If there's one thing that reminds Jony Ive the most about Steve Jobs, it is the latter's childlike simplicity.
At the New Establishment Summit held on Wednesday, Oct. 7 by Vanity Fair, Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, talked about how his memory of the late Steve Jobs had evolved in a span of four years following Jobs' death.
"Over the four years that have passed, so much of that noise, and so many of his attributes, they've ended up essentially receding," said Ive.
Ive has led the design team at Apple since 1996. As stated in Apple's official site, "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."
Jobs' life inspired a number of filmmakers and biographers to consider Jobs as their subject. However, some of them seemed to have portrayed the late Apple founder in contradicting sentiments.
The most prominent of these portrayals is the upcoming movie "Steve Jobs" by American screenwriter Aaron Benjamin Sorkin. The film is based on the official biography written by renowned biographer Walter Isaacson.
According to Ive, the way Jobs is portrayed stands in contrast to how he remembers the man.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone so happy, as I saw him - this very simple kind of joy - when he would realize, 'This is actually working out. This could be great.' It was just the simplicity of that," said Ive.
Ive, who was promoted as Apple's chief design officer on July 1, admitted that the move has allowed him to explore other areas of design, particularly the retail stores of Apple and the Campus 2 headquarters.
"Jony is one of the most talented and accomplished designers of his generation, with an astonishing 5000 design and utility patents to his name," said Apple.
When asked to comment about his new role at Apple, Ive gave a simple reply.
"I've never felt so creative."
Ive was joined at the panel by producer Brian Grazer and director J.J. Abrams. Dubbed "Changing Worlds, Inventing Worlds," the panel also discussed the care that people at Apple had always given to its products.
"We are always conscious that we are making tools," added Ive. "You could've had somebody who didn't ever argue, but you wouldn't have the phones you have now."
