Launching earlier in March, the new Apple TV brought with it new movie purchases in iCloud, 1080p video support, genius recommendations, screensaver photos and on-device signup for video streaming services like Netflix.

It was all wrapped in a new user interface, which Apple said would provide “fast, visual access to all content choices.”

According to former Apple TV engineer Michael Margolis, the new Apple TV update (version 5.0) actually uses designs that were “tossed out 5 years ago because Steve Jobs didn’t like them,” suggesting that since the Apple co-founder lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, “there is nobody to say ‘no’ to bad design”:

@aral Fun fact – those new designs were tossed out 5 years ago because SJ didn’t like them. Now there is nobody to say “no” to bad design.
— Michael Margolis ? (@yipe) March 24, 2012

The comments were made on Twitter, where Margolis was engaging with designer and entrepreneur Aral Balkan over the design choices for the new Apple TV.


Having initially responded to Balkan’s statement that questioned Apple’s choice of UI for the new Apple TV homescreen, Margolis stated that whilst many elements within the user interface were still in place from when he was employed at the company. He also noted that it was possible there was “just one visual designer in the consumer apps team,” as the “whole team [had] left or been replaced”.

The new Apple TV user interface has seen contrasting responses from device owners, with many liking the new design and others (like Balkan and Margolis) believing that the design has taken a step backward from where it once was.

Margolis provides an insight into the design choices made by Apple for the new update, one that simplifies navigation and draws close comparisons to how apps are displayed on Apple’s smartphones and tablets.

Are Apple’s design standards slipping? Maybe not. The company charts a new course with Tim Cook at the helm, one that has seen the company continue to go from strength to strength.

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