Jony Ive’s Post-Apple Design: A $60,000 Turntable
After departing from Apple, Jony Ive has been actively engaged in various projects through his design agency. These include the creation of a typeface, a charitable endeavor involving clown noses, and even envisioning “the future of Airbnb.” Ive’s latest venture with LoveFrom brings him back to his roots in hardware design, as they introduce a new version of a modular turntable that has been in existence for fifty years.
LoveFrom helped refine Linn’s Sondek’s LP12 for the 50th anniversary edition. I’ve told Fast Company that it was a “very gentle and modest project” for LoveFrom, due to his team’s admiration for Linn. Perhaps as a result, LoveFrom did the work pro bono. “There are many things I’ve always wanted to be able to do purely for the love of doing them,” Ive stated.
The design company contacted Linni about the collaboration, partly because Ive is a long-time fan of the brand. The two teams studied every aspect of the LP12, but could not change the turntable very much because they were concerned about the sound quality. Still, LoveFrom “saw several areas where small improvements and gentle changes could be made to the current design,” Ive said.
The special edition Sondek LP12-50 looks largely the same on the outside as the regular LP12, though tweaks include rounded corners on some components instead of square edges. Instead of a plastic rocker, there’s a round aluminum power button, while a new hinge seems to allow the dust cover to stay open easily at any angle.
If you’re interested in owning the first post-Apple hardware I’ve worked on, you’ll need to dig deep into your pockets. The Sondek LP12-50 costs $60,000 and Linn only makes 250 of them.
At least for this project, Ive has moved from digital audio equipment to an analog product. He played an instrumental role in the likes of the iPod, iPhone and AirPods during his time at Apple as he helped the company reach extraordinary heights. We may see arguably more ambitious work from the LoveFrom camp in the next few years, as the company collaborates with Ferrari and its holding company Exor on a number of creative projects.
