“The British designer behind Apple’s iconic iPods, iPads and iPhones is reportedly set to scoop an £18million windfall from shares in the company,” The Daily Mail reports.
“Said to be the result of a 2008 ‘golden handcuffs’ deal which tied him to Apple for three years, the money will propel creator Jonathan Ive into the ranks of The Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of more than £80million,” The Daily Mail reports. “But despite his Stateside success, the British-born designer is said to be ‘at loggerheads’ with the Apple board over his plans to spend more time back in the UK.”
The Daily Mail reports, “He and wife Heather, who met while they were studying at Newcastle Polytechnic, are said to want to educate their twins in England. A friend of the family told The Sunday Times: ‘Unfortunately he is just too valuable to Apple and they told him in no uncertain terms that if he headed back to England he would not be able to sustain his position with them.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: FaceTime.
It’s the DAILY MAIL “reporting” this, people – come on! It’s like the National Enquirer reporting on bat boy or something.
It was the Sunday Times what had the story first!
it seems odd that he ‘needs’ to be in England when his kids will all likely be in Public School (read boarding school) by the time they can tie their own shoelaces.
You are too valuable to us. So, if you want to spend more time in the UK, then you are fired? Sounds pretty dumb to me…I vote ‘not Scottish’ on this BS rumor.
Simple fact is he could start his own company any time he likes and earn a fortune so not a matter of working for some one else unless he prefers to. Its amazing he hasn’t done his own thing a lot already but clearly will at some stage likely go in that direction after all he could employ practically any worthwhile up and coming group of designers he chose and probably the clients too. Time will tell. If he sees his future back here eventually then it i understandable that he would wish his children to experience his own heritage. As for the pathetic comment above about developing a proper British accent I can only presume that the writer has been watching too much Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins of late.
Fud! Fud! Fud! Fud! Fud!
He wants to be back home with wife and children. Why does that any require analyzing? He and Apple will figure something out.
Hint: The guy has a life and wants to be part of it.
/Hint:
Ive can be single-handedly be credited for heading up design on the “iConic” iMac(s), iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacPros, thereby changing Apple’s fortunes forever, and Apple’s gonna say F*** him?
LOL. Hahahahahaha!
“Loggerheads” must be a new term for dull journalists.
First, I doubt very much that Ives wants the CEO job. I know a lot of designers, and creative people need to operate in a space where they are not distracted by administrative and political issues. I also doubt he has ever been in serious consideration for the job – the skill-set is too different.
Perhaps he is concerned, not about an accent (silly comment) but about the values his children will acquire. The American value system, with its predominant focus on material wealth, is very different to that of Britain.
Perhaps also, Ives can see the writing on the wall for the USA. The level of hostility from the American right, and their determination to impose their values on the US as a whole, is quite shocking to most people with European values. The US appears to be determined on a course of self-destruction – perhaps Ives wants a more stable, cultured, kinder, intellectual and inclusive environment for his children.
But, as someone suggests, it is just a Daily Mail beat-up. Like Fox News, the Daily Mail is not much concerned about truth or balance, and it is aimed at readers who are not much interested in understanding the issues of the day – appealing, just like Fox, to prejudice and ignorance.
We’ll find out soon enough. If he leaves, I am sure there are those amongst his outstanding design team who can step forward and fill his boots.
ps: the report was in the Sunday Times, not the Daily Mail. This once highly respected newspaper is owned by Murdoch (as is Fox). That opens up a pile of unpleasant possibilities – perhaps Murdoch is not pleased with Apple’s attitude to the launch of The Daily and applying pressure.
I agree that, if Jony and his wife want to raise their kids in the UK that Apple should respect that and work out a deal with him. It might involve setting up a design facility and moving some members of the design team to the UK. It may involve providing transportation between the UK and US locations etc. It may lead to the invention of even better communication systems between different locations. That’s why Apple has about 60 billion in cash-so that it can be flexible and do what it needs to do in the best interests of business and customers.
I also found that statement in the story, to the effect that, Jony is so valuable that we have to let him go; to be an absurd contradiction.
I seem to recall Job’s having said that Jony was his best friend.
I sure hope that Jony stays happily with Apple.
Why wouldn’t they just build a virtual conference room where he is as available as if he was with them. They could put in on of those full size screens like on CNN. For the ROI they could spend a few million for state of the art facilities. He could probably work out monthly trips in addition to the conference room and summers. He just has to work on Cupertino hours.