Jony Ive is dismissive of the Apple iPhone 7, Apple iPhone 7 Plus design

by Alan Friedman / Nov 30, 2017, 12:19 PM

Jony Ive is not a fan of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus design that he created

What does it mean when a chef dismisses the taste of his own food? We'd say it would be similar to what Apple's design guru Jony Ive thinks about his own work on the 2016 Apple iPhone 7 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus. During an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, which you're not going to find on your local Seven-Eleven magazine rack, the executive had a rather dismissive comment about last year's iPhone model. "It now seems to me a rather disconnected component housed in an enclosure," Ive stated.

Of course, this comment must be weighed against the beauty of the Apple iPhone X, which was just unveiled this past September. The iPhone X (which many are still calling 'ex' instead of 'ten') receives high praise indeed from its head designer. Calling the tenth anniversary model "something we’ve aspired to for years," Ive revealed that the A11 Bionic chipset powering the phone took three years to design. He also confirmed an earlier report claiming that Apple never intended to put Touch ID on the iPhone X in the first place. That means that all of those rumors about embedding the fingerprint sensor under the screen, and Apple's frustration in its inability to figure out how to develop such technology, were bogus. Or False News, in the vernacular of the day. That means that there was also no "Plan B" that included a rear-facing Touch ID.

Ive did add that the edge-to-edge display on the iPhone X is exactly what he thinks a smartphone should look like. Last year, Ive also mentioned that he wanted to design an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass. The iPhone X is the closest that Apple's design chief has come to that dream.

source: Smithsonian.com via BGR

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39 Comments

1. Phullofphil

Posts: 1832; Member since: Feb 10, 2009

The guy is really hard on himself and I think he wishes the 10 would have came out last year.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:28 PM 4

23. NarutoKage14

Posts: 1348; Member since: Aug 31, 2016

He's been saying pretty much the same thing since the first iPhone. Ivy and the rest of Apple couldn't figure out how to fit certain tech into the X so naturally the excuse is that it's fake news. Lol.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 3:06 PM 2

32. yann

Posts: 614; Member since: Jul 15, 2010

Exactly. Fake news. For me face news is the "beauty" of iPhone X. Especially with that humongous camera hump. Jony Ive lost his mojo years ago. Putty.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 11:56 PM 1

2. Martin_Cooper

Posts: 1774; Member since: Jul 30, 2013

Every single iPhone that came out after 5S was total garbage design wise. Going backwards and making uglier phones is something I never expected from a company that at its core is all about design.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:30 PM 12

9. Peacetoall unregistered

aside ugly camera bump iphone 6 was not that bad design it was a good attempt. not same can be said for iphone X .

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:40 PM 3

17. tedkord

Posts: 17481; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

It was plain ugly. That's just aesthetics, I'm not talking about anything else. The iPhone 6 was just ugly.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:29 PM 3

20. GalaxyLeads_iCrapFollows

Posts: 216; Member since: Nov 29, 2017

The iphone X is a huge improvement for apple. But if you compare the thick bezels on the X with the elegant bezels on the Samsung edge screens, apple still has alot of catching up to do in terms of design

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:48 PM 5

37. TrePharaoh

Posts: 42; Member since: Oct 22, 2013

Personally think iPhone 8 is the best looking one next to the 4.

posted on Dec 01, 2017, 5:37 AM 1

38. Nabil111

Posts: 105; Member since: Apr 14, 2014

Its kinda like when someone finds a formula that works, and then they just keep hammering the design and metrics into the same formula over and over and over and end up with a product 4 generations away that is garbage, but if you follow the paper trail, it ought to be good, because it "followed the formula". "If we make it 15% smaller and 10% faster than the one before, then we can get away with shaving off 5% battery size and...."

posted on Dec 03, 2017, 2:06 PM 0

3. apple-rulz

Posts: 2198; Member since: Dec 27, 2016

It’s time for him to take his high-and-mighty attitude and leave Apple.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:30 PM 8

4. cncrim

Posts: 1590; Member since: Aug 15, 2011

Lol, why leave Apple? Money is power, with money you can experience with different design and with money you can explore many other option. Remember without money all best design in the world just collect dust in the closet. Are you crazy leave Apple then working for who, Nokia? Then his talent will never fully take explore.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:43 PM 1

34. worldpeace

Posts: 3135; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

"his talent will never fully take explore." what talent? The only talent he have is for voice actor

posted on Dec 01, 2017, 12:07 AM 0

10. Bankz

Posts: 2550; Member since: Apr 08, 2016

Exactly.. He's past it now tbh.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:44 PM 3

12. Bankz

Posts: 2550; Member since: Apr 08, 2016

Exactly.. He's past it now tbh.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:44 PM 0

5. Skizzo

Posts: 405; Member since: Jul 14, 2013

Somebody like him will never say "yeah, you know what, we tried our best, but we just couldn't do it, but FaceID is a great alternative. Try it out." Saying they wanted to but couldn't would be admitting defeat. Of course he'd say that they never planned to put a fingerprint sensor on the iPX. That makes them "corageous" and "innovative" as opposed to simply being pressed for time, and having to choose between something old and reliable, or something "cool" they spent millions researching, since they couldn't do both in the necessary time frame.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:46 PM 9

8. PhoneCritic

Posts: 1372; Member since: Oct 05, 2011

agree

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:40 PM 0

16. pali2704

Posts: 15; Member since: Feb 11, 2015

Even the Chinese companies have caught apple in terms of design. Apple has a lot of money but just got lazy because people just buy the "new" iPhone. I bet that if they released iPhone 8 with the looks of the 6 they still got good sales... oh, wait, they just did that. Even the f...g camera bump is there. But that's nothing compared to the back of the X... 1000$ ... that back .. but wait, you got some silly animojis (for kids 4-10). I would give a 1000$ just for a quick thought from Steve Jobs about the X (but that would have been priceless).

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:07 PM 3

35. worldpeace

Posts: 3135; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

"Apple has a lot of money" But they don't want to spend it on R&D, instead they use it for making hype, lots of ads, and spreading rumors

posted on Dec 01, 2017, 12:10 AM 0

39. Nabil111

Posts: 105; Member since: Apr 14, 2014

Don't forget spending it on lawsuits, gotta burn the money on frivolous lawsuits.

posted on Dec 03, 2017, 2:08 PM 0

28. theunspoken

Posts: 310; Member since: Jul 06, 2017

I'm waitng for what he would say when they would embed the fps under the screen, 10 years of research blah balh...

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 10:10 PM 1

6. Heisenberg

Posts: 378; Member since: Feb 11, 2015

Did I just read that iPhone x is labeled a beauty? These guys just keep giving kudos to products that doesn't deserve it. I'm talking about the design and nothing else. iPhone X is the ugliest edge to edge phone that has ever been released. The back is fugly with the placement of cameras and how it punches out which makes it wobble on a flat surface. The front is freaking fuglier. It beats me that these things aren't talked about but reviewers cos it has their favorite logo slapped behind it. How hypocritical can these guys be?

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:51 PM 7

18. tedkord

Posts: 17481; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Its a good looking phone. The only real gripe is the camera bump, but that minor.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:30 PM 1

29. theunspoken

Posts: 310; Member since: Jul 06, 2017

Did you not forget the NOTCH

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 10:11 PM 1

7. Xilam unregistered

I only don’t like the camera protrusion. The feel of all Apple devices is superb. iOS is the best operations system I’ve used (non perfect, but iOS puts the best stuff in and keeps the garbage out). I’m happy Apple is moving away from bezels finally. I only wish the pricing was lower, but then again I can’t afford any flagship phone.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:07 PM 4

11. Peacetoall unregistered

gotta agree IOS is not that bad and its the best aesthetically designed operating system before using Samsung c7 pro I owned iphone 5s really enjoyed it but after some period of time I got bored because of its closed ecosystem . switch it for c7 pro best decision still don't regret it.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:44 PM 0

14. baldilocks

Posts: 1545; Member since: Dec 14, 2008

iOS is basically an app launcher. Operating systems like Android, which give you more control over your OWN device are truly superior.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:57 PM 3

15. cnour

Posts: 2305; Member since: Sep 11, 2014

Very smart comment...Android is superior!!!!!

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:59 PM 1

30. Cyberchum

Posts: 1116; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

"...but iOS puts the best stuff in and keeps the garbage out." . They keep the garbages out long enough to adopt it and make them seem like gems—a garbage no more. Pull-down Notifications and Quick toggles were garbages. File manager app was garbage (well, iOS's might be, being totally half-assed). I could go on and on . Apple fanboys' mentality: call something garbage until Apple borrows… sorry, copies it.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 10:32 PM 1

13. pali2704

Posts: 15; Member since: Feb 11, 2015

I would feel ashamed to call the design of the iPhone X great. I'm not a designer, but I think that the back (camera bump) and that notch are just ugly. I also heard that apple worked about 5 years on this design (but I guess it's bulls**t). It's been 4 years and apple can't (or won't) make a back with no camera bump?!? Wonder what would Steve think of that... and the words he would of have for Jony Ive.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 1:52 PM 5

21. darkkjedii

Posts: 31659; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

I don't believe for one second, they never intended to have TouchID under the screen. They simply couldnt do it, and don't want to admit they couldn't do it.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 3:02 PM 3

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