contador web Skip to content

Friend of Jony Ive, designer Marc Newson talks a little about his work at Apple in an interview

Jony Ive's friend for two decades, the designer Marc Newson joined Apple in September last year but it was only now that he gave his first interview talking a little about the new job.

Newson is 51 years old and was born in Sydney, Australia, but moved to London about 20 years ago. Even before joining Apple, Newson was already working with Ive on some special projects like a Sothebys auction that, in 2013, raised $ 13 million.

The designer said he does not have a specific position at Apple, but that he "works on special projects". The job currently occupies about 60% of his time and he says he does not intend to leave it so soon. Newson did not actually work with Steve Jobs, but he had the opportunity to meet him.

We separated some highlights from the interview with London Evening Standard Next.

About the luxurious look of the Apple Watch Edition

Traditional luxury watch makers in Switzerland have criticized Apple's part as too common and cheap to be luxurious. When it was launched, Tag Heuer chief Stphane Linder commented: “Luxury will be unique and rare. At $ 350, it looks more [destined for] the mass market. ” Newson retorts: “There are many Louis Vuitton bags for a. At one point, every 1.5 Japanese women had a Louis Vuitton bag. But they are still luxury objects. It is about product quality and integrity. ”

And as for the suggestion that an object that you change from year to year or every two because it is outdated cannot be a product premium, since jewels last forever? Long silence. "I see it as I evolve, progress," says Newson. “And we are doing fantastic things. In one version of the watch, the box acts as a refill device that you can use for other models. Then it becomes a useful object and not just something that will be kept in the closet for the rest of eternity. ”

Competitors

I notice that he [Newson] is not using his Apple Watch. Does he prefer any of his many analogue watches? “I have some classic mechanical watches. I don't see how he and the Apple Watch cannibalize each other, or compete with each other. ”

About cars

Both he [Newson] and Ive are fanatical about cars. Each has tons of Aston Martins, Lamborghinis and Bentleys. Newson has already designed a concept car for Ford. Car makers are racing to make their models so advanced in order to create an automotive response to the iPhone. BMW even uses the prefix “i” to designate its division high-tech, responsible for electric cars. Why not go out in front of everyone with an iCar? Newson doesn't pay much attention to overturning speculation: "There is certainly a vast opportunity in that area to be smarter."

For more, check out the full interview here [in English].

[via Cult of Mac]