How Steve Jobs’ impossible challenge to Jony Ive rescued Apple

Apple was on the ropes. Think 1997. Near bankruptcy. A desperate situation. Then, Steve Jobs turned to a young designer named Jony Ive with a seemingly impossible request.

The ask? Create a network computer with internet connectivity. And do it fast. Like, “literally days” before the company might fold fast, according to Ive himself. Seriously?

Microsoft to the Rescue (Sort Of)

Things were so bad, rival Microsoft had to step in with a $150 million investment. Ouch. Apple desperately needed a win. A hit product. Something to turn the tide. Jobs tapped Ive for the mission.

The Birth of the iMac

Ive and Jobs got to work immediately. The result? The iMac. This wasn’t just another computer. It was a statement. See, back then, personal computers weren’t exactly user-friendly. Many people were intimidated. The goal was simple: design something “for people. ”

This focus became Apple’s secret weapon.

Color Me Approachable

The iMacs were colorful. Deliberately so. The design made PCs less scary. More accessible.

Consider the handle. Seemingly simple, right? But it was intentional. It gave the iMac a recognizable feature. Something familiar. Something that said, “Hey, I’m not so complicated. ”

Ive understood that features like the handle and the vibrant colors were better conversation starters than technical specs like gigahertz and hard drive capacity. And he was right.

A Home Run

The candy-colored iMacs were a smash hit. Apple sold 800,000 in just five months after its launch in 1999. Wow. Ive said the iMac “felt alive; it didn’t static; it didn’t feel stuck. ”

The tagline? “Collect all five. ”

The Legacy

The iMac has evolved over the years. Apple ditched the colorful design for a while, opting for minimalist grays and whites. But in 2021, color made a comeback. A nod to its roots, perhaps?

Following the iMac’s triumph, Ive went on to design more of Apple’s most iconic products. The iPhone. The iPad. He became the chief design officer. He left Apple in 2019 after 27 years. But his impact remains. All thanks to an “impossible task” that saved a company.