cover image Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Leander Kahney. Penguin/Portfolio, $27.95 (302p) ISBN 978-159184-617-8

Supported by essential, insider research, Kahney (Inside Steve's Brain), who has covered Apple for over a dozen years and is now editor of CultofMac.com, puts the spotlight on Jony Ive, one of the most significant designer minds behind Apple's remarkable products. Ive grew up fascinated with taking things apart and, after a rebellious goth stage in the 1980s, showed excellent design skills at school. Following an apprenticeship at the prestigious Roberts Weaver Group, Ive teamed with another London designer, Martin Darbyshire to found Tangerine Design, and it was those cutting-edge designs that brought him to the attention of Apple's Bob Brenner. Apple tried to recruit Ive several times before they landed him in 1992, putting his maverick creativity to work on a wide of products such as iMac, iBook, Power Mac, and iPod. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple before his death, he said of Ive: "[Jony Ive] has more operational power than anyone else at Apple except me." It is the powerful message of unbridled creativity and a rebel spirit of Ive that Kahney captures so ably in this respectful tribute to the man. (Nov.)