Steve Jobs said no to the new Apple TV UI design five years ago

A former Apple TV engineer took to Twitter last night discussing the latest UI that has been implemented on the Apple TV. For those unfamiliar, the new Apple TV UI was announced at the March 7th media event, along with the new 1080p Apple TV. The new UI isn’t much of a change, but brings larger buttons to the home page. Some love it, many hate it.

Michael Margolis, who formerly served as an Apple TV UI designer, said on his Twitter last night that Steve Jobs said no to the latest UI changes five years ago, however Apple’s senior executives recently approved the new UI…

Margolis further tweeted that “Nobody is [at Apple] to say no to bad design.” Aka, since Steve Jobs has passed away, many things are flying by that wouldn’t have under his rule. Another example is the 4G indicator that AT&T included in Apple’s iOS 5.1 update. Many say Steve Jobs would have never let that fly.

The Apple TV is still considered a hobby device at the Apple HQ. The Cupertino-based company is said to be working on a brand new Apple TV that will revolutionize the industry, but the current $99 Apple TV is not a main focus. The company sold a record 1.4 million units last quarter.

Our own Jeff Benjamin took a look at the new UI a few weeks ago and had mixed feelings about it.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0znLyipa0A[/tube]

Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he had “cracked” a new TV, but Apple has yet to reveal anything. Maybe late 2012, or early 2013 we’ll see what Jobs had in mind.

What do you think of Apple now that Steve Jobs is gone?

[9to5Mac]