Apple's iconic white earbuds were inspired by 'Star Wars' (AAPL)

Apple's head designer Jony Ive took inspiration from the enemy army from "Star Wars" when he designed the iconic white earbuds that come with every iPhone and iPod.

Ive had the white, plastic look of the original Stormtroopers in mind when he first designed the earbuds, according to the Wall Street Journal.

From the story, emphasis added:

"When J.J. Abrams was working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ive mentioned that he “would love to see a lightsaber that is rougher, spitting sparks,” Abrams says. The director, who says he and Ive were already fans of each other’s work when they met at a dinner four years ago, applied Ive’s suggestion to character Kylo Ren’s weapon. “His lightsaber was as imperfect and unpredictable as the character,” says Abrams. (The inspiration is mutual: Ive told Abrams that he had the look of the original Stormtroopers in mind when he designed Apple’s earbuds.)"

You can see the resemblance:

Earbuds vs. Stormtrooper

Of course, Apple's earbud design has been updated a few times over the years. And recently, Apple released a pair of wireless white earbuds called AirPods, which have been so successful they have been back-ordered on Apple's website since they were released last December.

So next time you see someone walking around with Apple's earbuds — perhaps the next time you go outside — just imagine them listening to tiny Stormtroopers in their ears.

The WSJ feature on Apple's new $5 billion campus has some insight from Ive and his friends about his personal interests as well as the pressure he felt "carrying Apple forward" after the late CEO Steve Jobs' death.

The Journal also got some of the first photos inside Apple Park. Read the entire story at WSJ.

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