Jony ive fingerprints are all over the Apple aesthetic, but the famous designer has also found time for other charities projects outside of his main concert before setting out to create his own agency. One of those notable distractions was a Leica M camera that I designed in collaboration with his friend (and fellow designer) Marc Newson, which grossed $ 1.8 million at auction in 2013. It turns out that a rare prototype of the device goes under the hammer in June, spotted by The edge. Bids for the camera start from € 100,000 ($ 118,000) and are estimated at between € 200,000 and € 250,000 ($ 235,000 to 295,000).
Ive and Newson – who is known for his famous designs for mass-market products, including furniture and jewelry – originally created the Leica M for the Product (red) charity brand co-founded by U2 leader Bono. The German camera maker is said to have manufactured 561 models with nearly 1,000 prototype parts. According to auction house Leitz, this model marked “the final stage of development when the camera took its final shape.” The device is listed as being in B + condition and features a smoother aluminum body with a matching Apo-Summicron 2/50mm ASPH. lens.
Ive and Newson spent over a year and a half curating all 40 items at auction for the Red collection which ultimately sold for over $ 12.8 million in 2013. Other products included a pair of Apple’s EarPod in 18k rose gold, a 2012 Range Rover Limited Edition, a Steinway & Sons piano. I left Apple in 2019 to create his own design agency, LoveFrom, with clients including his former employer and Airbnb.
