Apple design director to create Leica photo camera
Leica and Apple, two of the most desired brands in the world of design, are getting together to produce yet another fascinating product.
Leica and Apple, two of the most desired brands in the world of design, are getting together to produce yet another fascinating — and very expensive — product.
The German photography company is working with Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior VP of Industrial Design, on the design of a one-off version set to be auctioned for charity.
The collaboration was announced by Andreas Kaufmann, Leica’s head, at international photography and imaging fair Photokina in Cologne this week.
Jonathan Ive is responsible for many of Apple’s iconic designs such as the iPad, iPhone, iMac and the MacBook Pro.
It is not the first time Leica collaborates with high-profile names in the design and fashion world. In 2010 the German brand unveiled a camera designed by Walter de’Silva, an automobile designer for Audi.
De’Silva was asked to recreate the classic Leica M9. The special edition was strictly limited to only 500 cameras worldwide for a price of over $32,000.
Early this year Leica teamed up with HermĆØs to produce a limited edition. The 300 copies of the M9-P were available for a price of around $25,000.
The two brands also produced an even more exclusive edition, the Jean-Louis Dumas model, available for over $50,000.
The German brand unveiled this week a flashy design by British designer Paul Smith as part of theĀ Leica Ć la carteĀ program, a program that allows users to customize their cameras. The design will be available in October.