Steve Jobs claimed he had “cracked” the code for an integrated Apple TV

Apple is planning an easy-to-use, advanced television, according to comments made by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs to his biographer.

“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud,” Jobs reportedly told the biographer, Walter Isaacson.

“It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

The comments, made to author Walter Isaacson prior to Jobs’ death, are included in the authorized biography, Steve Jobs, which will hit bookshelves and e-bookstores on Monday, October 24. The comments were reported by the Washington Post, which got an early copy of the book.

An Apple television has been a persistent Silicon Valley rumor for years. Jobs himself referred to the company’s current television product, a set-top box called Apple TV, as a “hobby.” However, VentureBeat reported earlier this year that signs were pointing towards a 2012 launch for a full-blown television set with Apple software built in.

An iOS-based television could enable Apple to transform the television into something that doesn’t just show videos, but also plays games, runs apps, lets you check your schedule and tweet about what YouTube movie you happen to watching at that moment.

And it could tie seamlessly into other Apple devices, like the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air, giving the company an enviable full-circle consumer product line. As Jobs mentioned, iCloud could become the thread connecting all of these products together, delivering your content (videos, music and more) to whichever device you want.

Of course, given Apple’s design chops it will probably look much better than the quick illustration we mocked up at the top of this story.

Illustration: Sean Ludwig/VentureBeat

Related articles

• Steve Jobs wanted to revolutionize textbooks next (venturebeat.com)
• How Steve Jobs felt betrayed by Eric Schmidt over Google’s Android (venturebeat.com)
• Steve Jobs’ biography leaked, here are the highlights (venturebeat.com)
• Steve Jobs refused potentially life-saving surgery, biographer confirms (venturebeat.com)