Tech Shout!

Jonathan Ive, the chief designer of the immensely famous Apple iPod, has been awarded the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen.

London born Ive is the genius behind the company’s popular products, such as iMac and the iPod. The iMac, his first design for Apple, was extremely successful and since its introduction in 1998, Ive has driven the design of almost every Apple product, including the original iMac, iBook, Power Mac, PowerBook, Mac Mini and iPod.

The iPod increased Apple’s sales phenomenally with the company reporting in September 2005, its best financial quarter for nine years. The sales of iPods were up by 500 percent over the previous year 2004.

Created in 1917 by King George V, the rank of CBE is the third most senior rank among the five British classes of chivalry. It was created primarily to honour noncombatants at the height of World War I. Only the first two orders qualify for knighthood.

Prior to setting up his own design house called Tangerine where he developed all sorts of products, ranging from hair combs to televisions, Ive studied art and design at Newcastle polytechnic. Apple was one of his clients, and in 1992 they offered him a job at their Cupertino headquarters.