Live TV, pico projector seen as candidates for Apple's 'iPhone 5'

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Overseas suppliers have indicated that features like live over-the-air digital TV and pico projectors are coming to smartphones in the near future, leading to speculation that they could end up in Apple's next-generation iPhone.



Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities is touring Taipei, Taiwan, and China with his team this week. During meetings in Taipei, he said he has heard from suppliers that mobile digital TV and miniature embedded pico projectors are poised to become major selling features in future smartphones.



Though suppliers didn't specifically indicate that Apple plans to include such hardware in its next-generation iPhone, White said he believes the features would be "attractive" candidates for the "iPhone 5," expected to be released in June 2011.



"Watching local TV stations on a smartphone could be an attractive option for some consumers," White wrote in a note to investors. "Additionally, an embedded pico projector allows users to project a slide presentation or video on a wall or other surface in large size, which makes sense for the iPhone 5 in our view, as Apple seeks to expand the features in the next-generation iPhone."



In addition, White said he could see the features also appearing in a future hardware update to the iPad, allowing users to have an "even richer experience."



"It will be interesting to see what new features come with the iPhone 5," White wrote. "Maybe there is an angle that Apple could work into these potential new features as it relates to the iTunes store."



He also noted that iPad and Apple TV sales were recently boosted by Black Friday discounts. He has maintained a prediction of sales of 5.95 million iPads in the December quarter, unchanged by his overseas trip. he also said the Apple TV is "encouraging but will not move the needle" on the company's results.



Though the next-generation iPhone is likely more than six months away, speculation and rumors about Apple's anticipated smartphone update remains. In November, a report claimed that Apple was exploring "remote computing" technology with a near-field communications chip.



It was said that the alleged inclusion of an RFID chip would allow users to securely turn a nearby Mac into their own computer, complete with custom settings and personal passwords. Apple is also rumored to use RFID technology to turn the iPhone into an electronic wallet, allowing users to pay for and authorize transactions on their smartphone.
«134

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 67
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    I don't see it. Apple has never been about the feature checklist, and they've been pushing online content distribution pretty hard.
  • Reply 2 of 67
    Seems just like just speculation. Pico projector is more likely a canidate for the IPAD as a presentation would be done on it. Many new viable technologies are around for Apple to choose from. Digital T.V. would be nice if the additional fee is reasonable.

    In any case keeping the size of the iPHONE5 reasonable is a major concern also. This might limit Apple as to what they put in the new IPHONE5. One thing is certain, now that Android has produced some heavy competition, whatever Apple decides to do it will have to be a significant update.
  • Reply 3 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Overseas suppliers have indicated that features like live over-the-air digital TV and pico projectors are coming to smartphones in the near future, leading to speculation that they could end up in Apple's next-generation iPhone....



    What a crock.



    Pico-projectors are dangerous, minimally useful to a small subset of the population, and eat up batteries like there's no tomorrow.

    Apple would have to be completely insane to include a pico projector in the iPhone 5.



    Pico-Projectors may impress geeks and infest their dreams, but the average person has no use for one. The technology won't be there for at least five years anyway, and the utility of it is highly questionable.
  • Reply 4 of 67
    Yeah, this is just pure baseless speculation. And not a very good guess either.



    You can already watch Live TV on your iPhone/iPad.

    http://www.filmon.com/tv/?mid=13



    I don't see Apple putting pico projectors into every iPhone either. It's not something that appeals to most consumers.
  • Reply 5 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BUSHMAN4 View Post


    Seems just like just speculation. Pico projector is more likely a canidate for the IPAD as a presentation would be done on it. Many new viable technologies are around for Apple to choose from. Digital T.V. would be nice if the additional fee is reasonable.

    In any case keeping the size of the iPHONE5 reasonable is a major concern also. This might limit Apple as to what they put in the new IPHONE5. One thing is certain, now that Android has produced some heavy competition, whatever Apple decides to do it will have to be a significant update.



    Yeah, very unlikely. Many cheap feature phones already have TV and never see that many people lured by it. Apple's online distribution just settles the discussion. Pico projector are not that big enticement to me, full AirPlay would be better, don't you think? Now, NFC transactions... boy, that is SWEEEET. If, as reasonably expected, Apple comes with a well thought-out plan for this, it would be enough attractiveness for iPhone 5. Apple rules!!
  • Reply 6 of 67
    I hope there'll be another drunk Apple engineer who will leave an iPhone 5 prototype in a bar so Jason Chen can get his hands on it and show it to world.
  • Reply 7 of 67
    Projector sounds way more like an Android feature than iOS.
  • Reply 8 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BUSHMAN4 View Post


    Seems just like just speculation. Pico projector is more likely a canidate for the IPAD as a presentation would be done on it. Many new viable technologies are around for Apple to choose from. Digital T.V. would be nice if the additional fee is reasonable.

    In any case keeping the size of the iPHONE5 reasonable is a major concern also. This might limit Apple as to what they put in the new IPHONE5. One thing is certain, now that Android has produced some heavy competition, whatever Apple decides to do it will have to be a significant update.



    Agree..



    Apple can't do a 3G/3GS like update anymore. Competition is catching up and they will have to do an iPhone 4 like leap every year on design and features.
  • Reply 9 of 67
    The iPhone is becoming closer and closer to the Tricorder of Star Trek fame. The future, in respect to hand held devices, is coming much faster than the ubiquity of space travel that the series envisioned.
  • Reply 10 of 67
    Pico projector would be the most awesome feature that I never use.



    2 weeks standby time

    12 hours talk time

    3.5 minutes projector time
  • Reply 11 of 67
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wurm5150 View Post


    Agree..



    Apple can't do a 3G/3GS like update anymore. Competition is catching up and they will have to do an iPhone 4 like leap every year on design and features.



    That basic rehteroic has been expressed since the original iPhone. At first it was ?Apple can?t come in and compete in this saturated smartphone market.? Then it jumped to the competition is catching up to Apple so fast that Apple will have to compete on bullet point features.



    Yet that still hasn?t happened so I see no reason why Apple would throw away their focus on usability just to add some pointless features that only appeal to a very small group of people.



    Live TV. What infrastructure will they use? Many countries have this, but it?s poor quality. It?s also pretty damn pointless when you have phones with high-speed data and rich 3rd-party apps that can tie into on-demand services, which can include live streaming TV (most notably over Apple?s ?open" HTTP Live Streaming).



    Pico projector. So they will add as default something that requires large components for a phone, for the world?s smallest smartphone. A feature that hardly anyone needs, and would drain the battery quickly?



    I don?t see either of these things being a requirement over usability and their current focus on consumer electronics that consumers like and can use.
  • Reply 12 of 67
    Why would Apple focus on any Live TV options? There are several apps and websites that support live television already with additional hardware.



    I see Comcast and DirectTV creating an app that lets you watch your TV from anywhere for all the various smartphones, iPhone included (if they haven't already). I also see Sling Media and Orb improving on their technology, which is already pretty great (speaking for Sling, as I have not used Orb yet).



    As for the pico projector, I could see having an accessory, but built into your phone seems very inconvenient, not to mention a waste of space. I'm envisioning some big guy sweating over a little iPhone that is projecting while he is trying to give a presentation to a huge board room full of people. It would be comical. Now using the iPhone as a remote for a presentation is a little more realistic and they are already doing it.



    Apple has never been one to 'keep up with their neighbors', but they do a great job of taking the competition's ideas that were slapped together quickly and improving on them significantly. It's not about getting to the finish line first, it's about making a great first impression. There are countless examples of this throughout history. Don't expect major changes to iPhone 5. That just isn't how they work.
  • Reply 13 of 67
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Those don't sound like features Apple would use. I think the 2011 iPhone will have a better dock connector (light peak?) and a faster (or more compatible) radio. The iPhone 4 was such a big update that the next one will just be consolidation.
  • Reply 14 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wurm5150 View Post


    Agree..



    Apple can't do a 3G/3GS like update anymore. Competition is catching up and they will have to do an iPhone 4 like leap every year on design and features.



    Or they could make certain features only available to the latest hardware. Like free Find my Phone only available to iPhone 4.

    Edit: Certain software features I meant...
  • Reply 15 of 67
    Cool feature ... but too many downsides to hope for next year model.



    1. Cost ... Portable projector low end are $300.

    2. Battery ... it's a very bright lamp

    3. Form factor. How they going to squeeze it all in there.
  • Reply 16 of 67
    veblenveblen Posts: 201member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    What a crock.



    Pico-projectors are dangerous, minimally useful to a small subset of the population, and eat up batteries like there's no tomorrow.

    Apple would have to be completely insane to include a pico projector in the iPhone 5.



    Pico-Projectors may impress geeks and infest their dreams, but the average person has no use for one. The technology won't be there for at least five years anyway, and the utility of it is highly questionable.



    I agree. This is a very weak attempt at speculation. If Apple is looking to get me to upgrade the big thing would be support for higher bandwidth networks like the 4G LTE. I'm not going to upgrade my phone for an internal projector and I can already watch live tv from my iphone via software if I so chose.



    I still think the primary improvements to iPhone 5 will be in the iOS operating system that will ship with it. I think Apple showed us here with 4.21 and AirVideo what amazing things can be done with software improvements to make the device much more useful and to differentiate it from Android/Windows. Maybe I'm alone in this thinking because not everyone owns a 2nd Gen AppleTV and can see the full utility of the change. Still I haven't seen any Android phone that can stream video/audio to a device as elegantly as AirVideo/iOS/AppleTV can. I think as they expand AirVideo out to 3rd Party applications and incorporate it into Mobile Safari it'll be a real game changer for the way I interact with my multimedia content.
  • Reply 17 of 67
    The pico projector is coming, maybe not in the iPhone 5, but in the long run, it will be a useful feature. Just like video conferencing was lame until apple figured out how to implement it simply and painlessly, so it will go with a projector. No one can denybtgat one day it'd be nicer to watch a movie displayed on a wall rather than their tiny cell phone. Again, it may because few years, but eventually it won't kill the battery or be too dim to be useful. Like everyone predicted a front facing camera a year early for the 3GS, I wouldn't be surprised of it was an iPhone 6 feature.



    As for live tv, that's dumb, third party apps do this perfectly well. Terrestrial signals have been on there way put for a decade now, like fm, apple won't join a dying system.
  • Reply 18 of 67
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    All wishful thinking and not at all a prospect for the iPhone. Live TV can already be watched over the Internet. Until pico projectors can push 1000 lumens (i.e. never), they're too lame for Jobs/Apple.
  • Reply 19 of 67
    I would guess wireless headphones more likely, especially since apple just bought a wireless headphone company...
  • Reply 20 of 67
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Apple even admitted to "seeding" alternate design specs on purpose to weed out moles and to throw the competition off-track. This seems to fall into that category.



    However, this kind of feature-list is more akin to the other players that feel that the only "superior" phone is the one that has every available feature on it, like the Homer-mobile".



    I'll bet that Apple will do what they can to improve the phone by improving battery life, performance, and making it even slimmer than it is now. Apple is all about evolution.
Sign In or Register to comment.