Royal award for designer of iPod

Mr Ive has driven the development of Apple's signature designs

The man who created the iPod craze has been formally invested as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

London-born Jonathan Ive, 39, designed the iconic gadget along with iMac, his first design for Apple.

In September, Apple said this year alone it had sold 39m iPods, with them becoming a 'must-have' item for many.

He also oversaw the development of Apple's signature products - the iBook, Power Mac, PowerBook and Mac Mini.

Aspirational value

When asked if he was surprised at iPod's success, Mr Ive said: "We were focused on solving the design problems we had been posed and we didn't spend a lot of time thinking whether it would be well received.

"But when you're working on something you know if you all identify with it and want to own one that's an indication people are going to be interested in the product," he added.

Mr Ive, who is the vice president of industrial design at Apple and has been with the company since 1992, has also been recognised with numerous industry design awards.

In 2003, he was named designer of the year by London's Design Museum, and was given the title Royal Designer for the Industry by the Royal Society of Arts.

Mr Ive's innovations are recognised as central to the resurgent fortunes of a company that was once dominated by computer industry giant Microsoft.

Apple reported a final quarter profit this year of over $10bn (£5.28bn) in cash, and an increase in annual revenue of $11bn (£5.8bn) over the past two years.