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Apple's Jonathan Ive teams with Bono for AIDS benefit, auction to include gold EarPods

Apple's Jonathan Ive teams with Bono for AIDS benefit, auction to include gold EarPods

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Bono Jony Ive and Marc Newsom
Bono Jony Ive and Marc Newsom

U2 frontman Bono has turned to some powerful friends in the design world for an upcoming Red benefit auction. Famed Apple designer Sir Jonathan Ive and Marc Newson have spent a year and a half curating a collection of pieces that will be sold at Sotheby’s New York on November 23rd. The auction "comprises objects from disciplines as diverse as space travel and lighting design to contemporary art and rare automobiles," and proceeds will of course benefit The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Chief among the unique items to be auctioned off is a Leica digital camera designed entirely by Ive and Newsom. It's rare to see Apple's prized designer focus his attention outside Cupertino's secret labs, though unfortunately there's not yet a photo of his camera collaboration with Newsom. The two also worked together to design an aluminum desk by Neal Feay Studios. And unsurprisingly, some special Apple hardware will also be included in the benefit. For an ungodly sum, you'll be able to walk away with a pair of Apple Earbuds in "solid rose gold" — a perfect match for that rumored gold iPhone.

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Other items, including a Steinway & Sons piano, a 1966 bottle of Dom Pérignon, and a Range Rover have also seen design customizations from Ive and Newsom. If you can't afford to place a bid for the physical items, a limited-edition auction catalog designed by Richard Allan (with photos by Andrew Zuckerman) will be available. Stephen Fry and Bono will contribute "introductory essays," with commentary from Ive and Newsom on the curation process. New Yorkers will be able to preview the one-of-a-kind items before they're auctioned off starting November 18th.