The 'I Finally Cracked It' Moment Was When Apple Realized You Could Talk to TV

The Steve Jobs 'I finally cracked it' moment was Apple realized you could just talk to your television, reports the New York Times.

Apple engineers had been tasked by Jobs to find a way to simplify the television. Alternative ideas included a wireless keyboard and mouse, or using an iPod, iPhone or iPad as a remote. None of their ideas worked until Siri came along.

It's the stuff of science fiction. You sit on your couch and rather than fumble with several remotes or use hand gestures, you simply talk: "Put on the last episode of Gossip Girl." "Play the local news headlines." "Play some Coldplay music videos." Siri does the rest.


Nick Bilton, from the New York Times says he heard about Apple's television plans over a year ago. At the time his source said he had seen some "large parts floating around" that belonged to Apple and believed that it "looked like the parts could be part of a large Apple television."

I immediately began snooping around, asking Apple employees and people close to the company if a full fledged Apple Television was in the works. Several people, all speaking on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons, told me that nothing was actively being built, but - and this was a big but - I was told repeatedly that Apple would eventually make a television. "Absolutely, it is a guaranteed product for Apple," I was told by one individual. "Steve thinks the industry is totally broken."

Bilton says the company still has quite a bit of work to do on the project and may need to wait until cost of large displays falls; however, he says the company is now close enough that it could announce the product by late 2012 for release in 2013.

It is coming though. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.


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