Jony Ive has one of the best reputations in the world when it comes to design, as the lead on many of Apple’s stellar projects in the past decade, including the original iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad.
As the lead Industrial Designer at Apple, Ive works primarily on the hardware side of the product, but has taken over as lead UI designer for Apple’s iOS range, with iOS7 all to do with Ive’s vision on how to redesign the operating system.
Ive has teamed up with Mark Newson, to create the new Leica M for (RED), Bono’s AIDS charity that Apple has sponsored for a few years now, adding cases and colors to their iPod, iPhone and iPad line in support of the cause.
The Leica M camera will be auctioned off in a charity event alongside some other prised pieces, including 18 carat gold Apple earpods and other once in a blue moon type items – this means the Leica M is unlikely to reach a global audience.
It has design touches Ive is well known for, including the machined aluminium body and outer shell made of anodised aluminium. It comes with a CMOS sensor, high performance processor, and the brand new Leica APO-Summicron –M 50mm f/2 ASPH lens.
Ive and Newson went through thousands of prototypes and eventually picked the one design for the Leica M, showing the commitment Ive takes to almost all design projects.
It is nice to see Ive’s work outside of the Apple aesthetic for a change, with the executive being loyal to the bone for Apple, we doubt we will see any more work from him outside Apple in the near future, unless their is another charity event coming soon.