Jony Ive, the Apple design chief, spoke yesterday at TechFest 2017 to The New Yorker editor David Remnick. The event was held in New York City.
I answered questions about his design philosophies and his time at Apple in the interview. He also talked about how it was working with Steve Jobs, whom he recognized as a ‘wonderful teacher.
One of the most fascinating parts of the interview was the talks about upcoming technologies Apple is working on. According to him, Apple has ‘certain ideas,’ and they are ‘waiting for the technology to catch up with the idea.’ Furthermore, he expressed his enthusiasm regarding his hunger for new designs and products.
I’ve said that there are ‘many opportunities’ on displays. Since silicon becomes smaller and more efficient, “the opportunities are extraordinary.” He went on to say that he is excited about AI and everything else that comes with it.
As for developing new products, I’ve said that both curiosity and focus are necessary for the mix. Asking the right questions at relevant times while staying focused on product development is the way to go for him.
He found 55 reasons behind the 5-year work on the iPhone X! This requires determination and focus, maintaining which is “exhausting,” as I’ve put it.
During his talks on Steve Jobs, I pointed out that money was never a focus for the former. They, rather, kept their focus always on making good products.
Coming back to talks on Apple, I’ve noted that new design inspirations sometimes came from poorly designed products. It was evidently the case for iPhone, as he said. He added that the reluctance among current phones spotted by Apple inspired them to make something new.
Apple executives revealed quite a few times that their products are for people and not for profit. I’ve echoed the same sentiment in the interview. To quote him, “Most things are built in an opportunistic way, to a cost, or to a schedule, they’re not built to people.
As for the design philosophy, I’ve said that he remembers the process more than the product. He considers himself fortunate while worked with extraordinary people.
