Apple shares plunged in after-hours trading on word that designer Jony Ive is leaving the company.  He gave the company's biggest products their iconic looks.

Sir Jonathan Paul "Jony" Ive joined Apple more than three decades ago, at a time when the company was losing money and shedding workers.  He forced a very close working relationship with the Late Steve Jobs, who referred to Ive as his "spiritual partner", while current company chief Tim Cook said his "role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated".

Ive shattered the rules of personal computer design with the famous "Bondi Blue" iMac in the late 1990s; following that with the original iPod and iPod mini; then, the iPhone and iPad; and most recently with the Apple Watch and AirPods.  

"Simplicity isn't just a visual style," Ive once said, "It's not just minimalism or the absence of clutter.  It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep."

Ive is leaving to form his own design firm to be called "LoveFrom"; it will be based in California and will count Apple among his clients.  But it's another sign of changing times at the Cupertino-based tech giant.  Ive is taking fellow designer Marc Newson with him in the new venture.  And retail chief Angela Ahrendts left in April.