Steve Jobs Was Working on an Apple TV Set Even After Stepping Down as CEO

Despite stepping down as CEO five years ago, Steve Jobs wasn't planning on leaving the company; rather, he was going to focus his energy on reinventing the television, reports Re/code.

Walt Mossberg says that Jobs called him the night he said he was handing over control of Apple to Tim Cook and told him about his plans for a television set.

“I think we figured out a way to do it, and it’s going to be fantastic,” Jobs said.


Sadly, Steve Jobs died less than two months later and Apple has yet to make any significant moves towards releasing a TV. Rather than focusing on a TV set the company has been trying to create a TV service but has yet to land the deals it wants. It's also said to be working on developing a new TV guide.

Mossberg recounts getting a call from Jobs after Apple announced his resignation.

“I think he wanted to talk to me because he was feeling a little sentimental. And also because he wanted me to know that he wasn’t going away”, says Mossberg. “He was going to still be involved. Their press release made some vague nod toward that. But he wanted me to know that he was going to be involved in big strategic things, and also that he was going to reserve one particular thing for himself.”

“I said, ‘well, what’s that?’”


“He said, ‘Well, it’s television ... I think we figured out a way to do it, and it’s going to be fantastic. I want you to come out, in a few months, and I want to show it to you.’”

Mossberg believes that Jobs was talking about a TV set, not just a set top box.

“He was really weak. Hearing nuances in speech was difficult. But he was really excited,” Mossberg said. “If you would have asked me five minutes after we hung up, I would have said he was going to reinvent the whole TV set. It would be Apple-esque, meaning it was high quality, and very easy to use. But he was thinking about more than hardware — that was clear, too.”

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