La jony ive march Apple took us all by surprise, but it seems that within the company it was an open secret. This is how they let you see the last article published by Wall Street Journal, where they talk about wear and tear between the Ive-Cook relationship.
Produce before design
When Tim Cook took the reins of Apple, the cover letter that accompanied the new CEO defined him quite well. He was tasked with perfecting Apple's supply chain, so he was going to continue doing what he did best: growing the company's coffers by improving distribution and production.
Making more money is not always accompanied by work with enthusiasm, and that's just what seems to have happened to good old Ive. Apple was increasingly paying more attention to operations than to the product design process, and Ive himself lived it in his own flesh when he saw how Tim Cook was not able to witness any stage of design development for the next Apple products. company.
This lack of interest and attention discouraged Ive, so Cook tried to solve the problem by paying a succulent amount that was never revealed and that angered more than one company executive (Ive came to earn more than many of them ). But it seems that the incentive has not served to calm the spirits for a long time.
Apple reduces its sales and loses interest in one of its hallmarks
The current situation of the company must not have encouraged Jony Ive too much. Reduced by the lack of interest in design and added to the drop in sales of some of the brand's products, the decision to leave may be the most appropriate solution for both parties. Gone are the days when those responsible for the design branch were considered gods Inside the company. All decisions passed through his hands, and software engineers had to work according to his instructions.
According to the WSJ, the Apple Watch was placed on the market as a complement to the iPhone, while I've seen it more as a fashion accessory. For his design, he hired Marc Newson and the executive director of Yves Saint Laurent for commercial work, however, things did not go as expected, since they sold four times less than their forecast. They emphasize that thousands of units of the gold version remained unsold.
During all this time, Ive has been missing meetings, hasn't given feedback to the design team, and many employees have been left without the star that usually guided them in moments of true darkness. There have been several reconnection attempts that have been made, but in the end, they always ended in the same way.
The clearest and most definitive example of his absence is that the last video shown at the last Apple conference lacked Jony Ive's voiceover, a clear reflection of the extent to which the figure of the mythical designer has disappeared. We will see if the new company-client stage brings better results for future projects, although just as it could end well, we could witness one of the most painful ruptures in the industry. Time will tell.