First Apple TV prototypes "in the works" as Apple reportedly shopping part suppliers

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014


Apple has contacted at least one major Asian supplier about purchasing television display components, checks by one analyst have revealed.



Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster told investors on Tuesday that he had recently spoken to a "major TV component supplier" about Apple's rumored plans to release a connected HDTV. Sources within the supplier reportedly told him that Apple had contacted "regarding various capabilities of their television display components."



Munster said he viewed the news as "continued evidence that Apple is exploring production of a television." Prior evidence that the analyst claims to have gathered surrounding an Apple television includes January 2011 meetings in Asia that suggested Apple was investing in manufacturing facilities for LCD displays as large as 50 inches and a September 2011 meeting with a "contact close to an Asian supplier" who claimed prototypes of an Apple set are in the works.



The firm believes Apple could be ready to release a television as early as late 2012, though Munster noted that "the timeline and stope of a revamped content solution is more uncertain." Various reports have suggested that Apple has run up against resistance from movie and TV studios that are believed to be hesitant to license their content for an Apple television.



The analyst went on to speculate on several possibilities that Apple could make use of to address the content issue. For instance, Apple could simply enable the television to manage pre-existing live TV service from a unified interface, or it could make use of network programming and web-based video services such as Netflix and Hulu. Finally, Munster suggested that Apple could look to offer monthly subscriptions "on an a-la-carte basis" for live TV packages from content providers, but he noted that this is likely the "most challenging scenario" because of existing licensing arrangements.



A separate report claimed late last year that one of Apple's most-desired features for an Apple television set is customized channel lineups. That report also noted that licensing for such a service would be "obviously much more complicated" than current offerings.



Piper Jaffray projects that Apple could sell 1.4 million of the 106 million internet-connected televisions estimated to be sold this year. The investment bank tentatively estimates that revenues from the device could reach $2.5 billion in 2012, $4.0 billion in 2013 and $6.0 billion in 2014.



Munster concluded his note by pointing out that Apple only enters mature markets in order to reinvent them. As such, he does not see Apple entering the TV market without a "revamped TV content solution."



"Since we know Apple is exploring television hardware, we are therefore led to conclude that the company is exploring a solution for live TV, and this solution could be one that has not yet been taken mainstream," he said.



Rumors of an Apple television set have persisted for years, with many of them originating from Munster himself. The likelihood of such a device arriving appears to have increased in recent months as numerous outlets have put forth evidence that Apple is working on a connected TV. Of course, the project also gained credence from a much-quoted excerpt from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' biography that revealed he believed he had "cracked" the secret to a simple and elegant TV user interface.



Earlier in January, the USA Today claimed Apple design boss Jonathan Ive had a 50-inch television prototype hidden away in a "locked-down studio."



A number of patent applications discovered by AppleInsider for technologies such as advanced backlighting and a simplified universal remote also indicate that Apple is, at the least, investigating the possibility of a full-fledged television set.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 95




    Just give me an A6 Apple TV, Apple. You don't even need to change the terrible interface, just let me play stuff from hard drives connected directly to my AirPort Extreme without a computer ON and iTunes OPEN and I'll be happy.
  • Reply 2 of 95
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    Sigh.

    Remember when AppleInsider used to be all about phones and tablets? Enough with these TV incesant rumors.

    ¡
  • Reply 3 of 95
    What resolution will it be, and will it be 3D?
  • Reply 4 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Of course, the project also gained credence from a much-quoted excerpt from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' biography that revealed he believed he had "cracked" the secret to a simple and elegant TV user interface.



    No one has quoted this quote as much as it's been quoted on AI.
  • Reply 5 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dickprinter View Post


    No one has quoted this quote as much as it's been quoted on AI.



    Once the quote stops generating clicks, it will stop.
  • Reply 6 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by marcusj0015 View Post


    What resolution will it be, and will it be 3D?



    Probably it will be the same as the new iPad retina screen resolution so apps will work well.
  • Reply 7 of 95
    Munster is only second to Shaw Wu on folks you don't trust as informed



    Also so what if Jonny has a prototype. He probably has a ton of prototypes of all kinds of things. Many of which probably never turned into products.
  • Reply 8 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by marcusj0015 View Post


    What resolution will it be, and will it be 3D?



    Given that we don't even know if it exists (and there's not much sense in it existing), we can't possibly answer that.



    In terms of a television, I wouldn't see Steve Jobs settling for anything less than Super Hi-Vision. And 3D's a worthless gimmick. Just like in the 50s. And in the 70s. And just like it will be in the 2040s.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz View Post


    Probably it will be the same as the new iPad retina screen resolution so apps will work well.



    A 4:3 TV? Come on, Connie, you can do better than that.
  • Reply 9 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    In terms of a television, I wouldn't see Steve Jobs settling for anything less than Super Hi-Vision.



    You'd think that. After all, Apple has support for high quality video on the pro side (e.g., the ProRes 4444 codec at 4K resolution), but on the consumer side, Apple has only delivered 720p HD through iTunes and AppleTV, below the maximum resolution that most HDTVs are capable of. So, I do see Steve Jobs settling for less, only because... he did.
  • Reply 10 of 95
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    You'd think that. After all, Apple has support for high quality video on the pro side (e.g., the ProRes 4444 codec at 4K resolution), but on the consumer side, Apple has only delivered 720p HD through iTunes and AppleTV, below the maximum resolution that most HDTVs are capable of. So, I do see Steve Jobs settling for less, only because... he did.



    I agree. It'd be 1080p- no more (what would a 4k tv cost.... Seriously).



    And I don't want an a6 ATV box. I want the tv- because I want all my other components (cable, Blu ray, DVR, and interface) built into it. If they revolutionize programming, the box would be one because the UI would be through that. But I still see that very unlikely- so just regular old cable with an incredible UI and remote would make me very very happy. TV please (and cable is fine for me because I need sports).
  • Reply 11 of 95
    Quote:

    Munster concluded his note by pointing out that Apple only enters mature markets in order to reinvent them.



    So smartphones, maybe.



    Personal computers in the 70's?

    MP3 Players in 2001?

    Tablets in 2011?



    Hardly "mature markets".
  • Reply 12 of 95
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Just give me an A6 Apple TV, Apple. You don't even need to change the terrible interface, just let me play stuff from hard drives connected directly to my AirPort Extreme without a computer ON and iTunes OPEN and I'll be happy.



    Yes. Which is what makes me think that if they are doing the whole TV, there must be some necessity involved, such as Steve's big interface idea requires it. Not simply that Apple likes to do the whole widget on principle.
  • Reply 13 of 95
    I cracked it way before Steve did. I'm just waiting to see what apple comes out with before I release BouncerTV! It's gonna blow your minds
  • Reply 14 of 95
    orlandoorlando Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Piper Jaffray projects that Apple could sell 1.4 million of the 106 million internet-connected televisions estimated to be sold this year.



    Considering the AppleTV sold something like 2.8 million last year, 1.4 million units for something that will cost a lot more than $99 seems rather unlikely.
  • Reply 15 of 95
    russellrussell Posts: 296member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by doctorwho View Post


    Quote:

    Munster concluded his note by pointing out that Apple only enters mature markets in order to reinvent them.



    So smartphones, maybe.



    Personal computers in the 70's?

    MP3 Players in 2001?

    Tablets in 2011?



    Hardly "mature markets".





    Did apple enter those markets or create them?



    What I think Munster was trying to say is "When apple enters mature markets, their goal is to reinvent them."
  • Reply 16 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Yes. Which is what makes me think that if they are doing the whole TV, there must be some necessity involved, such as Steve's big interface idea requires it. Not simply that Apple likes to do the whole widget on principle.



    I won't elaborate on the idea, and I now deplore that I already posted more details (of what I think aTV will be moving to) somewhere else, for fear of drawing further attention to what this "cracking" really will turn out to be.



    But I hope the current aTV with a proper upgrade has enough built-in (silent for now) capabilities to play this role, rather than Apple prematurely replacing aTV2 with yet another aTV3
  • Reply 17 of 95
    This is where that 97 billion dollars pile of cash will come in handy. All Apple needs to do is wave a couple billions in front of those TV executives and they'll be able to bring a la carte programming to the masses. Done deal.



    Steve Jobs mentioned the problem with the TV market is having a "Go to market" strategy. No matter how fancy your hardware is, it will not suceed without allowing users to pay only for channels they will watch. This is like the iPod and the 99 cents song all over again. Without being able to buy individual songs instead of the whole album, how well would the iPod have done?
  • Reply 18 of 95
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post




    Just give me an A6 Apple TV, Apple. You don't even need to change the terrible interface, just let me play stuff from hard drives connected directly to my AirPort Extreme without a computer ON and iTunes OPEN and I'll be happy.



    Doesn't the Apple TV use the A4 right now? The next one would probably use the A5 as its been behind the iPad and iPhone SoC by one generation before. And honestly, why would a simple media playback device need a quad core Cortex A9, the A5 can already decode 1080p.
  • Reply 19 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tipoo View Post


    Doesn't the Apple TV use the A4 right now? The next one would probably use the A5 as its been behind the iPad and iPhone SoC by one generation before. And honestly, why would a simple media playback device need a quad core Cortex A9, the A5 can already decode 1080p.



    Because of TV Apps.
  • Reply 20 of 95
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by marcusj0015 View Post


    What resolution will it be, and will it be 3D?



    I won't be 3D, and thank God for that. 3D is a gimmick that should be kept to once-a-year theater events.
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