Steve Jobs' 'Spiritual Partner' Is Leaving Apple

The man Steve Jobs once called his "spiritual partner" at Apple is leaving the company after nearly 30 years. British industrial designer Jony Ive—who became Sir Jonathan Ive in 2012—designed the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, among other products. He joined the company in 1992 and started leading the company's design teams in 1996, reports Reuters. Ive is starting a new creative firm called LoveFrom, which will have Apple as its first client. "After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process, and culture at Apple that is without peer," he said in a statement Thursday.

Rory Cellan-Jones at the BBC calls Jobs and Ive the "Lennon and McCartney of Apple." "It's impossible to see the company becoming what it is today without the most creative partnership in recent business history," he writes. Apple's share price fell 1.5% following news of his departure, though Ive, who recently finished Apple's new headquarters, made it clear that he isn't cutting his ties with the firm. "While I will not be an employee, I will still be very involved—I hope for many, many years to come," he tells the Financial Times. "This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change." (More Jonathan Ive stories.)