iPhone designer Jony Ive reveals he is leaving Apple after 27 years
IPHONE designer Jony Ive is leaving Apple after 27 years to set up his own design firm, it was announced tonight.
Brit Sir Jonathan - who as chief design officer was instrumental in the creation of the tech giant's world-leading gadgets - said his new company will be called LoveFrom.
Apple's shares plummeted 1.5 per cent to $197.44 (£155.85) on the news of his departure.
Ive, 52, worked closely with former Apple boss Steve Jobs - and is credited with helping the firm rebound under Jobs.
After joining in 1992, he led Apple's design teams since 1996 and was behind many of the company's iconic designs.
Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated
Tim Cook
Among them were the early iMacs that came in translucent jelly-bean colours - as well as the first iPhone.
The North London native was knighted in 2012 and he took up his current role as chief design officer in 2015.
In 2012, Ive's net worth was estimated to be around £80million.
Ive for detail: Some of Jony Ive's most iconic designs
JONY Ive is credited with helping create a number of iconic Apple products, including:
- iMac PC
- iPod
- iPhone
- iPad
Ive's work formed a critical part of the firm's late 1990s revival and historic growth into the world's first $1trillion company.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said: "Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated, from 1998's groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care."
Ive will not cut ties with Apple completely - with the company among his new California-based firm's first clients.
A replacement has not been named and two of his deputies will report to Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams.
Ive said: "I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come."
Ben Bajarin, analyst with Creative Strategies, said: "It's the most significant departure of somebody who was a core part of (Apple's) growth story."
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