Did you hear the one about how Sir Jony Ive was inspired by Star Wars Stormtroopers when he was designing Apple’s now-iconic earbuds? That’s the story according to Star Wars rebooter J.J. Abrams. The tidbit is just one of the many interesting things in a Wall Street Journal profile of Jony Ive (via The Verge).
This particular tidbit is merely mentioned in the profile as an aside, and wasn’t corroborated by Sir Jony in the form of a quote. But it’s easy to see how it might be true. The look and feel of Star Wars Stormtroopers is certainly iconic, and all that white everywhere could certainly fit into Apple marketing.
The broader profile focuses mostly on Apple Park, and it includes interviews with Sir Jony’s BFF Marc Newson, the above-mentioned J.J. Abrams, Laurene Powell Jobs, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and others. It’s a very interesting read, and I recommend it.
Damn! The link leads to a paywall.