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Apple to produce a Television


Jeff Wexler

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More on potential television product from Apple:

Rumor: Apple television expected in mid-2012, initial production slated for February

Posted by: Chris Barylick

Date: Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011, 13:00

Category: Rumor

applelogo_silver.jpg

Apple didn’t do the “Inc.” and “lifestyle company” change for nothing.

Per AppleInsider, commercial production of Apple’s anticipated television set is expected to begin in February at a Sharp plant in Japan, while competing HDTV makers are reportedly desperate to find out just what Apple plans to sell.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said in a note to investors this week that Apple is expected to partner with Sharp for TFT-LCD panels for its so-called “iTV.” Production is expected to begin in February at the company’s Gen 10 Sakai facility in Osaka, Japan, placing the television set in position for a mid-2012 launch.

Apple’s expected entrance into the television market is said to have sent other TV makers “scrambling” to identify what the features of the product may be.

“They hope to avoid the fate of other industries and manufacturers who were caught flat footed by Apple,” Misek wrote. “Having said that, it appears that mainstream TV manufacturers are likely to be at least 6 to 12 months behind in a best-case scenario.”

TV makers are said to be looking at Android as a potential option to counter Apple’s anticipated television set. In that scenario, the television market would act much like the current smartphone landscape, with manufacturers making the hardware and Google providing the operating system.

TV makers are said to be looking to Android because they lack the software and cloud capabilities Apple already offers. Earlier reports have also suggested that Apple will implement its proprietary voice recognition service, Siri, to allow controller-free navigation and further differentiate itself from current products on the market.

Rumors of an Apple television set picked up considerable steam with the release of the authorized biography of Steve Jobs. To biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs hinted at a completely new product that would feature “the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

In an interview published last week, Isaacson revealed that before he died, Jobs had three products he wanted to reinvent, with the television being first among them, followed by textbooks and photography. Jobs reportedly felt there was “no reason” for televisions to be as difficult to use as they currently are.

Misek’s timeframe for a mid-2012 Apple television launch is slightly more aggressive than some other rumors have suggested. For example, last month The New York Times forecast Apple to announce the product by late 2012, with it going on sale to consumers by 2013.

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Hot damn! I knew this was coming. I bet you guys that once that TV hits we can start saying goodbye to DISH, DirectTV, etc. That TV is going to change the way we get our media and the speed in which we do business. I did a gig a few weeks ago with Jessica Simpson. The shoot started in the morning since it was an all day thing. By the time the afternoon hit, the footage that was just shot had already aired on TV and the internet. Heck, we were still filming the ending segments in a hotel room when her assistant said people were already Tweeting and Facebook'n about what just happened a few hours ago. I couldn't believe it.

Heck, I can also see how ANYONE can have their own "tv channel" much like people now a days have are getting famous by blogging. I just hope the internet service providers can keep up with the massive increase in data rates.

Then again, isn't the world suppose to explode on 12/21/12? Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. ;D

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Interesting point Brian. But if you'll notice they do not give you a Lifetime Warranty or pay you to have it serviced. The government produces nothing, while Apple manufactures things the world wants.

Perhaps, off topic, but that's why the Government and "We the People" are in debt and Apple is swimming in profits. Governments are not designed to make profits, businesses are.

I have no doubt that iTV will turn the industry on it's head.

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I just hope if Apple comes out with a product like this, it'll actually record. The big issue for me with the existing Apple TV box is that it's not a Tivo -- all it does is play back content from the internet (or your own drives); it won't record off-air, off cable, or off satellite. I think this stems totally from Steve Jobs' personal disdain for television in general.

It'll be very interesting to see how Apple changes over the next year, with Tim Cook at the helm.

--Marc W.

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