Post-jobs: How Did Apple Become a Trillion-dollar Company and Lose its Soul

Post-jobs: How Did Apple Become a Trillion-dollar Company and Lose its Soul

In addition to electronics, Ive also helped design two of Apple's most expensive "products," the Apple Store and Apple Park campus.

Still, Ive has made some controversial designs, such as the Magic Mouse, which charges in an anti-human way.

Especially since Jobs's death, Ive's designs have been somewhat self-indulging. Which brings us to the iPhone 5c and iOS 7. The former features a colorful, polycarbonate body that breaks with Apple's minimalist design and iPhone's sophistication. The latter abandoned Apple's analog design and started the flattening trend. And, of course, Liu Haiping, who has been controversial in recent years.

Some media interpreted the controversial design on the basis of the trend, suggesting that there was a conflict between Ive and Steve Jobs' successor Tim Cook.

After Ive's departure in July 2019, The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Ive was leaving because Apple was shifting its focus from design to operations and that Cook was frustrated with his lack of interest in product development and design. Mr Cook denied the claim, saying it was untrue.

In May this year, US journalist Tripp Mickle revealed in his book that the split between Ive and Cook was triggered by a battle over the original design of the Apple Watch. Ive thinks Apple's watch should be fashion; Cook thinks it should be functional, with a focus on exercise and health.

The title is pretty straightforward -- Post-Jobs: How Apple Became a Trillion-dollar Company and Lost Its Soul.

In hindsight, Cook's approach seems more practical, and it certainly made the Apple Watch a commercial success. Does this, in turn, suggest that Ive's design philosophy is overrated, and that Jobs is still the real soul of Apple's design?

There is no proof of anything.