Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider 
He sees Apple's so-called "smart TV" carrying a price as high as two to three times greater than competing LCD TVs. But he thinks Apple will be able to justify that price, and find success with consumers, with the company's brand, its "unmatched aesthetics, expansive digital ecosystem and overall quality."

He sees Apple's so-called "smart TV" carrying a price as high as two to three times greater than competing LCD TVs. But he thinks Apple will be able to justify that price, and find success with consumers, with the company's brand, its "unmatched aesthetics, expansive digital ecosystem and overall quality."
I'll be happy to be proven wrong, but I just don't see it. 95%+ of TV usage is sitting there watching the show, not interating with the TV. Yes, that other less than 5% of usage which is more interactive (scrolling through the guide, scheduling recordings, etc) could use a facelift and a touch of Apple's UI slickness. But would that really be worth a 2-3x premium over a regular TV price? Especitally considering that while the regular TVs UI might be ugly, it will likely get you access to a far greater choice of online content than Apple would allow on it's TV.
Not to mention that any TV from Apple would also have to work with set-top boxes from the cable and satellite companies, which is still the major source of content for most people. So you'll still be stuck with the ugliness of your provider's box's UI.
I think most folks would choose to add a $99 AppleTV box to their non-Apple HDTV vs paying a hefty premium for a TV wtih an Apple logo on it. Unless Apple has some revolutionary new content delivery up their sleeve, this would seem to be either a very niche product, or Apple would have to accept much, much slimmer margins than they are used to.










