Rumors of a secret Apple TV set project have been really heating up over the past few months. Word on the street has been that the iPhone-makers are looking to jump into the TV-making business, and the company’s first entry could revolutionize the industry.
We’ve heard a few whispers regarding the set’s features, including multiple screen sizes ranging from 32-inches to 55-inches, Siri voice control, and deep AirPlay integration. And now we have even more details thanks to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ just published a massive article detailing everything it knows about Apple’s rumored TV set:
“In recent weeks, Apple executives have discussed their vison for the future of TV with media executives at several large companies, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the recent meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple’s technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs, people familiar with the talks said.
In at least one meeting, Apple described future television technology that would respond to users’ voices and movements, one of the people said. Such technology, which Apple indicated may take longer than some of its other ideas, might allow users to use their voices to search for a show or change channels.”
The article goes on to describe several other possible TV features, including a reverse-AirPlay like component that allows users to start watching media on the TV set, and then pick up an iPhone or iPad and continue watching the video on the go.
Apple’s television set is expected to heavily rely on its iCloud service for streaming media content, and the company is also said to be working on a cloud-based DVR (Digital Video Recorder). All of these things, obviously, would depend on approval by content providers.
“In meetings as far back as 2010, Mr. Jobs has met with a series of cable and satellite executives to discuss next-generation television services for Apple devices, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the questions Mr. Jobs asked in the series of meetings was how much of the universe of video content the providers actually had the rights to, according to a person familiar with the meetings.”
So, to recap, Apple’s TV set could be controlled with both in-air gestures (think Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect) and Siri voice controls, include cloud-based media streaming and DVR capibilities, and have advanced AirPlay integration.
While we’re usually skeptical about reports with sources “familiar with the matter,” The Wall Street Journal is considered a fairly credible source. If it’s right about this one, Apple’s rumored television is very much real, and we could see it drop as early as next year.