Apple Human Interface Design Lead Greg Christie To Retire And Hand Off To Jonathan Ive
Longtime Apple Human Interface designer Greg Christie is retiring from the company, and reportedly friction between he and designer Jonny Ive hastened his departure.
According to 9to5Mac’s sources familiar with the matter, Christie’s software group will now report to Ive, who himself oversees the industrial design of Apple products. Aside from the important fact that Apple is losing a man in Christie who’s served important roles for the company and spanned the Newton to the iPhone, this management shakeup is notable because it unites Apple’s software and hardware design teams.
Apple's Jonny Ive
Christie and Ive reportedly butted heads over the significant redesign of iOS 7, which saw a shift away from skeuomorphic graphics.
A big question for Apple as it struggles to rediscover (or remake) its identity after the death of Steve Jobs is whether placing so much control over Apple products in the hands of Jonny Ive will be a boon or a bust.
According to 9to5Mac’s sources familiar with the matter, Christie’s software group will now report to Ive, who himself oversees the industrial design of Apple products. Aside from the important fact that Apple is losing a man in Christie who’s served important roles for the company and spanned the Newton to the iPhone, this management shakeup is notable because it unites Apple’s software and hardware design teams.
Apple's Jonny Ive
Christie and Ive reportedly butted heads over the significant redesign of iOS 7, which saw a shift away from skeuomorphic graphics.
A big question for Apple as it struggles to rediscover (or remake) its identity after the death of Steve Jobs is whether placing so much control over Apple products in the hands of Jonny Ive will be a boon or a bust.