Apple’s Jonathan Ive Knighted

Jonathan Ive, Apple's Design Head, has been awarded the coveted Knighthood in the New Year Honours list.

Ive has been in the limelight ever since he was chosen for the Commander of British Empire title in 2005, and the Knighthood adds the second golden feather to his cap.

Born in February 1967, Ive showed a passion for dismantling things and making new stuff. He inherited the talent and skills from his father, a silversmith.

Right from his childhood days, Ive was keen on designing and crafting, which led him to join Northumbria Polytechnic (the present Northumbria University) at the age of 14. He studied industrial design at Northumbria Polytechnic.

Immediately after his graduation, Ive began his career as a commercial designer. With the able support of his three friends, he founded a design agency called Tangerine.

His expertise in designing notebook prototypes caught the attention of Apple. In no time, he was hired on a full-time payroll with Apple.

He began his career with Apple way back in 1992. He has been the chief architect of technology innovation, which is the key behind Apple's success story.

Ive's early days with Apple were not inspiring, as the company was under shambles with poor sales turnaround.

In 1995, the return of Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of the company, shifted the fortune tide in Apple's favor. Things took a U-turn from there onwards as Jobs struck a gold mine with his legendary ideas and outstandingly successful relationship with members of the company.

No doubt, this helped Ive carve out a niche for himself and an amazing work relationship with Apple over a span of 19 years.

Jobs reportedly described Ive as his "spiritual partner" in the biography of Apple's late co-founder, written by Isaac Walter.

Ive's expertise in design and Jobs' eye for detail propelled the emergence of revolutionary products from Apple. Since the late 1990s, Apple has emerged as one of the strongest technology giants the world has ever seen.

Sudjic, the Director of Apple's Design section, has hailed Ive's talent in setting ideas into action and being an incredible asset to the company. "He has a very determined sense of getting things right," stated Sudjic.