So Jony Ive is now responsible for everything that a user see… and touch. So rumors are saying that he now sit on iOS design meetings in order to offer and give advices.

Design is one example of the increased “collaboration across hardware, software and services” that Apple said it was aiming for when Cook pushed senior vice president and mobile software chief Scott Forstall out of the company last year.

So we could expect Apple to take a very global approach with how they design not only their hardware but the software that runs on it. I find it so much surprising for a company where integration is such a big mantra that they didn’t up to now really care to blend the hardware with software in order to perfect this notion of complete integration.

Jony Ive was Steve’s protégé. It is a known and well documented fact (Jobs Biography). Under Tim Cook, Ive has more responsibilities as he now covers the Human Interaction Group. Remember, Apple is a design company. Those who run the show are designers, not the engineers.

To me, Jony Ive’s new role within Apple makes him a very important person, very much like Stve Jobs was. I see him becoming the new Apple public personality.

Agreed. Jony Ive’s broader responsibilities are a big deal.