Sidetracks
Apple Television
WHAT IS IT: A rumored full-scale Apple television that would synchronize content wirelessly with other Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad.
WHO MAKES IT: Apple
WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED: Summer (rumored)
I first heard all the speculation about a full-scale Apple television (separate from the current Apple TV set-top box) in October after biographer Walter Isaacson said the late Steve Jobs told him he “finally cracked” a great interface for television. I was immediately intrigued, wondering if Apple could do for TV what it did for music.
Many experts believe Jobs meant Apple’s voice-activated assistant, Siri, would be a key part of the UI of Apple’s television. Jobs said the set would work seamlessly with other Apple products, including iPhone and iPad (yay!), and would combine Siri-like voice control and Kinect-like gesture control. Another possible feature I’ve read about is iCloud DVR, by which users can watch their recorded TV shows on any Apple device, regardless of where it was originally recorded or viewed.
Of all the reports I’ve read, it seems all but definite Apple is at least contemplating some form of TV. Of course, whether hardware ever sees the light of day is another story. I’ve read reports saying Apple is all-but-ready to introduce the television as early as middle of this year, and others saying the company is not that far along in development.
Details about the TV set differ greatly, too. An unnamed source who worked at Apple told USA Today the sets would be “42-inches or larger with built-in Wi-Fi.” The source also said recently-appointed Apple VP of industrial design Jony Ive has “a slick 50-inch TV” in the company’s design studio. However, last week, Taiwanese news site DigiTimes claimed Apple was in the process of ordering components to build 32-inch and 37-inch TV sets. One analyst even said there’s “no evidence” of Apple ordering LCD panels for the set, which “is at least a year away.” If rumors about the set are true, Apple could revolutionize the industry by offering live content delivered via the Internet or through iTunes, giving would-be cord cutters a way to ditch their existing cable service.
But one thing’s for sure: Since the prices of Apple TV’s sets are expected to be nearly double those of comparable sets, Apple will need to incorporate some sort of “can’t-live-without this-feature” to get me to drop that much cash.
– R. Scott Helmchen, shelmchen@shawmedia.com
Apple Television
WHAT IS IT: A rumored full-scale Apple television that would synchronize content wirelessly with other Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad.
WHO MAKES IT: Apple
WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED: Summer (rumored)
I first heard all the speculation about a full-scale Apple television (separate from the current Apple TV set-top box) in October after biographer Walter Isaacson said the late Steve Jobs told him he “finally cracked” a great interface for television. I was immediately intrigued, wondering if Apple could do for TV what it did for music.
Many experts believe Jobs meant Apple’s voice-activated assistant, Siri, would be a key part of the UI of Apple’s television. Jobs said the set would work seamlessly with other Apple products, including iPhone and iPad (yay!), and would combine Siri-like voice control and Kinect-like gesture control. Another possible feature I’ve read about is iCloud DVR, by which users can watch their recorded TV shows on any Apple device, regardless of where it was originally recorded or viewed.
Of all the reports I’ve read, it seems all but definite Apple is at least contemplating some form of TV. Of course, whether hardware ever sees the light of day is another story. I’ve read reports saying Apple is all-but-ready to introduce the television as early as middle of this year, and others saying the company is not that far along in development.
Details about the TV set differ greatly, too. An unnamed source who worked at Apple told USA Today the sets would be “42-inches or larger with built-in Wi-Fi.” The source also said recently-appointed Apple VP of industrial design Jony Ive has “a slick 50-inch TV” in the company’s design studio. However, last week, Taiwanese news site DigiTimes claimed Apple was in the process of ordering components to build 32-inch and 37-inch TV sets. One analyst even said there’s “no evidence” of Apple ordering LCD panels for the set, which “is at least a year away.” If rumors about the set are true, Apple could revolutionize the industry by offering live content delivered via the Internet or through iTunes, giving would-be cord cutters a way to ditch their existing cable service.
But one thing’s for sure: Since the prices of Apple TV’s sets are expected to be nearly double those of comparable sets, Apple will need to incorporate some sort of “can’t-live-without this-feature” to get me to drop that much cash.
– R. Scott Helmchen, shelmchen@shawmedia.com