will have lasted thirty years. Joined the Californian group in 1992, the Briton was appointed head of the design division in 1996.
It is he who will work to redefine and affirm the visual identity of the apple, inventing the lines of the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad or even the Apple Watch, as well as the pixels animating their respective operating systems. . Jony Ive also oversaw Apple’s circular campus project (Infinite Loop) and worked to make Apple Stores innovative point-of-sale models in terms of customer experience, which is largely through their design and architecture. .
The Apple Watch as a final stunt
After the death of Steve Jobs in October 2011, he largely contributed to the success of Apple in the years following his death, alongside Tim Cook, the new boss of the American giant. The relationship between the two men has always been complex, insofar as Tim Cook wanted to build on the legacy of Steve Jobs at the expense of creativity. A success, since Apple became the first company to reach 3 trillion dollars in market capitalization at the start of the year.
Jony Ive’s last stunt will remain the design of the Apple Watch, released in 2015. Despite the latter’s success, weariness won over him and he ended up announcing his departure from the Apple brand in 2019. relationship between the designer, this time as a consultant, and the American giant will continue for three more years, before this clip ends in the summer of 2022. It is a great page in the history of Apple that is turning , with the end of a one-of-a-kind collaboration in Silicon Valley.