Apple Seeking Software Engineer for Future User Interfaces

[MacRumors]

This Apple Job description (as noted by Daringfireball) invites qualified software engineers to apply for a job at Apple working on new technologies and user interface concepts.

HID SW is responsible for delivering the firmware and software for Apple’s Input Devices, such as Multi-touch for iPhone, cameras, and remote controls. The team is a key part in driving an integrated customer experience involving new HW and SW designs, working with creative, smart people, world-class products and cutting edge technologies.

Of course, the job description is understandably vague, but does seek out applicants specifically with "strong interest in human-computer interaction" and "a proven ability to bring new user interface concepts to life".

After the introduction of the multi-touch iPhone and a series of patent applications exploring alternative input methods, it seems that Apple has been paying a lot of attention to the future of user interfaces. Many of the recent patent applications focus on advanced gesturing and unique touch surfaces.

There's been some suggestion that the upcoming sub-notebooks might see some touchpad improvements, though this has been particularly vague.

Article Link

[notjustjay]

Cameras, eh?

Return of the QuickTake?

Multi-touch for iPhone, cameras, and remote controls

So, does this mean "multi-touch for iPhone" and cameras and remote controls, or is Apple possibly working on a whole new way to interact with cameras and remote controls?

[TitoC]

Quite important job position since UI is one of Apple's strongest assets.

[sachamun]

My vote goes to Jeff Han!

[OS X Dude]

If only I was 10 years older... unless they take 16 year olds lol

It'd sort out my green card application too and make my future move to the US a LOT easier lol

[MLeepson]

I'd found this a while ago:

http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=...&CurrentPage=1

Pushing the envelope to design and ship innovative products (like the iPhone) with best-in-class technologies and user experiences is the main goal of the touch technology team at Apple.

[twoodcc]

well maybe eventually we'll see multi-touch on an apple notebook?

[gotohamish]

I think we'll see elements of multitouch, but on the pad not the screen. Imaging pinching the track like on the phone, and zooming iPhotos etc.

[Schtumple]

Didn't apple say they were toying with the idea of multi-touch in macs? surely this position could just be for research, lets not get our hope up too much people...

And surely cameras just means the built in iSight?

[lazyrighteye]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Cameras, eh?

Return of the QuickTake?

So, does this mean "multi-touch for iPhone" and cameras and remote controls, or is Apple possibly working on a whole new way to interact with cameras and remote controls?

I was just jokingly describing this in a post under the Tom Tom thread.
As many have described, one of the advantages of a (more or less) buttonless interface (like an iPhone or Touch) is that software basically (and I use that word lightly) determines the device's functionality.

I could easily see a new application on the Home screen that, once pressed, converts the iPhone (or Touch) into an TV remote.
That + a movie rental service might actually get me to make the plunge into TV land. Otherwise the incentive is pretty low, at present.

[OS X Dude]

Apple UMPC interface perhaps? MacBook Nano would be a good name (MacBook Mini for the upcoming smaller MB).

See here It's a mock-up but if it were simply made to be the same as this it would rock.

[olternaut]

Originally Posted by OS X Dude

Apple UMPC interface perhaps? MacBook Nano would be a good name (MacBook Mini for the upcoming smaller MB).

See here It's a mock-up but if it were simply made to be the same as this it would rock.

I could do without the cd (or blu-ray) drive. Removable flash would be awesome! And imagine if that thing had a flexible screen and that when its not in use you could fold the entire unit in half!! I would set the fastest record of placing a pre-order in history!

[koobcamuk]

Originally Posted by olternaut

I would set the fastest record of placing a pre-order in history!

Not if safari crashed!

Yeh, I do think that camera=isight. I reckon that we'll be able to move windows and stuff like that with mid-air gestures (camera mapping movements).

I also think a multi-touch trackpad would be excellent.

[Abstract]

I think Apple, and many other companies, are always looking for engineers for future UI work. I mean, they're not going to say, "Seeking a Software Engineer to work on a UI made 7 years ago." I think this engineer will be put to good use, but I don't think it's indicative of a brand new project or something.

[Doctor Q]

This is absolute proof that the iPhone will be completely scrapped and replaced with something completely new and different! Or else not.

[MacJoe]

With all the advances in computers, operating systems, and user interfaces, why do **I** still have to remember to tell the computer to save my documents? Give me an application or operating system that knows my document is important enough to save if it's important enough to create! This is what I love about the Palm platform. There's no need to manually save anything because the OS takes care of that. When will OS X catch up to that concept? Having to manually save documents and files is so...80s.

[OrangeCuse44]

Talk about a rumor...jebus

[BiikeMike]

Originally Posted by MacJoe

With all the advances in computers, operating systems, and user interfaces, why do **I** still have to remember to tell the computer to save my documents? Give me an application or operating system that knows my document is important enough to save if it's important enough to create! This is what I love about the Palm platform. There's no need to manually save anything because the OS takes care of that. When will OS X catch up to that concept? Having to manually save documents and files is so...80s.

Have you never heard of auto save?

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by MacJoe

Give me an application or operating system that knows my document is important enough to save if

That part is VERY easy. The hard part is building an application smart enough to know that the reason you are quitting is because you just messed up and want to quit and NOT save the document so that it will revert to it's un edited state. Or maybe the number yo entered into the spread sheet was just to see "what if?" but you did not want to change the "real" value in the cell.

Time Machine kind of helps but we'd need a more fine grained version control system to allow for blindly auto-saving. With some kind of "undo" feature that work back across edit session then we'd have what you want

[swingerofbirch]

Originally Posted by OS X Dude

If only I was 10 years older... unless they take 16 year olds lol

It'd sort out my green card application too and make my future move to the US a LOT easier lol

I wish I were 10 years younger and OUT of the US : ) (And I'm only 25!)

[Avatar74]

Hmmm... Cameras... for motion tracking? Controls that are remote...

Like this? (or this)

[TitoC]

Originally Posted by Abstract

I think Apple, and many other companies, are always looking for engineers for future UI work. I mean, they're not going to say, "Seeking a Software Engineer to work on a UI made 7 years ago." I think this engineer will be put to good use, but I don't think it's indicative of a brand new project or something.

Actually, most of Apple's UI specialist are not engineers at all, but rather "Information" experts who have a variety of expertise such as design, human interactions, interactive programmers and more.

I had a friend who applied for a UI position at Apple a few years back and went through 2 interviews. Most of the people he met in these departments came from a variety of backgrounds but according to him, engineers were not the ones making any of the initial layouts or blueprints for interfaces. Engineers were brought in later to projects — once functionality, flow, design, graphics, and so forth were nailed down. He said other firms he interviewed with seemed to work backwards from this method. They would have engineers "design" (he used that term loosely) their interfaces first, then bring in other people to "make it look and function right." He couldn't understand this thinking and frankly, neither do it. Apple apparently seems to put more effort into a UI than most companies in their fields and it shows.

[Decrepit]

Originally Posted by koobcamuk

Not if safari crashed!

Yeh, I do think that camera=isight. I reckon that we'll be able to move windows and stuff like that with mid-air gestures (camera mapping movements).

I also think a multi-touch trackpad would be excellent.

If a camera could track hand motions to identify windows and move them, I would be in awe.

And, I would get some exercise! :-)

AND, I'd need a 60" display with stupid high resolution so that I could just do it all on the wall. Mate it with a projector, and your machine could hide in a box unseen.

[Airforce]

Originally Posted by Decrepit

If a camera could track hand motions to identify windows and move them, I would be in awe.

That's pretty much what Microsoft's Surface is all about

[matthewHUB]

sounds like it could be for the LCD remote for the Apple TV that the other rumor today was about.