Apple Building Office Chair
The office chairs equipped in the Apple Building are Vitra Pacific brand chairs, personally selected by Jony Ive. Here is a detailed introduction to these chairs:
Brand and Design Background
The Vitra Pacific Chair was designed by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby and manufactured by the legendary Swiss furniture maker Vitra. Founded in 1957, Vitra is renowned for its precision industrial production techniques and material research and development capabilities, aligning closely with Apple's philosophy of achieving high-quality products through industrial means. Launched in 2016, the Pacific Chair has become a standard feature in Apple's new headquarters, Apple Park, with each workstation equipped with one, thanks to its understated design and meticulous attention to detail.
Core Design Features
Silence and Adaptability
The chair emphasizes a 'silent' characteristic, with a curved design that blends seamlessly into any environment, avoiding the awkward appearance of ordinary office chairs. Its automatic adjustment function is achieved through hinges under the seat: when a user sits down, pressure is converted into information to adjust the tightness of the backrest, ensuring that users of different weights receive just the right amount of support.Hidden Adjustment Mechanism
All adjustment components are cleverly concealed: the controllers for seat height and forward/backward movement are hidden beneath the seat and covered by an extended backrest pad, making the regulators completely invisible from the back; the mechanisms for adjusting the backrest and armrests are seamlessly integrated into the components, resulting in clean and crisp overall lines that align with Apple's pursuit of minimalist aesthetics.
Price and Positioning
The Pacific Chair is priced at a hefty $1,185 (approximately 7,709 yuan), comparable to the prices of the unlocked iPhone X 64GB ($999) and 256GB ($1,149) models in the US market, positioning it in the high-end office furniture market. Its high cost stems from precision industrial design, high-quality materials (such as those developed by Vitra), and the complexity of the hidden adjustment technology.
Apple's Selection Logic
Apple chose the Pacific Chair not only because its design language aligns with the architecture of its headquarters (such as the circular main building and extensive use of glass blending with nature) but also because its functionality meets the needs of a tech company: the silent feature reduces office distractions, automatic adjustment enhances comfort, and the hidden design maintains a clean and tidy workspace. These characteristics are consistent with Apple's product philosophy of 'design serving function'.
