Jony Ive’s work on OpenAI device driven by the ‘unintended consequences’ of Apple’s iPhone

Former Apple designer Jony Ive says the work on his next product is driven by personally owning the “unintended consequences” associated with the iPhone. During an interview with Stripe, Ive said there’s “not anything that I can be more preoccupied or bothered by” than the potentially adverse effects smartphones have on their users.

Jony Ive, who spent over 20 years at Apple leading the design of iconic products like the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and iPod, departed in 2019 to co-found LoveFrom, a design firm. In 2024, Ive confirmed he is collaborating with OpenAI on a new device, which he appeared to reference during a recent interview.

“I think when you’re innovating, of course, there will be unintended consequences,” Ive said. “You hope that the majority will be pleasant surprises. Certain products that I’ve been very, very involved with, I think there were some unintended consequences that were far from pleasant.”

MacDailyNews Take: Some unintended iPhone consequences include smartphone addiction, increased anxiety, depression, reduced attention span, social isolation, reduced face-to-face interaction, electronic waste, texting while driving, etc. With iPhone, the world’s most successful product when judged by revenue, units sold, and transformative impact, societal ripple effects are unavoidable.

See also: Steve Jobs was a low-tech parent – September 11, 2014

Beloved interns, please commence your most sacred duty! Prost, everyone! 🍻🍻🍻

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