And now something completely different. This time no recycle design, no upcycle design, but ‘Jobs design’. Why on upcycleDZINE? Well there are several reasons. I’m a huge Steve Jobs / Apple fan. Not just because of a few products, but because I’ve been working with Macs for over 25 years with great joy and followed the company in all ups and downs. And because I heard so much about the yacht and the transport went through my hometown.
Now do I like the design? I’m not sure. One thing I can say is that after seeing it from up close and looking at the images for some time the design grows on me. Take a good look and maybe you would like to share your thoughts.

The name of the yacht is Venus, named after the Roman Goddess of Love and has a length of 78m (256ft) and features a hull that’s built entirely out of aluminum. The design is a collaboration between Jobs and the French designer Philippe Starck and started in 2007. On the bridge are seven 27-inch iMacs that control the vessel. The glass that is used had to look the same as at the Apple stores, that’s why Jobs even enlisted the help of the chief engineer from the Apple stores to design it.
Walter Isaacson, who wrote Steve Jobs biography said that the yacht was just as Jobs had envisioned it. He also wrote:
‘The planned yacht was sleek and minimalist. The teak decks were perfectly flat and unblemished by any accoutrements.’
‘Like an Apple store, the cabin windows were large panes, almost floor to ceiling, and the main living area was designed to have walls of glass that were 40 feet long and 10 feet high.’
‘I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat. But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.’
This enormous design project could well be one of the last Jobs designs we will ever see.

Jobs died after battling pancreatic cancer on October 5 2011, age 56.

Photos © Gilbert de Rooij