Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) still has a few tricks up its sleeve, and so much is in the pipeline that its design chief, Jony Ive, said he can't imagine leaving the company.
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In an interview with the Sunday Times of London, Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design, said that he would stop working for Apple only if the company stopped innovating. "Yes. I'd stop. I'd make things for myself, for my friends at home instead. The bar needs to be high," he said.
"I don't think that will happen," he added. "We are at the beginning of a remarkable time, when a remarkable number of products will be developed. When you think about technology and what it has enabled us to do so far, and what it will enable us to do in the future, we're not even close to any kind of limit. It's still so, so new."
While that's typically cryptic of both Ive and other senior Apple executives when asked about future products, many analysts think Apple is working on a wearable device of some kind, perhaps a watch. Apple is also getting further embedded into cars, via its new CarPlay service. Additionally, there are hints that Apple is looking to crack into the health and fitness tracking market.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple's focus on healthcare and fitness tracking will be manifested in an iOS application codenamed Healthbook. The app will have categories for bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and weight.
Ive also expounded on his design philosophy. "We're surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects," he said. "It's tempting to think it's because the people who use them don't care--just like the people who make them. But what we've shown is that people do care. It's not just about aesthetics. They care about things that are thoughtfully conceived and well made." He said he thinks Apple's success in the market proves he is right. "We make and sell a very, very large number of (hopefully) beautiful, well-made things. Our success is a victory for purity, integrity--for giving a damn."
When asked about companies accused of copying Apple's designs, Ive's response was sharp. "It's theft ... what's copied isn't just a design, it's thousands and thousands of hours of struggle. It's only when you've achieved what you set out to do that you can say, 'This was worth pursuing.' It takes years of investment, years of pain."
Apple is still in a legal battle over patent infringement with Samsung Electronics, its main competitor in smartphones and tablets. The two companies will face each other in a new trial at the end of the month in U.S. District Court.
For more:
- see this Sunday Times article (sub. req.)
- see this The Verge article
- see this Guardian article
- see this TechCrunch article
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