id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> Tim Cook (left) and Jony Ive (right) look at Apple's new Mac Pro desktop computer announced in June.

James Martin/CNET When Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's CEO in August 2011, people said it was the end of an era. The departure of Apple design chief Jony Ive, announced Thursday, is the latest sign of the new Apple.

For the past couple of decades, Apple has gone through one of the most dramatic resurgences in history. Its tale of dramatic rise under co-founder Jobs, its decline and near death after his ouster, and then its rebirth are the stuff of Silicon Valley legend.

Throughout that time, two names in particular have been credited with driving that success: Jobs, who returned to lead Apple again in 1997, and his right-hand man, Ive, whose design ethos has fueled a generation of sleek, minimalist products like the iPhone. 

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