The latest rumor that appeared in recent weeks about Apple’s expected entry into the TV market is exactly this: According to a prominent Apple analyst, Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray (the same guy who announced Apple’s TV for Christmas 2012) Apple will introduce the new TV in November 2013, just in time for next year’s holiday shopping season.
Although Apple’s goal of offering à la carte TV programming is viewed as “unlikely,” some of the features made popular on the iPhone and iPad could be headed to a big-screen TV set spanning between 42 and 55 inches.
In the note, republished on the Apple Insider blog, Munster said that the 47-inch set will cost $1,500 and the 55-inch model $2,000. A key selling point for the Apple-branded TV will be its ability to connect with a variety of other devices, including iPads and iPhones. The TV will feature FaceTime video chatting and Apple’s Siri voice assistant. Munster also expects it to come with unbundled channel options.
Recently, investment bank Jefferies & Co claimed that the company was already putting the finishing touches to its TV set. At the end, all that could be established was that Apple had been in contact with a number of cable operators about a TV-related product.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which was the first news source to correctly predict the iPad Mini – this product is most likely to be a reimagining of Apple’s Apple TV. The device currently allows users to wirelessly stream content from any Apple device to their TV but the Journal believes that an all-new model is in the pipeline that will act as a set-top box complete with iPad-style navigation and interface and the ability to pause and rewind live TV broadcasts.
And while many have predicted an Apple TV for some time, the market continues to see rapidly falling prices, making entry for a high-end product potentially risky. We’ll see whether it will have an impact on Apple’s plans and whether Munser lie to us once again.
