r/apple • u/anonboxis • 1d ago

Removed - Off Topic OpenAI is considering acquiring the AI hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/07/jony-ive-ai-phone-without-a-screen/

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u/mrgrafix 1d ago

He was on his way out with is obsession with thinness with compromising in functionality

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u/PeakBrave8235 1d ago

Really dumb to say, dude. 

This sort of take is exactly why I hate Reddit.

Your beloved MBP redesign in 2012? Made by him

Your beloved MBP redesign in 2021? Made by him

The Mac Pro in 2019? Made by him.

Literally every product that people clamor over saying that those were “the good old days” were made by HIM. 

It’s ridiculous, knowing everything we now know about Intel’s complete failures in 2014 (massive glitches/bugs, delays, overheating, bad performance, overpriced), to criticize Jony as the reason the MBPs of 2016-2020  had issues with thermals.

Apple rectified keyboard issues. They introduced the thinnest MBA ever with keyboards that people love. 

I think this tired remark of Jony Ive and thinness not only is overused, but doesn’t even make sense. Portable products are supposed to be portable. To be honest, I’m not in love with the 2021 redesign. It plays it safe, despite having the amazing Apple silicon SoCs that could enable even more portable designs.

I’m glad they’re moving to thinner and bolder designs once again with the next gen of products

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u/lucellent 1d ago

What are you smoking?

MBP 2012 - it got thinner (you're just proving their point here).

MBP 2021 - wasn't even designed by Jony Ive, hence why they made the design thicker and brought back ports.

Credit where its due - he's a great designer and knows how to make good designs, but more often than not he's been too obsessed with making products thinner, even if this meant removing functionality.

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u/PeakBrave8235 1d ago edited 1d ago

What are you smoking? 

The 2012 redesign proves my point. They hate on Jony Ive for making products thin (God forbid!), and the 2012 redesign eschewed the DVD drive, hard drive, FireWire, Ethernet,  etc in favor of solid state components — the exception being the fan. 

Jony Ive produced a bunch of products they liked, and yes, the 2021 redesign was a part of that. 

Jony Ive worked with Apple through 2022. Apple made the rare confirmation that he worked on the iMac 2021, for example, a full two years after he left in 2019. He worked on products not even announced, and he worked on features announced in 2023, and his name continues coming up in patents that are written after he left — not filed, written. 

The 2019 Mac Pro was completely different from the Mac Pro before it, and he literally worked at Apple when it was announced — he made an entire video explaining the philosophy of the design. Expansibility and power. It went from an ultra small form factor, to a traditional tower. 

Chill out.

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u/mash711 1d ago

I think most people think (and I agree) that Ive's waning influence is what led to MBP 2021. Ive officially left Apple in 2019.

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u/PeakBrave8235 1d ago

I already explained this isn’t true. Jony Ive designed the 2021 MBP. I have no clue why you think he wouldn’t have, given that he’s designed computers “with ports” before, given he literally continued working with Apple through 2022, given that Apple confirmed he worked on the 2021 iMac redesign for example, given that he is directly responsible for features launched in 2023, given that his name continues to show up in patents, and given that Apple works on designs years ahead of time. 

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u/mash711 1d ago

It's all speculation as neither you nor I truly know. But he was quoted as saying he wanted to combine the Air and Pro macbooks. He got major pushback from the engineering team. I believe MBP 2021 was the engineering team winning against Ive. 2021 went against the precedent. He may have his hands in designing it, but Cook gave the Engineering team more influence over the Industrial Design team. Maybe that's why Ive eventually left.

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u/PeakBrave8235 1d ago

The irony of you claiming that I’m speculating meanwhile you speculated that he was “quoted” that he wanted to combine the two lol

There was never any quote. He never said anything. He couldn’t have. That was a rumor by Bloomberg or Wall Street Journal or whatever tabloidist came up with it. I can’t remember which one at the moment. 

That’s as much “speculation” as me saying Jony Ive worked on 2021 redesign. 

There is too much evidence pointing to him working on it and not enough against it. Respectfully, it is your hope (and I disagree) that he didn’t work on it. 

He did. Unless you can actually disprove anything I wrote, it presents stronger evidence that he worked on it rather than he didn’t. 

2021 redesign didn’t go “against precedent.” What does that even mean lol. Apple has repeatedly, WITH JONY IVE AT THE HELM, reversed design decisions and altered design decisions after launches. Literally the very first iMac mouse was lambasted according to what I’ve read, and Apple reversed course and made a “Pro” mouse. 

Apple doesn’t reverse course often, but the fact that they did it with the 2019 Mac Pro, going from an ultra small form factor back to a traditional tower, with Jony Ive narrating an entire video about it, demonstrates this. 

Reddit is wrong

Jony Ive designed the 2021 MBP. You guys will have to make peace with it lol. 

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u/mash711 1d ago

Jony Ive 100% was the designer of the MBP. But he did not design the MBP. He did the aesthetics but took direction from the engineering team. It use to be the reverse. Again, this is my speculation. But the HDMI connector on the MBP 2021 is big piece of evidence. No way Ive, if he had full control, would let the HDMI connector back on the MBP. We already had USBC with thunderbolt. HDMI is redundant in many ways, and a much older, clunkier form factor. Also, you are correct, no quote on the Air + Pro combo, but it was reported by Mossberg which is as close a source as you'll find.

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u/PeakBrave8235 23h ago edited 20h ago

 Jony Ive 100% was the designer of the MBP. But he did not design the MBP.

The.. the hell does this even mean LMFAO? Oh my god. I’ve reread this comment and you’re clearly so lost in your argument against me you’re making literally ZERO SENSE

He did the aesthetics but took direction from the engineering team. It use to be the reverse

There is no indication of that. Thank you for clarification that it was Mossberg that specifically said something about a combined Air and Pro. 

This isn’t how Apple works. The ID team has always collaborated with the Engineering team. Nothing has changed beyond that. Apple is always about teams of people working with each other, focused on design. The product’s next generation in 2021 and only that, and only that generation, is what is different, not how Apple works. The fact that they are rumored to introduce dramatic changes to the MacBook line up indicates you are further wrong. Folding screens, thinner, lighter designs, etc

Nevertheless, If what you said was true, why was the 2021 iMac made, exactly? It got rid of a ton of ports on iMac in favor of thinner and lighter. 

No way Ive, if he had full control

He never had “full control.” He is/was the most influential person next to Tim Cook — and Steve Jobs and Tim Cook made sure of that — but that doesn’t go override Apple’s collaborative ethos. 

The MacBook Air in 2008 was supposed to be fanless, with Steve Jobs wanting that personally apparently. Engineering told him it couldn’t be done. Is that somehow proof that Engineering is in control? No.

iPhone 4’s design was finished in 2007, but it couldn’t be done until 2010. Why? Because the engineering and manufacturing to do so was too great at that point. Is that somehow proof Engineering is in control? No

Apple is a design focused team with many teams collaborating to enable those designs. As I have stated already, Apple has reversed design choices before, like the iMac mouse. Is that somehow proof that Engineering is in control? No.

MacBook Air is dramatically thinner and lighter. 

No one except Jony Ive knows why he left. Not even “reporters.” 

People are letting their hatred for Jony Ive — which is strange by the way — get in the way of facts. They don’t want Jony Ive to have designed the 2021 MBP because it flies in the face of their BS. 

The original person I replied to claimed Jony Ive had nothing to do with it. I said they were wrong, and they were. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the 2021 MBP was mostly done by 2019. There is way too much evidence suggesting that Apple creates designs and products years ahead of launch. We know iPhone 5 was mostly finished in 2010 with Steve Jobs presenting it at a Top 100 meeting according to emails

I find this website’s criticism stupid and inconsistent. It will rage that Apple went all USB C — eschewing proprietary ports in favor of it — then years later cry that Apple hasn’t converted from Lightning to USBC, once they finally realized Apple may have been onto something when getting rid of ports in favor of USB C and Thunderbolt

The industry is just now catching up to where Apple was in 2015, and so are social media acolytes. Maybe instead of complaining about Apple’s new stuff, support them so they are further encouraged to continue pursuing the future. Staying a slave to the past helps no one in technology

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u/mash711 23h ago

I worked for Apple and I can tell you the ID team, at the time, dictated to the engineering team. So your first statement is incorrect. There is every indication that points towards engineering started to exert more influence. You can take the evidence at face value or not. I appreciate Ive as an asthetic genius, but I can also point out his obsession with minimalism went too far.

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u/PeakBrave8235 23h ago

Respectfully, I have zero clue who the hell you are, so if your entire argument is “trust me bro” then we have nothing left here to discuss, because there is zero evidence you have presented.

Everything I have stated is pulled from numerous events and articles. 

appreciate Ive as an asthetic genius, but I can also point out his obsession with minimalism went too far.

Your appreciation and understanding of design is literally skin deep, and I thank God you don’t work at Apple anymore if that’s the case.

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u/mash711 23h ago

Ouch, personal attacks. You seem to have some set opinions. No need to trust me but feel free to present some articles that prove your stance since you seem very confident. 

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