Apple’s famed designer, now working with OpenAI, has unveiled a must-have for the yacht set.
Ive’s design collective, LoveFrom, partnered with Japanese manufacturer Balmuda to create the Sailing Lantern — a $4,800 limited-edition yachting light built to withstand the harshest maritime conditions.
The lantern is made from stainless steel and glass and includes LEDs with rechargeable batteries.
“I would have just bought a lantern for my yacht — I wanted to. But there isn’t anything on the market. So instead, I spent two years hard at work designing it,” Ive told Boat International.
With only 1,000 units available, the lantern is as much a collector’s item as it is a personal passion project rooted in Ive’s lifelong love of sailing, according to Boat International.
The UK-born Ive joined Apple in 1992 and quickly rose through the ranks. While there, he helped design some of Apple’s biggest products, including the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. He left in 2019.
Ive then launched his own independent design company, called LoveFrom, with fellow designer, Marc Newson. Last year, Ive launched io, an AI hardware design firm. OpenAI acquired io earlier this year, which means Ive now works for another iconic tech company.
Related stories
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Ive is known for his unique design philosophy, which focuses on utility as much as art.
“We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care — just like the people who make them. But what we’ve shown is that people do care,” he once told Time. “It’s not just about aesthetics. They care about things that are thoughtfully conceived and well-made. We make and sell a very, very large number of (hopefully) beautiful, well-made things. Our success is a victory for purity, integrity — for giving a damn.”
Ive’s partnership with OpenAI confirmed that the leading AI startup is developing devices, but neither Ive nor OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has disclosed what those might be. Probably not an AI-powered yacht, but time will tell.
