Apple’s Vice President of Design has given a little insight into the way Apple creates its products in a rare interview.
According to Ive, “we’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects”. Of course, Ive didn’t mention the names of any rival manufacturers, but it sheds some light on the way Apple envisions its upcoming products.
“Objects and their manufacturer are inseparable. You understand a product if you understand how it’s made,” said Ive. “I want to know what things are for, how they work, what they can or should be made of, before I even begin to think what they should look like. More and more people do. There is a resurgence of the idea of craft.”
No-one can deny the beauty and simplicity of Apple products, something that was always a focus of late Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Ive explains that Apple employees labour for extended periods on individual features of their products, including “months and months and months” spent creating the perfect iMac stand.
He outlines that Apple consumers don’t tend to be price driven, which is something that enables Apple to create such accomplished products.
“We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care – just like the people who make them. But what we’ve shown is that people do care. It’s not just about aesthetics. They care about things that are thoughtfully conceived and well made.”
Annually, Apple sells around 250 million iPhones, iPads and iMacs combined. Despite their best efforts, other manufacturers have come close to beating the iPad.
“We make and sell a very, very large number of (hopefully) beautiful, well-made things. Our success is a victory for purity, integrity – for giving a damn.”
“We don’t take so long and make the way we make for fiscal reasons. Quite the reverse.”
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Via: Time