The recently launched new Apple TV interface was originally rejected by Steve Jobs a former Apple engineer has claimed.Mike Margolis has said that the new Apple TV interface was “tossed out” five years ago by Steve Jobs who chose a text-heavy design over the new icon based design.
“SJ [Steve Jobs] didn’t like them” Margolis said.
Jobs rejecting an idea wasn’t “a huge deal,” he said, as it wasn’t uncommon for him to initially dislike a concept until it was modified and he came to appreciate it. He also acknowledged that the Apple TV interface he preferred had prefaced the popularity of iOS, and the new interface made more sense in the context of the iPad and iPhone.
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“Steve was well known for rejecting ideas, tweaking them, and turning them into something even better,” Margolis said. “And that’s a very good thing. One of my favorite parts of working at Apple was knowing that SJ said “no” to most everything initially, even if he later came to like it, advocate for it, and eventually proudly present it on stage. This helped the company stay focused and drove people to constantly improve, iterate, and turn the proverbial knob to 11 on everything.”
Jobs was often known for having made top-level decisions as to whether interface elements worked however, most of the work and overall design approval even during his era came primarily from immediate management, TechCrunch claimed
He claimed that only one designer had been directly responsible for user experience.
“Now there is nobody to say ‘no’ to bad design,” Margolis claims.
TechCrunch also said that the Margolis claims aren’t likely to get confirmation from Apple.
Some have contended that the new Apple TV interface is meant to be easier to understand and, in some cases, helps reach certain interface elements faster. Speculation has also been raised that it’s early preparation for an Apple TV platform with third-party app support, although the lack of significant permanent storage on current Apple TV boxes makes it more likely to focus on future firmware-based apps such as a possible Hulu Plus.
