The story of Jonathan Ive and the Zebra Sharbo TX-2 is an example of how history gets mixed up in myths. When I first came across the story of Ive being the creative genius behind the TX-2, it was through an online article very much like this one.
Wow! The genius behind Apple’s industrial design renaissance also designed all these other cool stuff!! Great! Except when you actually own some of these items and the overly effusive prose doesn’t quite ring true to life: the curious tidbit about Ive including a fidget-type clip on the TX-2 is pure hogwash. The BS was so strong I actually thought the whole thing was made up by the writer. But, there were other stories that confirmed Ive’s junior stint at Barry Weaver’s studio, and I’ve come to accept the in-between version of the truth.
As for the pen itself, it’s a simple 2-component Sharbo with an outsized personality. It is definitely ‘sporty’ in the style of Sony’s Sports Walkman, or a Casio G-Shock. Of the 5 colors made, my favorite is the white/grey model, which has a timeless quality that ties it back to Ive’s later oeuvres for Apple. In a way the other colors remind me of the playfulness of the early iMac line-up too. They used to go for a lot cheaper, like under 3000 JPY, but nowadays the listings all mention Jony Ive like a mantra and jack things up to 6-8000 JPY. Bargains can still be found, especially if you enjoy the thought of owning (and using) a piece of modern design memorabilia.