Jony Ive, perhaps the most famous product designer in Apple's history, has left the company to create his own design studio, and one of his clients will be... Apple. I started at Apple in 1992 and designed the iconic styles of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and parts of the company's iOS mobile operating system. His departure marks a generational shift at Apple: I defined the modern, white minimalist look of the company's product line, cultivating a style that suggests elite design accompanied by high prices compared to other consumer goods. Since the only new products that Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, has created have been the Apple Watch and the HomePod, neither of which competes with the cultural impact of the iPod and the iPod. The iPhone (and it didn't make much of a profit for Apple): Ive's departure might give fans pause. Of course, it's unclear how Ive and his new company will work with Apple in the future, but it could be telling to close the door on his early days as a designer. Not that the Mac-created company is showing any signs of concern: Apple CEO Tim Cook has downplayed Ive's departure as an "evolution" of the world's richest company in comments directed at the Financial Times. "We can continue with the same team we've had for a long time and have the pleasure of continuing to work with Jony," Cook told the Financial Times. "I can't imagine a better result." Development ...