Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products

I was looking forward to the release of this book for a while. It didn't disappoint! The book is very well written and insightful into the so often secret world of Apple and Jony Ive. The book has clearly been well researched and is full of great interviews and interesting information. Definitely the best non fiction read I've had in 2013. Can't recommend it enough.

Disclaimer: as with most other people who would read this book, I've read both of the Steve Jobs biographies. (I'll confess I haven't read much other Apple History, though). Based on the limited stuff I've read, each book places their focus at the absolute centre of the Apple Universe, with all others as shadow players. This one tends to do the same for Jony Ive.While it tries to pull together a number of different sources to cast some light into the shadows created by being such a central component of one of the most secretive companies in the world, it sometimes fails to bring them into a coherent timeline. As a result the narrative of the book can be a little jerky in places.But, with all that said, it's a good read and as a fellow Brit I've got to be proud of the designer at the heart of Apple. I'm probably biased as I'm a recent convert to Apple equipment and have now plunged headlong, but it's a worthwhile book to read to round out the picture of Apple as painted by the Jobs biographies.

That is a good account of the life and career of Ives, surely one of the most significant figures of recent design history. I found the insights into Apple culture entertaining but not revelatory- I’m not sure there’s much here on Apple that hasn’t been said elsewhere. The insights into Ives as a designer, though, I found fascinating. This is a unique story of a man with a huge passion (obsession???) for the raw process of design, given the opportunity to perform on one of the world’s most innovative platforms. His refusal to compromise - a trait he had before apple but that was doubtless deepened by his friendship with fellow-obsessive Jobs - has led to an extraordinary series of breakthroughs. I felt I was being invited, even in some small way, to watch a master at work. A joyous experience…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well written and takes you on a tour of Jony Ive's life from child prodigy to now the world's best known and most respected industrial designer. After reading this book, it is easy to see the synergies between Jonny Ive and Steve Jobs. Both have or had the ability to see the big picture as well as the minute details. Both are or were perfectionists, on a mission to create a better product and provide a better experience. Both are or were concerned about the invisible details as much as those things that are visible. The partnership they formed literally changed the world. And the creative genius that made Apple what it is today is still there, answerable to nobody else. And that creative genius, encoraged and supported by Jobs when he was alive, is Jony Ive.Clearly Jony has a healthy ego, unsurpassed power and influence within Apple, and a wonderful lifestyle, which he truly deserves. But he also comes across as a genuinely nice guy who gives credit to others as much as himself, and will go the extra mile in anything he does.What impressed me most is that Jony is much more than 'just' a designer. He is an innovator in production techniques as well and has come up with some amazing innovations like the Apple Unibody process that have revolutionised fit, finish and reliability on volume produced products. I had always imagined that another group of engineers would have been responsible for these aspects, but no it is all part of Jony's design process ... And is all the more impressive for that.I was also hugely impressed by Jony's drive to make everything tactile and emotionally engaging. It is a characteristic that runs through all of his designs, and you see it in all the products he he has designed or overseen in his time at Apple. You see it too in the Apple stores, where people are encouraged to be hands on. It is a lesson that everyone in business could and should learn, and I am tempted to buy copies of this book for all my clients because if they could truly understand this one thing and bake it into everything they do, they would deliver better products and services to their customers. Their customers would then develop a deeper emotional engagement, leading to more loyalty and unstoppable word of mouth ... All things for which Apple sets the benchmark. And for which Jony Ive has been responsible.I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone both to better understand the true genius of Jony Ive, and yes there is no doubt that he IS a genius at what he does, and the lessons you can take away and apply in your own life. Thank you Leander Kaheny for writing it so well.

Interesting book but repeats itself too much.

This book is not so much a original piece as it is a collection of selected text, quotes and research from hundreds of other sources. Nonetheless it's a great place to read about the story of Sir Jony Ive before and after he joined Apple. You will hear about many other important characters like Steve Jobs and other members of the ID studio team as his story evolves inside the company and it will leave you with a much better understanding of his career path and how he helped shape what Apple is today.

Really enjoyed this book, so interesting to discover the truth about this amazing man and great insight into the rise of Apple and the massive part that Jony played in that rise.

If you are an apple fan, or even if you are not, you will love this biography of Jony. It gives an insight into not just Jony's life and his work at apple, but also into the design, innovation and production process at apple that have produced their legendary products.An easy read, Leander makes the whole story easy to access, whether you are knowledgeable about tech or not.Thoroughly recommend as a great Christmas gift for those apple fans in your life...

Great book, loved it. On the kindle version it would be nice if the images were in synch with the writing instead of all at the back of the book. Other than that great read.

What a wonderful book this is. It takes you to that time when and how Johnny Ive started his journey to become a successful designer.

Libro molto accurato e di particolare inspirazione per chi è un creativo o designer.

Dieses Buch lohnt sich für jeden der gerne mehr über Apple, die Philosophie und seinen Schöpfer wissen möchte.

He leído mucho sobre la historia de Apple y Steve P. Jobs, pero me resulta muy importante ver las cosas desde la perspectiva desde una de las personas fundamentales de lo que hoy es Apple.Una lectura muy recomendable.