Ferrari's First Electric Car Was Designed By Apple's Former Design Genius — And It Shows
Jony Ive is famous for designing Apple's most iconic products like the iMac, the iPhone, and the iPod (and for saying "ah-loo-min-ee-um" in those Apple promo videos). Since leaving Apple in 2019, Ive has run his own design firm, LoveFrom.
Ive and LoveFrom just had a very high-profile client: Ferrari. The two companies worked together on Ferrari's first ever electric vehicle (EV, as they say), called Luce. After much anticipation, Ferrari has finally unveiled photos of the car's interior. And Ive's signature design is all over it.
Ferrari Luce's Interior Looks Like an Apple Product
In photos of the Ferrari Luce's interior obtained by Car and Driver, Ive's less-is-more philosophy is super present. If not for the Ferrari pony logo, you'd probably think you were looking at photos of an Apple car. Brushed aluminum is everywhere. Buttons resemble the Home button on the original iPhone — black, round, and recessed, with a clear, thinly drawn white icon. Even the console looks like an overgrown Apple Watch, with buttons on the top that resemble the Apple Watch's Digital Crown.
However, the Ferrari Luce differs from the iPhone and Apple Watch in one major way. While there is a touchscreen, there's also a large array of physical switches and buttons. In fact, the physical controls are the main source of input. Is Ive taking a step backwards? Not exactly.
“The reason we developed touch [for the iPhone] was that we were developing an idea to solve a problem," Ive explained, per Autocar. “I never would have used touch in a car [for the main controls]. It is something I would never have dreamed of doing because it requires you to look [away from the road]. So that's just the wrong technology to be the primary interface.”
Luce differs from Tesla, with its massive all-touch console, in this way. “So much of what we did was so that you could use it intuitively, enjoy it and use it safely," Ive said. “We use some touch in the central [screen], but it's very thoughtful, and the vast majority of the interfaces are physical. Every single switch feels different, so you don't need to look.”