Rumor: Apple may announce 'some sort of television product' as soon as November

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
It may not be a full-fledged television set, but Apple could announce some sort of TV-related product later this year with enhanced control functionality, a new rumor claims.

Apple TV


The details were shared by former TechCrunch reporter and venture capitalist MG Siegler on the latest episode of John Gruber's The Talk Show. In a segment toward the end of the show, first noted by Business Insider, Sigler said he's heard there's a possibility that Apple could announce an unexpected television-related product later this year.

"The latest things I've heard are some sort of television product ? not necessarily a television screen, but something ? could be coming as soon as this November," he said. "And I think there's some surprises there about what it could actually be. And I don't know for sure what it could actually be, but there's been whispers about? the interaction with it being the interesting thing."

Some earlier reports had claimed that Apple was working on a full-fledged television set with Siri voice controls. But Siegler suggested that voice control may be "out the window," and that Apple is working on "some new way to interact with whatever this thing is."

Rumors of an Apple television set have persisted for years, but picked up steam in late 2011, when biographer Walter Isaacson revealed that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had said he felt he "cracked" the secret to a simple television set. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook added fuel to the fire last year when he said in an interview that current television sets make him feel like he's "gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years."

Despite those comments, there haven't been any concrete rumors of an Apple television arriving this year. Still, some such as analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, a longtime proponent of an Apple television, have maintained their prediction that Apple will announce such a product this year.

In one of the more incredible rumors about an Apple television, Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets reported in April that he had heard from supply chain sources that Apple was planning to release a TV set with an "iRing" controller accessory this year. White claimed that Apple was working on a ring-shaped accessory that would allow a user to control their TV set by pointing their finger.

The company's current initiative is driven by the Apple TV set-top box, offering streaming content from iTunes and other sources like Netflix and Hulu. Apple has steadily added features to that product, and is even expected to enable live streaming television for Time Warner Cable subscribers in the near future.

The Apple TV hardware hasn't seen a major update since March of 2012, adding support for 1080p high-definition content with a faster A5 chip. That model was given a slight tweak earlier this year, when Apple quietly shipped an updated model with a slightly smaller A5 chip.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 68
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member


    ok, was hearing about it on stock trades chats.  thanks

  • Reply 2 of 68
    mhiklmhikl Posts: 471member
    I've never been taken by Apple producing its own television-the parameter such as sizes would swamp the Apple Store. Better to have some gizmo that either works with sets as they now sit, or a gizmo and some innards TV producers pay Apple to add to new sets.

    The remote? might be called HDULTA (hu-dool'-ta)~ How Do yoU Like Them Apples.:smokey:
  • Reply 3 of 68
    Hey, Gene Munster! Apple just might be getting closer to making your years long inaccurate television predictions a reality!!
  • Reply 4 of 68
    Yeah, MG Siegler "heard" all of those rumors from Munster. LOL!
  • Reply 5 of 68
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Some sort of TV product from Apple - the logical thing would be an Apple TV update, but perhaps a bigger one than usual, maybe with camera to enable gesture control.
  • Reply 6 of 68
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    My instinct says this is not happening this year. And my heart says I want this to be an actual TV.
  • Reply 7 of 68
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mhikl View Post



    I've never been taken by Apple producing its own television-the parameter such as sizes would swamp the Apple Store. Better to have some gizmo that either works with sets as they now sit, or a gizmo and some innards TV producers pay Apple to add to new sets.



    The remote? might be called HDULTA (hu-dool'-ta)~ How Do yoU Like Them Apples.image


     


    Personnaly, what I would do is make a few different size moniters that could receive an Apple TV "thunderbolt stick" device on the back.  The "brains" of the TV would be a stick so you can upgrade it later on. This would allows neat setups without a separate box.


     


    I would do the following monitors that could be used for both TV and the mac pro:


    27" retina IGZO 4K monitor


    40" 4k LCD/LED monitor


     


    I would wait for those panels to lower in price before introducing bigger size monitor.


    40" 4k IGZO monitor


    50" 4k IGZO monitor


    60" 4k IGZO monitor


     


    For current TV sets, I would continu to make a separate box like the current Apple TV

  • Reply 8 of 68
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post



    My instinct says this is not happening this year. And my heart says I want this to be an actual TV.


     


    I am hoping the current Apple Tv will get a major revamp this year, with gaming and TV features.

  • Reply 9 of 68
    Maybe it's the iController!
    A device that can be used as an AppleTV remote, but, when held sideways, can act as a game controller.
    Could be ....
  • Reply 10 of 68
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    The rumours on this seem to be backing themselves into a corner. They've already ruled out almost everything that's possible or makes sense in favour of what is coming across as some sort of "magic."

    It can only be disappointing when the assumed 6 dimensional portal enabled magic pony with bucket seats doesn't appear.
  • Reply 11 of 68
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post



    The rumours on this seem to be backing themselves into a corner. They've already ruled out almost everything that's possible or makes sense in favour of what is coming across as some sort of "magic."



    It can only be disappointing when the assumed 6 dimensional portal enabled magic pony with bucket seats doesn't appear.


     


    If we see an increase in resolution with the iphone 5s, imo this will be a hint that a bigger iphone is coming and that the iphone apps could be ported into the Apple TV. The 5s resolution could be a major spoil of upcomming hardware, especially if its 1080p

  • Reply 12 of 68
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    An interesting rumour - I hope there's some truth in it. I think Apple needs something more than iPhone/iPad/Mac and software updates this year - something to add a bit more zest to proceedings, a bit more excitement...maybe this is it?
  • Reply 13 of 68
    vl-tonevl-tone Posts: 337member


    Airplay dongle?

  • Reply 14 of 68


    Better not BE a TV… But a non-hobby Apple TV would kill everything.


     


    Originally Posted by iPadCary View Post


    Maybe it's the iController! A device that can be used as an AppleTV remote, but, when held sideways, can act as a game controller. Could be ....


     


    Yeah, it's called an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

  • Reply 15 of 68
    mytdavemytdave Posts: 447member


    I'm not holding my breath.

  • Reply 16 of 68
    mhiklmhikl Posts: 471member
    herbapou wrote: »
    Personnaly, what I would do is make a few different size moniters that could receive an Apple TV "thunderbolt stick" device on the back.  The "brains" of the TV would be a stick so you can upgrade it later on. This would allows neat setups without a separate box.

    I would do the following monitors that could be used for both TV and the mac pro:
    27" retina IGZO 4K monitor
    40" 4k LCD/LED monitor

    I would wait for those panels to lower in price before introducing bigger size monitor.
    40" 4k IGZO monitor
    50" 4k IGZO monitor
    60" 4k IGZO monitor

    For current TV sets, I would continu to make a separate box like the current Apple TV
    Good points. 2 sizes seems manageable. But think the loot AAPL could yank in if every manufacturer bought some proprietary innards and remote from Apple. Less cost and a lesser 'gambol' :) on Apple's part.

    Either way, 'Go Apple, Go!
  • Reply 17 of 68
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Better not BE a TV… But a non-hobby Apple TV would kill everything.


     


     


    Yeah, it's called an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.



     


    imo even an ipod touch is too expensive.  For a touch based TV controller I would used a pressure sensitive screen, so you can press and hold then release. They should design one especially for the TV and not relay on the ithings.


     


     


    and those are horrible game controllers for a game console. This is why they made a API for controllers with real buttons.

  • Reply 18 of 68
    Well, it could be the iRing remote controller Brian White "heard" about.

    This analyst, along with Gene Munster, have made it way too easy to get great laughs from the rumors that they have pushed out to the public.

    Amazingly, they have somehow managed to maintain enough credibility that allows them to continue pushing out garbage.

    I wonder why none of the interviewers ever ask them about how often they are wrong. :-)))
  • Reply 19 of 68
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by herbapou View Post


     


    I am hoping the current Apple Tv will get a major revamp this year, with gaming and TV features.



    We're always on the same page about this stuff herb.  I, too, am hoping for a revamped model.  Being a full-fledged set-top box would be fantastic (so I can drop those power hungry and hot Uverse boxes)

  • Reply 20 of 68
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member


    An Apple TV with 4K resolution and a blu-ray disc drive would be most appreciated. image

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