Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, is said to be still very much in the loop amid rumors that his storied career at Apple is nearing its end. That is according to Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber.
The Exit Is Not True
Gruber, who is considered by some as the dean of Apple bloggers, is largely credited for the recent speculations after his controversial comment at Jason Snell's The Talk Show podcast.
"I've heard that he has lately been checked out or not as directly involved with product design and that he's been largely focused on architecture, meaning the spaceship campus and the new stores," Gruber said.
Now, it appears that Apple has taken notice of the minor controversy preoccupying the tech world. Some sources within the company seemed to have reached out to Gruber to clarify that there is no truth to the rumored Ive exit and that the designer is still very much involved in designing Apple products such as the iPhone.
"Every aspect of every new product remains as much under his watchful eye as ever," Gruber said in a blog update. "That his chief design officer title isn't the least bit ceremonial, and instead is an accurate representation of his increased authority."
All About Ive's Swan Song
One can say that it sounds more of a statement to reassure Ive as much as the Apple fans. To provide some context in this respect, Gruber has previously pointed out that there are sources who believe that Ive is on the way out and that his promotion is largely for show.
With his elevation to the chief design officer title, the positions that are really involved in design at Apple were taken over by two key officials. These are Alan Dye and Richard Howarth, who both directly report to Tim Cook.
Gruber has referred to the skeptics' take that there is really nothing much left to do for Ive so his position is almost ceremonial.
Ive has maintained his silence on the issue and so has Apple. Except for the anonymous inside sources cited by Gruber, the company maintained no official position so far.
For those wanting more insights into this Ive business, there are other information available so you can draw your own conclusions. For example, Ive recently designed a Christmas tree for Claridge several months after he commented that it is part of his bucket list if he is no longer designing at Apple. There is also the "Designed by Apple in California" book release, which some are considering a tribute to Ive but could also serve as his swan song.
