Apple is reportedly planning to expand use of its iPhone operating system to new devices following the creation of the iPad. This could include a more intuitive system for Apple TV.

The news comes from a job posting by Apple for a rather cutely name position of “Engineering Manager (Platform Bring-Up)”, with the mention: “focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms.”

That strategy certainly seems to make sense if, as looks likely, the iPad works well. (That’s in terms of how easy and reliable it is to use, not whether it has any real purpose or market.) If that’s the case, it would back Apple’s belief that it makes more sense to scale up the iPhone system than to scale down the desktop and notebook friendly OS X.

The success of the iPhone system is based on its appeal to both consumers and Apple itself. To the user, there’s no denying it generally runs very smoothly and intuitively, giving a feeling of control. To Apple it has the major advantage that the firm itself can control the process by which new applications are added to devices.

Speculation following the job posting is largely centered on bringing the iPhone system to Apple TV, the firm’s media streaming device which links in with iTunes. Running the iPhone system would mean it was much easier for developers to produce applications designed for running on a big screen, particularly those which rely on an internet connection. (Come on, we’ve got to have a Twitter feed sidebar running over live television.)

It’s also reported that Apple is planning to use the A4 chip system from the iPad in other devices. That would be particularly useful in Apple TV where it should be able to cope with streaming high-definition footage.