Official confirmation has arrived of Apple design chief Jony Ive’s promotion.
Back at the end of May, an internal Apple memo leaked revealing that Jony Ive had taken up a new role and a new title of Chief Design Officer.
Now that information has been made public, with Ive’s profile on the Apple website being updated accordingly.
According to the blurb, “Jony is responsible for all design at Apple, including the look and feel of Apple hardware, user interface, packaging, major architectural projects such as Apple Campus 2 and Apple’s retail stores, as well as new ideas and future initiatives.”
All of which sounds like what he was doing before, essentially. However, it’s the changes made to the profiles of two other senior design figures within Apple that are telling.
Both Alan Dye and Richard Howarth have now received their own executive bios on the Apple website, reflecting the fact that they’re now taking much of Ive’s workload from him.
Dye is now Apple’s Vice President of User Interface Design, while Howarth is Vice President of Industrial Design. This means that they’re taking direct control of Apple’s software and hardware design respectively.
Interestingly, while the aforementioned leaked memo claimed that these two designers would be reporting to Ive, their official bios claim that they report directly to Tim Cook. This would suggest that Ive’s influence over Apple’s design has lessened even more than we initially thought.
It all lends strength to the speculation that Jony Ive is essentially initiating a protracted exit strategy from the company he helped to resurrect. While this is ostensibly a promotion, the fact that the day to day running of Apple’s prestigious design arm is now in the hands of two of Ive’s lieutenants speaks volumes.
Read more: Apple Watch review
It’s well known that the British designer has been keen to step back from his intensive duties at Apple in order to spend more time with his family, as well as in his home country.
Check out one of Ive’s most recent design triumphs, the iPhone 6, in our video review below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
