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Tag: Philippe Starck

  • Apple Denies Philippe Starck’s Involvement With Product Design

    Earlier this morning we brought you news that French designer Philippe Starck told a French newspaper that he had been working on something “revolutionary” for Apple that would be available in about 8 months. He also said that he had been meeting with Jobs monthly for seven years.

    Citing Apple’s “religious cult of secrecy,” he declined to talk specifics about what he was doing, though, prompting speculation that he might have been providing design input on the next iPhone, the iTV, or some other as-yet-unknown product.

    Apparently, though, he wasn’t working on any of these things. An Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD earlier this afternoon that Apple had no idea what “revolutionary” product Starck may have been talking about.

    AllThingsD speculates that the meetings between Jobs and Starck were actually about Starck designing a luxury yacht for Jobs. The custom yacht would have been sleek with a minimalistic design, and sporting 40-foot glass walls on either side. While it’s not clear that the yacht is actually the project Starck was talking about, it’s as good a candidate as any.

  • French Designer Hints At “Revolutionary” Apple Product On The Way

    We expect that the rest of 2012 will bring plenty of new announcements from Apple. This year, they already launched the new iPad, and we still have a new iPhone to look forward to as well as whatever they unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference (unless those last two coincide).

    And now, according to a prominent French designer, something substantial is coming in about 8 months.

    Philippe Starck is a well-known designer who has a pretty wide-ranging portfolio including homes, interiors, furniture, and even household items like toothbrushes. This week, he told French news radio that he’s been working with Apple on something that is “revolutionary.” He also added that it’s about 8 months away from release.

    He went on the tell French newspaper Le Figaro that (Google Translation) “he regularly met in California [with] Steve Jobs, Apple’s legendary founder who died last October. ‘For seven years I came to see him once a month in Palo Alto and elsewhere I go Monday, because even though he is dead, now I will see his wife. We liked to talk all things interesting,’ he said.”

    So what the hell is he talking about? Never mind the date, could Starck have any say on the upcoming iPhone? Most reports indicate that we can expect that some time in September or October.

    Actually, eight months from now coincides with some other rumors we’ve heard about the long-awaited iTV, Apple’s television hardware project. Last month, we heard that the iTV was gearing up for summer production, and slated to be released in December, just in time for the holiday season. A later report amended that prediction slightly, pushing the date back to early 2013.

    According to the recent Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs, Apple’s iTV was one of his last projects he focused on before his death – reportedly saying (now famously) that he had “cracked it.” Could Starck’s imput have something to do with an upcoming iTV? Hardmac thinks that it might have to do with a remote control for the future iTV. “This is particularly in this area that innovation in design and ergonomic are needed, and Starck and his team are known for that,” they say.

    We’ll just have to wait and see if Starck actually has his hand in any of Apple’s “revolutionary” new products.

    [h/t AppleInsider]