Steve Jobs' Biographer Left Out Details on Vision for 'Next Apple TV' - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Steve Jobs' Biographer Left Out Details on Vision for 'Next Apple TV'

bits applesiri blog480While Steve Jobs' official biographer Walter Isaacson created a stir last October with his disclosure of Jobs having "finally cracked" how to develop a revolutionary television set product, it now appears that Jobs shared even more about the product that Isaacson has so far declined to make public.

The revelation came in an interview with Brazilian television yesterday, and The Next Web highlights Isaacson's comments about holding back the information because it would have been "unfair to Apple" to share it before the company's plans were publicly known.

[Isaacson] says that he left a few things out of the book, one of those being details of “what [Steve Jobs] thought the next Apple TV should be.”

He says that he left it out of the book “because Apple hadn’t yet done it and I thought that, maybe, that was unfair to Apple before they produce the TV…reporting what Steve thought it should be.”


Apple has been rumored to be working on a Siri-enabled television set that could be set to launch late this year or early next year. The company has reportedly been investigating components for the product, with various prototypes sitting in Jony Ive's design lab.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Second watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday June 15, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes three weeks after Apple seeded the first betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...
f 5d631a2d7714517b0b0137e38aadf744d175cb3e

Apple Releases First iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Betas to Developers

Monday June 8, 2026 11:40 am PDT by
Following the WWDC 2026 keynote event, Apple has seeded the first betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 to developers for testing purposes. Registered developers can opt in to betas and download the software through the Settings app on each device. The software includes many of the new features that were shown off earlier today, though some of what...
Apple TV 2025 Thumb 2 Sans Text

Apple Announces tvOS 27 With These New Features

Monday June 8, 2026 2:00 pm PDT by
Apple barely touched on tvOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote today, but the update exists, and it adds some new features to the Apple TV. In a slide that was shown very briefly during the keynote, Apple revealed some of tvOS 27's new features and enhancements: A redesigned Podcasts app Smoother app launches and animations Faster AirPlay connectivity with other Apple devices Smart ...

Top Rated Comments

187 months ago
He'd better watch his back... He could well be samsung'd on his road to work any day!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
187 months ago
Who else is more excited about Apple's new TV endeavor than the iPad 3?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S.B.G Avatar
187 months ago
What the heck is that awful setting they have him in?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peace Avatar
187 months ago
Kudos to Walter Isaacson for not publishing it b/c he thought that it wasn't fair to Apple (and to Jobs). He knows how big of selling point discussing a pre-release product would be to the book yet he respected the secrecy of Apples development chain.

I'm sure a lot of authors wouldn't have been so honorable.
Well after reading the book. Well.. Part of the book. It seems like Isaacson started to really like Steve. He saw a part of him that nobody else saw. Except for Steve's family. So i'm gonna guess he did it out of respect not some NDA agreement.

And darn it. I'm 58 years old and I want to cry again..

Steve we do indeed miss you.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trainwrecka Avatar
187 months ago
Wonder what else was left out.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peace Avatar
187 months ago
Wow. Is this guy being interviewed or interrogated ?
And is he talking about the Apple TV or the Apple Television ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)