[Column] Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive - Resonance between sound and design
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Prologue: A new culture of fusion of music and technology
Text: mmr｜Theme: Tracing the changes in the duo’s music views, design philosophy, and product line based on primary materials and reliable testimonies.
Among the many products Apple has created, the design surrounding “sound” has always been at the center of it. The collaboration between Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive goes beyond mere product design. A new culture of fusion of music and technology was born.
“Music is one of the purest forms of expressing who we are.” — Jonathan Ive (from the podcast “Life in Seven Songs”, 2024)
第1章 レコードとカリフォルニアの空気
スティーブ・ジョブズは1960年代末から70年代にかけてのカリフォルニア・カウンターカルチャーの申し子である。
若い頃からボブ・ディランとビートルズを崇拝していたことは、多くの伝記で裏付けられている。
ウォルター・アイザックソンの伝記『スティーブ・ジョブズ』（2011年）では、彼の家のリビングには 真空管アンプとレコードプレーヤー があり、
夜な夜なボブ・ディランやジョーン・バエズのアルバムを聴いていたと記されている。
「Dylanの言葉には、魂が宿っている。あれはマシンの音ではない。」
— Steve Jobs (from a 1982 interview)
Music was not just a hobby for Jobs, but an art that bridged the gap between humans and machines.
Chapter 2 I”ve”s aesthetics and tranquil sound
ジョナサン・アイブはロンドン出身。工業デザインを学び、1992年にアップルへ入社。
His aesthetic sense is rooted in Bauhaus rationalism, but he also has a deep obsession with sound.
2024年のポッドキャスト『Life in Seven Songs』で彼は自身の人生を形作った7曲を紹介している。
These include U2”s “40” and The Temptations” “Papa Was a Rollin” Stone”.
It is clear that he has a special affinity for the ““thickness” and ““temperature” of analog sounds.
“Music, like products, is an art that creates shapes in space.” — Jonathan Ive (2024)
The company he founded after leaving Apple is LoveFrom. In 2023, the group collaborated with luxury audio brand LINN to redesign an analog turntable. ミニマルで精緻なこの製品は、彼の“音への敬意”を体現している。
Chapter 3 Jobs and the Music Revolution - From iTunes to iPod
In 2001, Apple introduced a product that defined the era of digital music.
The iPod represents the fusion of both Jobs” and Ive”s aesthetics. Jobs said, ““1000 songs in your pocket.’’ アイブは ホイール操作の“指の触覚性” にこだわった。
The arrival of the iTunes Store (2003) marked the first revolution in music consumption since the record era. Jobs’ prediction that ““the music industry will be saved by software’’ is coming true.
「音楽を合法的にデジタルで届けることは、音楽家に対する最大の敬意だ。」
— Steve Jobs (2003)
Chapter 4 “Musical Structure” of Design
What Jobs and Ive have in common is that they viewed music structurally. Jobs spoke of “repetition and order” like Bach’s fugue, アイブは「静寂の中に機能を残すこと」をデザインの核とした。
Power Macintoshのシルエット
The Power Mac G4 Cube (2000) designed by Ive looked like a silent speaker.
ファンレス構造、透明なアクリル外装、内部の光の設計──
The tranquility was the embodiment of “silence in order to listen to sound.”
Chapter 5 Integration of Mac and music production
アップルのマシンは単なるデジタル機器ではなく、音楽制作の道具として進化していった。
GarageBand（2004年）の登場は、音楽を誰もが作る時代を切り開いた。
Furthermore, the MacBook Pro (2006-) adopted a resonance design that utilizes the aluminum casing for sound reproduction. アイブは「筐体そのものが音を整える」と語っている（『FastCompany』インタビュー, 2015）。
Chapter 6 From records to the cloud - inheritance of sonic memories
When Jobs talked about his iCloud concept, he dreamed of ““a world where music can be played no matter where you are.’’ その根底には、レコードを手に取り、針を落とす所作の延長としてのクラウド概念がある。
On the other hand, Ive through LoveFrom,
クラウド化と反対軸にある「手触りのある音」を追求している。
この二人のベクトルは一見対照的だが、
In fact, they are united by the philosophy of ““setting people free through music.’’
Chapter 7 Design chronology of the two (relationship between main products and sound)
| Year | Products | Main Designer | Sound Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | iMac G3 | Jony Ive | Integrated speaker design. Emphasis on “openness” of sound |
| 2000 | Power Mac G4 Cube | Jony Ive | Fanless structure, symbol of silence |
| 2001 | iPod | Ive + Jobs | “Music in your pocket” revolution |
| 2003 | iTunes Store | Jobs | Renovating the music distribution business |
| 2004 | GarageBand | Apple | Popularizing music production |
| 2007 | iPhone | Ive + Jobs | Music playback device integration |
| 2015 | Apple Music | Apple | The turning point to streaming |
| 2023 | Linn Sondek LP12 LoveFrom Edition | LoveFrom | Return to analog sound |
Chapter 8 The design language of “sound”
ジョブズが亡くなった後、アイブは彼をこう評している。
“He looked at products the way you listen to music: there”s rhythm, there”s harmony, there’s silence.”
Ive himself calls the design work he continues with LoveFrom a “sound process.” つまり、デザインとは視覚の芸術であると同時に、音を構築する行為でもある。
第9章 静かな革命の残響
Apple製品が持つ「起動音」「クリック音」「サイレンスの設計」は、
It was all the result of a sonic collaboration between Jobs and Ive.
The philosophy of sound they created remains at the core of music even today in the age of AI. Through music and design, they brought technology back to human sensibilities.
Conclusion - Sounds that start with love (LoveFrom)
LoveFrom’s official statement reads:
“We are a creative collective. We design for love, not for markets.”
「愛のために設計する」という理念は、ジョブズの精神と響き合う。
Just as music breathes soul into technology,
Design also continues to play the “sound” of love.
参考文献・出典
- Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011.
- FastCompany: Jony Ive”s first hardware project post-Apple, 2023
- Wikipedia: iPod, Power Mac G4 Cube, GarageBand
- Far Out Magazine: Steve Jobs’ favourite songs
- Ultimate Classic Rock: Bob Dylan shared songwriting stories with Steve Jobs
