Apple’s rumored iTV: Analyst outlines three content scenarios

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has reaffirmed suspicions that Apple is on track to launch a company-branded television set by late 2012. His latest comments came in a note he sent to clients Tuesday.

While Munster has predicted the debut of an Apple iTV product for years, his claims have only recently started gaining credibility thanks to comments that appeared in the official Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. In the book, Jobs claimed he … Continue Reading

Apple’s iTV may feature channel customization, says Sterne Agee analyst

A new report from analyst firm Sterne Agee agrees with recent speculation that Apple will eventually produce its own branded television set.

Apple may soon start iTV production with 32- and 37-inch television sets planned for a summer 2012 launch, containing chips coming from Samsung and screens from Sharp, as VentureBeat reported yesterday.

“Frankly, we are not surprised and believe Apple should enter the TV space as this is arguably the only major end market … Continue Reading

Apple may be preparing 32 & 37-inch iTVs for a summer launch

Apple is allegedly assembling components for a 32- and 37-inch iTV, the Apple branded television set that can connect to the internet for streaming media.

The news comes from Taiwanese blog Digitimes, which has previously picked up accurate news from sources in Apple’s supply chain. The report indicates that Apple is planning to begin assembling the components in the first quarter of 2012 and will launch the iTV product itself in the summer. As for … Continue Reading

TV features emerge as Apple holds meetings with media companies

Apple may be deeper into the television project than we thought, as the company is reportedly visiting media companies to share its technology plans.

Since Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs was released, people have been buzzing about what the late Apple chief executive suggested was Apple’s next adventure: televisions. Many have speculated what an Apple television could be like. Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée sees it as another box, supporting applications, a function that … Continue Reading

New Apple TV may be optimized for motion sensitive controllers & Siri

Apple might be planning a new version of its Apple TV, the $99 set-top box that lets owners stream media to their television, according to component information found within the code of iOS 5.1 beta.

The code references the next generation Apple TV (3,1) that could contain Bluetooth 4.0 technology as well as a more powerful A5 chip, reports 9to5Mac. What does this actually mean for you? Well for starters it means, a better remote … Continue Reading

Whoa, really? CBS chief exec reveals ad-supported Apple TV streaming service

Television network CBS’ chief executive, Les Moonves, accidentally revealed details about an ad-supported Apple TV streaming video service, during the company’s quarterly earnings call Thursday.

In August, we reported on rumors that Apple was plotting its own streaming video service to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. The service, called iTunes Replay, would make use of Apple’s recent advances into the cloud by allowing iTunes customers to stream movies from Apple’s servers and … Continue Reading

Why Hulu Plus isn’t available on Apple TV yet

It’s only fitting that, on Halloween night, we find out the reason streaming video service Hulu Plus has yet to make its way to the Apple TV is that Apple is apparently scared of the competition.

Hulu could take business away from Apple’s TV show and movie purchases via iTunes. Apple’s $99 set-top streaming media box was also recently upgraded to permit  customers to take advantage of past purchases, which can be downloaded through Apple … Continue Reading

Apple will need more than Siri to make its TV plans succeed

“Siri, record all new episodes of the Desperate Bridezillas of Jersey Shore.”

That may be how we’ll talk to our Apple television sets in the next few years, the New York Time’s Nick Bilton postulates.

With Steve Jobs’ posthumous claim that he “cracked” the code for an Apple TV interface, everyone’s trying to figure out just what he meant. Bilton assumes the only logical answer is Siri, Apple’s intelligent virtual assistant, currently exclusive to the … Continue Reading

Apple’s “iTV” may be brought to you by iTunes creator

Apple has apparently turned to Jeff Robbin, who created iTunes and co-developed the iPod, to spearhead development of an integrated television set.

Three sources with knowledge of the project divulged the news to Bloomberg. If true, it means that Apple is prioritizing development of a TV set, potentially called the “iTV.”

In his official biography, released yesterday, Steve Jobs claimed he “cracked” the code for an integrated Apple television, saying “It will have the simplest … Continue Reading

Apple analyst says the 50-inch “iTV” is coming soon

Senior research analyst Gene Munster says an Apple-made TV could be coming as soon as the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013.

In a quote to Business Insider, the Piper Jaffray web expert said, “We believe Apple is investing in manufacturing facilities and securing supply for LCD displays. These displays could range from 3.5″ mobile displays to 50″ television displays.

“More recently, in September 2011, we met with a contact close to an … Continue Reading

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 … Continue Reading

Next-gen Apple TV likely to have dual-core A5 processor, 1080p playback

Apple’s next iteration of its Apple TV device will likely add in a dual-core A5 processor, the same powerful CPU found inside the new iPhone 4S and the popular iPad 2, and offer 1080p HD playback for the first time.

The Apple TV device has been referred to as a “hobby” by Apple in the past, but that doesn’t mean Apple won’t continue to slowly update the device with better specs to cater to fans. … Continue Reading

If Apple is making a TV, it won’t replace your big screen HDTV

Apple is almost certainly making a TV, but it’s probably not aiming to replace the big screen in your living room. Instead, the company will likely start with a product aimed at being your second (or third) television.

It seems clear that Apple is working on some sort of television product, as we reported last week. But as a longtime denier of Apple television rumors, I still have a hard time swallowing the fact that … Continue Reading

Apple drops 99-cent iTunes TV rentals

Apple on Friday quietly removed its 99-cent TV show rentals from the iTunes Store.

The decision comes just days after CEO Steve Jobs resigned, signaling the company could be looking to simplify its product offerings or just showing off its willingness to cut less-successful product offerings.

Rentals had cost 99 cents per episode. Customers who want to watch TV episodes through iTunes and their iOS-enabled devices now only have the option purchase individual shows, which … Continue Reading

iCloud comes to Apple TV with latest software update

Apple quietly released an update Monday for its second generation Apple TV set-top box that lets you purchase videos directly from the device and stream videos that you previously purchased through iTunes.

The new functionality is no doubt part of the company’s overall initiative to push all media to its new iCloud storage service. It’s also probably Apple’s most significant addition to the Apple TV since it released the second generation device.

Prior to Monday’s … Continue Reading

A channel change: Will Apple start selling televisions?

Apple has had modest success with its Apple TV set-top box for streaming movies and music into homes. But the company might be exploring getting into the business of selling televisions.

If Apple does it right, it could disrupt yet another category of consumer electronics, in addition to the smartphone and tablet categories where it has succeeded beyond its wildest hopes.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company recently posted a … Continue Reading

Analyst: Apple’s $3.9B investment means Apple television on the way

Apple fanatics may have something new to get excited about. In addition to the iPad 2 and iPhone 5, they can now expect an Apple television, according to Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster.

Specifically, Munster believes that Apple’s mysterious $3.9 billion component investment is all about securing displays for its products (very likely), and that it also hints at the company’s interest in a television of its own, Apple Insider reports.

Munster has been saying … Continue Reading

Apple sells 1M Apple TVs, can’t be bothered to announce it

Apple confirmed today that it has sold 1 million copies of its Apple TV media player.

The company predicted last Tuesday that it was going to hit the 1 million sales mark later that week. Maybe that’s why Apple didn’t actually announce the milestone via press release — instead, the news came out when AllThingsDigital’s John Paczkowski took the initiative to ask the company if it actually crossed the threshold it had predicted, and Apple … Continue Reading