Jony Ive, Apple’s iconic device designer, is to leave the company to set up his own firm, adding to the general perception that the iPhone maker has lost its edge in innovation and design. The company has been seeing an unprecedented slowdown in sales of its flagship product, on which it is desperately over-reliant, and now the iPhone’s designer is to depart. And the move is symbolic of Apple’s process of ‘growing up’ – shifting its developments and growth plan to the content and services that run on its devices, rather than relying primarily on the design cachet of the hardware and interface. The news pushed Apple’s shares down and analysts at Deutsche Bank echoed the views of many, writing…