Apple goes royal

Slate has an article by Abby Ohlheiser about an unlikely knighthood:

The designer behind Apple's most recognizable products was formally knighted on Wednesday. The BBC reports that Jonathan Ive (now Sir Jonathan Ive, thank you very much; see photo) was given the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services in design and enterprise at a Buckingham Palace ceremony. The woman wielding the royal sword was Princess Anne, who reportedly chatted with Ive about her personal iPad during the event. (We'll go out on a limb and just assume she's not carrying around a first-generation Apple tablet.)

Ive, a London native, now lives and works in San Francisco, where he has been Apple's design chief since 1996. His credits include the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod, among other products. In a rare interview with the Telegraph before being knighted, Ive called the honor "incredibly humbling" and explained that he admires his native country's "incredible tradition" of design.