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Just over a year after his death, Steve Jobs' superyacht has been unveiled by Dutch boatbuilder Feadship at its shipyard in Aalsmeer.
"Venus" was designed by French minimalist Philippe Starck following a day-long discussion with Mr Jobs in 2009.
The Apple co-founder's widow Laurene and three children were on hand for her launch.
At 78 metres, the all-aluminium custom motoryacht is far from the largest luxury vessel around (it's less than half the length of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's $US1 billion yacht, Eclipse).
But it does include a number of what Mr Starck calls "revolutionary" design elements.
They include large windows upright at a 90-degree angle, rather than sloped design usual to cope with head winds and ocean conditions. The chief engineer for Apple's retail stores was drafted in to design a special glass that was able to provide structural support.
The huge, flat windows follow aesthetic essayed by Walter Isaacson in his biography Steve Jobs, who sighted plans while the boat was being developed:
"As expected, the planned yacht was sleek and minimalist. The teak decks were perfectly flat and unblemished by any accoutrements ... the cabin windows were large panes, almost floor to ceiling, and the main living area was designed to have walls of glass that were 40ft (12m) long and 10ft (3m) high," Mr Issacson wrote.
A bank of 27-inch iMac's control the vessel, leading less kind critics to say the bridge looks like a floating Apple Store.
Venus is constructed from a series of slender aluminium panes, some running nearly 80m long - giving the craft an ultramodern look from some angles.
But from others its multi-tiered design takes on the appearance of an old-time steamship.
Mr Starck told the BCC, "Steve and I shared the same idea about the elegance of the minimal, the elegance of work well done," Starck told the BBC.
"It is not like a lot of mega yachts showing the vulgarity of money," he said. "It's a boat showing the elegance of intelligence."
NBR staff
Wed, 31 Oct 2012
Wed, 31 Oct 2012
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
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Steve Jobs' superyacht unveiled (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
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