Jony Ive talks about the Apple Watch and the iPhone's battery life

The Financial Times, Europe's version of the Wall Street Journal, was visited by none other than Apple's senior VP of Design, Sir Jony Ive. Much of the interview was about the Apple Watch, expected to be the focus of Apple's media event on Monday in San Francisco. He points out that even though the timepiece has gone through "thousands and thousands of hours of evaluation and testing, we’re still working and improving."

The difference between the motivation and drive behind designing the Apple Watch and the Apple iPhone comes from how the design team at Apple felt about each device. Ive noted that those designing the OG Apple iPhone had a "disdain" for the smartphones that were available at the time. This could even be felt during Steve Jobs' introduction of the first iPhone. With the Apple Watch, Ive says that all of the designers love the current timepieces on their wrists. "We’re a group of people who love our watches. So we’re working on something, yet have a high regard for what currently exists."

As usual, Ive and his design team think of everything. The gold used by Apple has molecules closer together making it twice as hard as standard gold. The cold-forged steel employed by the company is 40 per cent more durable than your run-of-the-mill steel.


One issue that was brought up was the battery life on the Apple iPhone. When asked why the iPhone needs to be recharged often, Ive said that the phone is so light and thin that those with the device feel compelled to use it often, thus depleting the battery quicker. A bigger battery, he says, would make the device heavier and "less compelling."

source: FinancialTimes