Ive's first design project at Apple revealed: laying the foundation for success

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A new book recently published shows that Apple design chief Jonathan Ive's first design project at Apple was the Newton MessagePad 110, the successor to the Newton digital personal assistant.

Ive wasn't always a design guru. In fact, Ive built his current reputation step by step, starting at Apple. Leander Kahney's new book "Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Best Products" details Ive's first design work at Apple.

The first product Ive worked on was the Newton MessagePad 110. The previous generation of Newton was launched in the early 1990s and failed to attract widespread attention from users. After receiving unfavorable early reviews, Apple began to let Ive take over the project.

Although the Newton line is no longer on sale, Ive did bring significant improvements to the product. He made the stylus thinner and redesigned the lid of the device. Using a spring, the lid would automatically pop open when the user pressed down on it.

Although the subsequent sales did not meet Apple's expectations, the product still won several design awards. More importantly, through this product, Ive won the attention of Apple, which laid the foundation for his subsequent greater success.