Steve Jobs' Apple yacht freed after family settles the bill
Philippe Starck gets his money's worth
Venus, the yacht that Steve Jobs planned but never got to sail in, has been freed by bailiffs after the settlement of an outstanding bill from co-designer Philippe Starck.
The good ship Venus at launch
The iconic French designer worked with his friend Jobs on the design of the 70m motor yacht, which is controlled via seven 27-inch iMac systems and has an angular design with floor-to-ceiling windows built into the hull. Jobs was still working out the final details of the fixtures and fittings with Starck and Jon Ive at the time of his death.
The yacht was launched in October, with the team that worked on the custom-build project receiving a specially engraved iPod from the Jobs family. Starck, however, had been promised nine per cent of the estimated €150m cost of the boat as a commission, but the Jobs family claimed that Venus had not been as expensive as first planned and disputed the charge.
After the yacht completed sea trials and arrived the Port of Amsterdam earlier this month, Dutch bailiffs boarded her and put Venus in chains until the legal dispute was settled. The impounding order has now been lifted and a settlement achieved on Christmas Eve, Le Monde reports.
"The Venus is not under arrest," said Gérard Moussault, the Dutch lawyer representing the Jobs family. "A solution has been found and a guarantee has been deposited in a bank account so that the boat can leave." He declined comment on the exact amount. ®
COMMENTS
Proper name
I'm surprised that no one has called the yacht by its proper name - the iSore.
That yacht looks terrible
...and I bet the navigation systems are shit.
Re: Typical Jobsian Design
So seaworthiness really is't a prime consideration.
Obviously not here, but seaworthiness used to be one of the prime considerations of a yacht. Also, contemporary American usage tends to convey size and power rather than more traditional nautical ideals. I don't know much about Jobs, but I suspect he did not have much of a nautical background and probably didn't really understand the aesthetic in that field. With all due respect, it is entirely possible that he was actually out of his depth here.
Typical Jobsian Design
Form over Function, that yatch is not really the best sea worthy design as it eschews all good practice for an ocean going yacht. Plus it doesn't even llok good so it's a complete waste of time and money. At least some ship builders got some work out of it
What's up with the design?
Some shipping company didn't want to license him the patent on rounded corners?
