Apple TV Remote app inspired Steve Jobs' concept of Apple TV Siri Remote
In a tweet thread following the discontinuation of the standalone "Remote" app for Apple TV, the former Apple engineer explains how his creation evolved and helped with the design and development of the current Siri Remote.
The Siri Remote for the Apple TV.
On October 21, Apple removed the App Store listing for its first-party "Remote" app, a tool that was first introduced as the iTunes Remote before being turned into a controller for the Apple TV. Apple's removal of the app leaves users with the option of using the bundled Siri Remote for the Apple TV, or the software-based version for their iOS devices, integrated into Control Center.
A series of tweets posted following Apple's delisting of the app by Alan Cannistraro, a former Apple engineer who originally worked on the app, explains the history of the tool within Apple from its first code written in 2006. According to Cannistraro, he started to write code before he was able to see the iPhone user interface, by using UI elements of his own creation.
Cannistraro was encouraged to go further with his initial efforts as Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was "nervous the App Store wouldn't be a hit, so he wanted Apple to have apps," which Jobs explained to the developer on seeing his work. It was also the first production app to be used by the App Store team to trial the "upload flow" to the App Store, earning its place as the first app on it.
The shipped version was also a stripped-down variant of Cannistraro's work, as the prototype also enabled the control to turn lights, televisions, and receivers on and off via an IR adaptor, as well as to save and resume a room's state as a "Scene." This may have been a precursor to HomeKit, Apple's smarthome platform which also uses Scenes as a concept, but Cannistraro admits his pitch was a "larger idea around device communication that never got off the ground."
A later prototype in 2009 was able to use the touchscreen of the iPhone to be a computer mouse, as well as a way to "interact with photos, applications (the original TouchBar) and screensavers" on a Mac, Cannistraro claims.
By 2010, Cannistraro once again sat with Jobs about a version of the Remote app, one that allowed for the control of the Apple TV using swipes. He claims Jobs said at the time "Our next Apple TV Remote should be this without a screen."
Five years later, which Cannistraro attributed to Jobs' death pausing "lots of stuff," the Siri Remote was released, one that almost all Apple TV users are familiar with using, and employs the same control mechanic.
Despite the removal of the Remote for Apple TV from the App Store, Apple still maintains the iTunes Remote app, which is used to manage the playback of media in Apple Music, iTunes, and the Apple TV app on a Mac or a PC.
The Siri Remote for the Apple TV.
On October 21, Apple removed the App Store listing for its first-party "Remote" app, a tool that was first introduced as the iTunes Remote before being turned into a controller for the Apple TV. Apple's removal of the app leaves users with the option of using the bundled Siri Remote for the Apple TV, or the software-based version for their iOS devices, integrated into Control Center.
A series of tweets posted following Apple's delisting of the app by Alan Cannistraro, a former Apple engineer who originally worked on the app, explains the history of the tool within Apple from its first code written in 2006. According to Cannistraro, he started to write code before he was able to see the iPhone user interface, by using UI elements of his own creation.
Cannistraro was encouraged to go further with his initial efforts as Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was "nervous the App Store wouldn't be a hit, so he wanted Apple to have apps," which Jobs explained to the developer on seeing his work. It was also the first production app to be used by the App Store team to trial the "upload flow" to the App Store, earning its place as the first app on it.
6) In 2010, I sat down with with Steve to show him how Remote controlled Apple TV with swipes, and he said, "our next Apple TV Remote should be this without a screen". It took five years (lots of stuff paused when Steve died), but eventually Siri Remote came out and was just that
-- Alan Cannistraro (@accannis)
The shipped version was also a stripped-down variant of Cannistraro's work, as the prototype also enabled the control to turn lights, televisions, and receivers on and off via an IR adaptor, as well as to save and resume a room's state as a "Scene." This may have been a precursor to HomeKit, Apple's smarthome platform which also uses Scenes as a concept, but Cannistraro admits his pitch was a "larger idea around device communication that never got off the ground."
A later prototype in 2009 was able to use the touchscreen of the iPhone to be a computer mouse, as well as a way to "interact with photos, applications (the original TouchBar) and screensavers" on a Mac, Cannistraro claims.
By 2010, Cannistraro once again sat with Jobs about a version of the Remote app, one that allowed for the control of the Apple TV using swipes. He claims Jobs said at the time "Our next Apple TV Remote should be this without a screen."
Five years later, which Cannistraro attributed to Jobs' death pausing "lots of stuff," the Siri Remote was released, one that almost all Apple TV users are familiar with using, and employs the same control mechanic.
Despite the removal of the Remote for Apple TV from the App Store, Apple still maintains the iTunes Remote app, which is used to manage the playback of media in Apple Music, iTunes, and the Apple TV app on a Mac or a PC.
Comments
My only issue with it is when I first turn on the TV the remote doesn’t immediately connect and requires I click one of the buttons. The problem is that that click connects the remote but also performs whatever function would normally be associated with that click. For instance, if an app is selected on the screen but the remote hasn’t connected, clicking with connect the remote AND open the app. In most cases the function that is performed isn’t what I wanted to do and just adds some additional steps.
When you pick it up in the dark, you know it’s orientation by raised ring around menu button, which is just right where you rest your thumb. You can also feel rougher-than-glass surface on top.
And it is super small.. so it likes to slip down between the seats, or you can eat it by mistake. It also means that it has super small battery, and most importnantly, you can’t beat your dog with it.
The trackpad section is a pain, too. It's better for scrolling quickly, but when you reach to grab the remote in the dark you invariably end to skipping forward or backward. What the trackpad does is also dependent on what you're watching - it does one thing with Disney Plus, but another thing with Netflix and something else with iTunes.
It may have a raised button on it, but that means fiddling around and trying to find the raised button to figure out which way it's supposed to go. It's such a pain that I virtually always use my phone as a remote.
With that being said, it's far from a perfect remote, as it lacks certain basic functions such as a mute button, and is only useable for the Apple TV and not the TV itself. As such, I often find myself using the TV remote by default as it works with both the TV and the Apple TV. As such, if (and hopefully when) Apple redesigns the Apple TV remote they reenvision it as more of a universal remote.
Grant my hand is small so it fits me perfectly.
Do I love the slippery symmetrical design that you can't orient with in the dark when first picking up? No. But I stopped whining, bought a $10 silicon case, and moved on with my life. Not I get the great functionality without the problems.
I use a Harmony remote today, and it simple enough to use and it controls all my electronics with one remote and I can easily use the remote in a dark room without every having to put an eye on the remove since I know where each key is just by touch.