[psmith2.0]

Wow.

Not sure I like the idea of both Jobs and Ive not at Apple in some big, day-to-day way. One or the other, okay. Both splitting (for whatever reason)?



Don't let Robo see this thread. He'll lose his mind...

[drewprops]

You IDIOT!! prepare for a 4 page post!!


...

[thegeriatric]

Okay. That's it......................starts looking for a windows 7 pc.

[Robo]

Jeez guys, you make me sound like I'm some creepy stalker or something. And you don't know that I am. I could be normal!

If Ive does move back to England, and Apple stupidly doesn't let him continue to work for them from there, Ive should totally get back into automotive design. (He originally wanted to head in that direction, but switched gears because everyone else in his auto design classes just would make engine noises while drawing their dream cars, and it weirded him out.) I can't think of anyone more qualified to design for Aston Martin or Jaguar Land Rover. Or, you know, Ford. Or anyone, really.

If I were him, I would just retire. I mean, he's crazy rich and he's already more than made a mark on the world. And he wants to be there for his kids. But I know that's not always the way genius minds go, and he would probably go crazy if he weren't designing something.

But...I'll be okay, guys, really. And Apple will be too. Apple isn't a phenomenally successful company because of two dudes, Apple is a phenomenally successful company because it's a whole bunch of smart people, who are always looking for even smarter people, who are all able to share their good ideas because the organization is set up to allow good ideas to come from anywhere. Ive wasn't the dude who first had the idea to put a wheel on the iPod, some marketing veep named Phil Schiller was. Tim Cook is crazy smart. The Apple Retail team is crazy smart. Apple will continue to be successful, because it is an organism engineered for nothing less.

[Chinney]

They can ditch Ives so long as they hire 'Scates.

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by Robo Apple isn't a phenomenally successful company because of two dudes, Apple is a phenomenally successful company because it's a whole bunch of smart people, who are always looking for even smarter people, who are all able to share their good ideas because the organization is set up to allow good ideas to come from anywhere. Ive wasn't the dude who first had the idea to put a wheel on the iPod, some marketing veep named Phil Schiller was. Tim Cook is crazy smart. The Apple Retail team is crazy smart. Apple will continue to be successful, because it is an organism engineered for nothing less.

Couldn't agree more. Apple is more than the sum of 2 people.

[psmith2.0]

Barely.

j/k

[joveblue]

I'm sure Microsoft is bursting with smart people too. But they lack leadership and direction. Jon Ive and Steve Jobs aren't the only people who can manage that. But they've done a stellar job and won't be easy to replace.

Of course, I don't doubt that they've been fostering leadership talent within the company so I have confidence that the company will continue to be successful without all members of the current leadership team.

[Messiahtosh]

Uhm, Apple will find a way to keep him on their payroll.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh Uhm, Apple will find a way to keep him on their payroll.

Or not. I thought they'd never let the iPod mini walk away, but clearly they had more talent behind the curtain.

[Dorian Gray]

What if Ive has run out of ideas, and is wracked with self-doubt and designer's block even as we speak?

Think about it, preferably while gazing at your MacBook Pro. Where do we go from here?

[psmith2.0]

Beige, straight plastic and poochy CRTs!

[bassplayinMacFiend]

PowerMac Dodecahedron, here we come!

[kscherer]

We'll probably get stuck with a bunch of these!

[nikstar101]

Although i agree with Robo that the company is more than just two people, i think that the loss of Ive or Jobs in the near future (although i am not sure why I am suddenly talking about the loss of Jobs [fingers crossed]) would affect the company.

While Apple has lots of very talented people and could hire many more to fill those roles, it is much harder to find visionaries. And i think both Jobs and Ives are visionaries. Tim Cook maybe great but can he tell a revolutionary product from just a great product. Thats the key. I think Ive could stand in for Jobs should he need to but i am not sure who else could.

Either way after the success that Ive has had at Apple i don't think he will be leaving to soon.

[Robo]

nikstar: If you haven't heard, Jobs has recently taken his second medical leave of absence in two years. Last time he was gone for six months, but this time he's given no ETA for his return.

I think Tim Cook is underappreciated. Apple is a crazy efficient operation, and that's a big reason for their success, one that has nothing to do with jaw-dropping keynotes or aluminum unibodies. He'd be virtually any other company's dream CEO.

And I don't think Ive could fill Jobs' shoes, nor does he seem to want to. He's an industrial designer, not a CEO. He might be able to do a (smoking hot) product launch, but navigate billion-dollar dealings with suppliers, content providers, and carriers? I've never understood why people bring him up as a potential Jobs successor.

[kscherer]

None of us really knows what goes on behind the closed doors that shield Apple from the world, but here is my thought on the matter:

Apple is not a two-man team. They are a multi-talented "platform" that has very deep coffers and talent pools to draw from. Jonathan Ivs is not the Apple design department, he is the design department manager. He is the guy who takes credit for all the good ideas that come out of that department. Is he a good designer as well? You bet. But he is a better focuser. His job is to cull the best designs and focus them into successful products. That's why he is the manager.

Management 101 advise:

1) When things go wrong, stand up and take responsibility. You can knock heads later.
2) When things go right, stand up and take responsibility…while simultaneously spreading praise across your entire team.

Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive are media personalities who get the credit for Apple's success. But if you listen to them—really listen—you will hear them constantly praising their teams. Interpretation: "Our guys did a great job of designing and building and thinking and such, and we are here to accept your praises on their behalf."

To say that Ive and Jobs are irreplaceable is a stretch. To say that we don't know who to replace them with is very accurate. But they know! You bet your bottom they know. If Apple's management team has half a clue how to manage, then they already know who is going to replace these guys. They just aren't telling us. However, whether or not that person can execute, over the long hall, is a mystery that cannot be answered until they try. But it would be unfair to say that they cannot do it.

After all, who can honestly say that Steve Jobs could save Apple…until he was given the opportunity to try?

[psmith2.0]

Going points, and good post.

[Quagmire]

Chris Bangle has stated he wanted to do more than automotive designs when he left BMW. Apple should get him to replace Ive if he leaves.

Bangle-butt MBP anyone?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Quagmire Chris Bangle has stated he wanted to do more than automotive designs when he left BMW. Apple should get him to replace Ive if he leaves. Bangle-butt MBP anyone?

Can you think of any more completely opposite design languages? Minimalism meets flame surfacing! But then again, Apple did go straight from ridiculously curved candy-colored plastics to minimalism, so ridiculously curved aluminum should be nothing new.

Controversial as they were, I actually liked many of Bangle's designs, though some were better executed than others. (I also really like Cadillac's Art & Science language, as well as the new Acura. Sue me.) It's funny to watch the rest of the industry sort of take after even the less-loved aspects of his designs (the Chrysler 200 totally has a Bangle-butt, for example).

Ive could go and make immaculate but boring Audis and Bangle could make the MacBooks more aerodynamic. Sounds like a win!

[kscherer]

Yep. You know where this is heading.

[kscherer]

Update.

Appears that this may have been false from the beginning. That, or Johnny has been reading this thread and feels sorry for us. Of course, the hoax might also be a hoax, in light of the fact that the rumored rumors have proven to be nothing more than a rumor.

[psmith2.0]

...as rumor would have it.

[Brave Ulysses]

Excellent read here, especially for Robo....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mosl...gn-genius.html

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses Excellent read here, especially for Robo.... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mosl...gn-genius.html

I just read it. Good article. Thanks for the linky.

[Robo]

Dude's got style.

[Messiahtosh]

Maybe just as devastating that Bertrand Serlet is leaving Apple...

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh Maybe just as devastating that Bertrand Serlet is leaving Apple...

Not really.

[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Messiahtosh Maybe just as devastating that Bertrand Serlet is leaving Apple...

But, hey, at least we know that isn't some lame rumor.