IDEO Founder David Kelley Talks to 60 Minutes About Steve Jobs, First Apple Mouse and More - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

IDEO Founder David Kelley Talks to 60 Minutes About Steve Jobs, First Apple Mouse and More

by

IDEO founder David Kelley had a wide-ranging interview on tonight's 60 Minutes in which he speaks about his relationship with Steve Jobs, the creation of the first Apple Mouse and more. Kelley and his company, IDEO, were integral in Apple's early history and designed the first Apple Mouse, the Lisa and more.

Kelley talks about Jobs and how he was very specific in wanting things, which isn't a surprise as there have been numerous stories of Jobs calling up people in the middle of the night finalizing details for various products. Kelley also talks about their personal relationship and how Jobs advised Kelley to seek western medicine to treat his wife's throat cancer and how Jobs tried to set up an original iPhone for Kelley by calling AT&T.

"The day after the iPhone was announced, he had one for me. You know,  your own iPhone given to you by Steve Jobs the day after it comes out - it was a lovely feeling. So he decides to hook it up for me, so he gets on the phone to AT&T and he's going to hook up my phone and it's not going well.

Eventually he pulls the 'I'm Steve Jobs' card, you know, he says to the guy 'I'm Steve Jobs.' I'm sure the guy on the other end says "yeah buddy, and I'm Napoleon" like get out of here. Yeah, but anyway he never did get it hooked up. No, not that day."


The Steve Jobs and Apple parts are at the 3:00 and 7:42 marks. The rest of the video focuses on Kelley's early life, IDEO's process and his new relationship with Stanford.

Top Rated Comments

drummingcraig Avatar
175 months ago
Oh to have been a fly on the wall while Steve was on the phone with AT&T! :D
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
175 months ago
AT&T: Where even Steve Jobs couldn't get an iPhone to work.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chriscrk Avatar
175 months ago
I love Steve, but seeing the people he worked with is so awesome... The one's who didn't get as much recognition. Great part of them just seem so admirable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrsir2009 Avatar
175 months ago
Oh to have been a fly on the wall while Steve was on the phone with AT&T! :D

Not even Steve Jobs is a match for phone comapny call centres - Quite possibly the most international places on earth :cool:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SamGabbay Avatar
175 months ago
I was so upset about my iPhone not being activated same day...

Now I don't feel as bad. :o :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Swampthing Avatar
175 months ago
You said the wrong person had cancer....

Please get the story correct!

It was David Kelley who had the cancer NOT HIS WIFE as you say in the article. That's what the 60 minutes segment says. They even talk about how his cancer is now in remission.

Might seem like a minor point to you, but I doubt if he or his family read any of this, they aren't too enthused by the incredible error made by MacRumors...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...