jony ive, ex apple chief design officer, celebrates 50 years of linn with special edition turntable

Jony Ive designs limited edition turntable for linn

Following his departure from Apple in late 2019, Jonathan Ive started a new venture called LoveFrom with his close friend Marc Newson. While the details of his work remained unknown, an unexpected announcement unveiled his first project; a turntable manufactured by the renowned Scottish audio brand Linn.

Developed in collaboration with the creative collective LoveFrom, Jonathan Ive, known globally as Jony Ive, conceived the LP12-50 as a special edition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the brand and its renowned Sondek LP12 turntable. The LP12-50 stands out for its exceptional vinyl playback performance, surpassing previous achievements by Linn. Instead of creating something entirely new, LoveFrom chose a minimalist approach, preserving the iconic design’s essence that had already earned widespread acclaim. The result is a sleek turntable with user-friendly interfaces, bearing the distinctive design language crafted by Sir Jony Ive and his team at LoveFrom.

all images by Linn

how the collaboration between Linn and LoveFrom began

Jony Ive is a legendary figure in the realm of product design, celebrated for his unparalleled success. During the 1990s, he joined Apple when the company was teetering on the brink of collapse, relying solely on a devoted group of followers enamored with their innovative creations. However, Sir Ive left Apple after over 20 years as Chief Design Officer and founded LoveFrom company with his longtime friend and colleague, Marc Newson.

Gilad Tiefenbrun, from the Scottish company Linn, has revealed an interesting tidbit about how this collaboration started: it actually began as a prank. In early 2022, he received a surprising request on LinkedIn from an unknown sender, requesting a meeting with British designer Sir Jony Ive. ‘I immediately deleted the request, assuming it was spam. However, as the day progressed I felt a growing restlessness,’ he shared. Determined to find out, he spent the next minutes searching for a way to recover the deleted request on LinkedIn. Eventually, he succeeded and set up a meeting with Sir Jony Ive’s personal assistant, confirming the authenticity of the request.

A week later, the meeting took place, during which they discussed Sir Jony’s admiration for Linn and their products, particularly the latest Klimax LP12 and Klimax DSM, which he expressed interest in purchasing himself. He introduced his new venture, LoveFrom, emphasizing its focus on collaborations and sharing an impressive list of planned partners. ‘He said LoveFrom would be happy to collaborate on any Linn project should the need arise.

My response was this: ‘Next year we will be celebrating 50 years of Linn and Sondek LP12 turntables.” The following morning, the team found an email from Sir Jony Ive in their inbox, repeating his eagerness to contribute to the design of a special edition Sondek LP12 in honor of Linn’s milestone anniversary. And so the journey began.

the launch of LP12-50 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the renowned Sondek LP12 turntable

The enhanced sound quality of the Sondek LP12-50 is achieved through Linn’s innovative Bedrok™ sidewall technology. This technology uses special beech plies that are compressed under high pressure, creating a solid and dense material that reduces unwanted vibrations. It provides a sturdy and insulated enclosure for the turntable’s mechanism.

LoveFrom’s design expertise is evident in the precise power/speed control knob and hinges, ensuring smooth and accurate operation. They have also made subtle aesthetic refinements to the classic Sondek LP12 shape while maintaining its overall quality and integrity. Only 250 units will be produced, each one featuring a unique aluminum plaque and individual serial number, celebrating the special collaboration between Linn and LoveFrom.

ex Apple chief design officer designs special edition turntable for Linn’s milestone anniversary