We’ve heard Apple’s next venture into a new product would be into the TV market. Steve Jobs said he finally cracked whatever was holding the company back from diving in. That’s really as much as we know so far. It doesn’t mean we can’t speculate, though.
Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair spoke on the next version of the Apple iMac. The new computer would probably be available in the first half of next year and would include some TV functionality.
Jobs described the new TV to be an “integrated television set that would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud”. Is this what Jobs had in mind? An iMac with TV?
Brian Blair seems to think so:
“We think this makes sense because while we typically think about the newest TV’s hanging on the wall in large form factors, Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 42, 50 and 55 inch market. In short, we believe the initial Apple TV is their iMac computer that can function as a TV, over the iCloud platform.”
Apple’s first dive into the TV market was with their Apple TV device. I have the second-generation version on my TV stand now and I use it pretty often. I stream most of my content from my iOS device now. However, there are a few capabilities that would stop me from replacing my existing set with an Apple branded one. There are two that come to mind:
Size
I have the need for only one TV set in my home and that’s in the living room. The new Apple TV would have to replace my existing one and would have to match it in size. The report mentions the largest screen size would probably be in the 27 inch to 32 inch range. That won’t work for me. My existing set is 55 inches.
Connectivity
My living room entertainment center consists of my TiVo, Xbox 360, Surround Sound Receiver, Wii, Apple TV and my TV set of course. A new iMac with a built-in TV would only replace my Apple TV box (If it had all the required connections). That’s not enough for me to make the switch. Besides, I don’t need an entire OS X on my TV set.
If Apple is considering pushing their way into the TV market by introducing iMacs with TV capabilities, I’ll wait a few years until they design a true TV.
(via Forbes)
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