Jeff Wexler Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I was happy to see that there is an exposed anchor... I heard that Steve wanted such a minimalist clean line that the unsightly opening for the anchor would not be acceptable. All kidding aside, this is an amazing design for a yacht but I agree that it looks a little like an Apple Store on water. - article - Project took years, features innovative look An endeavour to design a world-class yacht for his family to use, one of the later projects of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' life, has finally been completed after years of work and was christened by the Jobs family as "Venus" in a ceremony in Aalsmeer in the Netherlands. Various Dutch Mac sites have posted pictures and video of the ship (seen below), which uses seven 27-inch iMacs in the wheelhouse. It features a 260-foot long aluminum hull with a elegant, minimalist approach and lots of glass windows on the topside. Venus was designed in part by Jobs himself, along with French designer Philipe Starck, and took years to complete in part because Jobs kept re-designing the craft, to the point that he nearly cancelled the project in 2009 after his health again began to deteriorate. In part, the project played a therapeutic role for Jobs, with him telling biographer Walter Issacson that he wanted to complete it before his death -- a way, perhaps, of feeling that he was staving off the inevitable. He had been inspired by a cruise his family took in the Mediterranean several years ago, but the finished product might be described as looking a bit like an Apple Store at sea. Like the retail stores, the living areas of the ship are dominated by large panes of glass with sparse furnishings to give them an open feeling. While few details of the ship's interior have been seen so far, the curved rectangular roof of the main topside room might remind viewers of back side of the iMac. According to Isaacson's biography, the deck is made of teak wood, with the windows being floor-to-ceiling (about 10 feet tall and up to 40 feet long). As with most things touched by Jobs, however, the final design may have undergone further changes -- particularly after his death just over a year ago. The launching ceremony was attended by Laurene Powell-Jobs and their three oldest children. Workers were given a thank-you card of appreciation for their hard work and craftsmanship, along with an iPod shuffle engraved with the name of the yacht on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Anderson Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 How's the navigation system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henchman Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I think it's quite ugly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmgoodin Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 That gives new meaning to the term White Elephant. Other than the fact that it was designed by Steve Jobs I don't think its resale value will ever come close to it's cost. This looks like something that is not very seaworthy and probably cost much more than anyone with any sense and lots of money would buy. I hope Steves family likes to sit on a boat in a harbor because that will be about all the thing iwill ever do. Looks a lot like a 1950s tract home on a floating barge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Wow that thing is huge! Must be nice to have had all that money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tirrell Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 That gives new meaning to the term White Elephant. Other than the fact that it was designed by Steve Jobs I don't think its resale value will ever come close to it's cost. This looks like something that is not very seaworthy and probably cost much more than anyone with any sense and lots of money would buy. I hope Steves family likes to sit on a boat in a harbor because that will be about all the thing iwill ever do. Looks a lot like a 1950s tract home on a floating barge. I was personally thinking a spanish american war era gun boat or something that you would see a james bond villein in. Does it come with a hidden submarine hanger or dive platform? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I've seen worse designs. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 It definitely has more of a look of some sort of commercial craft. It lacks the elegance and grace of a luxury pleasure craft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 I doubt the family was concerned about resale value. Especially the illness had to be that harsh "you can't take it with you" reminder, and that family has to be financially secure. I think most custom boats, and even homes, are done for the builder. I'm 6'6", and if I was building a dream home, or even a dream kitchen, I would probably build it so I don't hit my head. I would raise kitchen countertops and cabinets because I like to cook and hate hunching over. I know a bunch of tall rowing people in Philly that have done just that, they even found oversized bathtubs so they could fit (something I have not done since I was probably 12 years old). I am sure a realtor would freak out about resale value, but there is definite appeal about having something designed so you appreciate it, not the person that gets it when you are done or dead. I'm not a boat person, but isn't buying a boat for resale value like buying a Ford Taurus for resale value? I hear everyone describe them as money pits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 The inside is described as minimal and glass, like an Apple store, but I wonder if all the cabins are that way. That's interesting when you see that the family home looked pretty typical suburban California (from the outside). Far from a glass and stainless steel cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Compare the floating thing of Steve Jobs to a yacht. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Anderson Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 some boats are built for the ocean and some are built for the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 How's the navigation system? It uses Apple Maps so it's already been beached twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 The bank of iMacs is funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Waldron Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Doesn't look sea-worthy to me... maybe it's good for a west coast-r to putt-putt around the harbor or use as river boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_bollard Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Microsoft co founder Paul Allen has a pretty pimped "boat" - he likes to dabble in music, so has a fully blown recording studio onboard (I always get confused about what the correct term to use is) Sad if Jobs was all minimalist inside, really. Thought there might be so personal trace of his own interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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