iTV

Gullible analyst says no iTV this year because Apple finds 4K display too costly

An analyst with a terrible track record wrote in a note to clients issued Tuesday that Apple won't release a standalone HD TV set in 2013 after all. As much as Apple wanted to, the report has it, the company has allegedly found ultra high-resolution 4K panels to be prohibitively expensive.

You should take this particular analyst's observations with a healthy dose of skepticism: the same guy called for an Apple-branded HD TV announcement at last year's WWDC, later mulling full iTV production for August 2012. He repeatedly said iTV was "imminent" (calling it the iPanel), having also missed with an Apple TV related media event (and a bunch of other things that never came to be)...

What if iWatch isn’t actually an Apple smart watch, but an aptly named TV?

As we entered 2013, the rumor mill has been increasingly churning out speculative reports regarding Apple's rumored TV set and smart watch projects, almost on a daily basis. Even Bloomberg joined the frenzy with claims that Apple has as many as a hundred product designers working on a wearable smart watch-like computer that "may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad." But here's the kicker: what if this group is instead working on a television set - fittingly referred to as an iWatch?

iTV could use LG Display’s OLED panels

LG Display, a major Apple supplier that makes high-resolution screens for the iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and redesigned iMacs, plans to allocate more than 706 billion won, or approximately $656.7 million, toward building organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for high-definition television sets by the end of June 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal. The investment will allow LG Display to make some 26,000 sheets per month for customers seeking 55-inch or larger television screens.

It was recently revealed that Apple hired LG Display's OLED expert Dr. Jueng Jil Lee. Another clue: Apple already holds several patents involving flexible OLEDs, OLED based BLUs for LCDs, OLED control schemes and others...

Apple seeking someone to help deliver next-gen Apple TV features

An interesting new Apple job listing has been spotted, indicating that Apple has "high-priority" next-generation Apple TV features in development. That's an interesting choice of words considering Apple continuously refers to its $99 set-top box as a hobby business. And with recent talk of Apple about to update the Apple TV platform this fall with a software development kit for third-party apps and games, all of the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall nicely in place...

Apple (again) mentioned in a rumored Loewe takeover bid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g19rj1gTcjQ

In a déjà vu moment, Reuters this morning reported that shares of the German luxury TV maker Loewe surged 33 percent on renewed talk of a possible acquisition by Apple. The news gathering organization quotes a trader who claims Apple supposedly wants to bid 4 euros a share for Loewe, or approximately $5,28 a share, a 40 percent premium above the company's closing price on Tuesday.

Loewe's current market cap sits at 53 million euros, or about $71 million. With its $137 billion cash mountain, Apple could buy Loewe outright without blinking. Nearly one-third of Loewe, or 28 percent, is owned by Sharp, an Apple supplier that was involved in the Apple television rumor last summer...

Analyst sees Apple TV media event in March (update: nope)

Apple could be holding an Apple TV-related media event next month, according to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek. Despite the mounting rumors that Apple is working on a standalone television set, channel checks led the analyst to believe that the assumed event will serve as a launchpad for a software development kit allowing programmers to write third-party applications for Apple's $99 set-top box, something a lot of people have been clamoring for...

iWatch, iTV: an $80 billion opportunity

The iWatch, a rumored Apple smart watch, and the iTV, a rumored standalone Apple TV set, may be just vapourware for the time being, but that's not stopping analysts from guesstimating what the two gadgets might contribute to Apple's bottom line.

Per analyst Katy Huberty, assuming annual sales of 50 million units and an average selling price between $200 and $300, the iWatch could drive an incremental $10 to $15 billion in revenue, or $2.50 to $4.00 in per-share earnings, each year. Dick Tracey's futuristic wrist watch has nothing on it...

Californian tech industry insiders claim summer iTV launch is ‘a certainty’

Watchers and analysts alike are increasingly expecting that Apple will reveal its cards at its upcoming developers conference, WWDC, this summer. First, a set of dubious images made rounds this morning, allegedly depicting the iPhone 5S on an assembly line and hinting at a likely summer launch.

However, eagle-eyed bloggers were quick to point out a few glaring inconsistencies, eventually debunking these spy shots as depicting an iPhone knock-off. Then an analyst said a cheaper iPhone model was due in June and now another report claims an Apple-branded television set is coming this summer...

Munster (again) sees Apple shipping iTV and new remote in 2013

You gotta give it to Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, arguably for years the most vocal proponent of a full-fledged Apple television set. Speaking to Bloomberg today, Munster re-iterated his belief Apple is working on releasing a standalone television set in 2013. His thinking is apparently based in checks with Apple's suppliers and he also sees the Cupertino firm shipping an intelligent remote that, in his mind, should be an important part of the rumored iTV...

Apple gains 4% ahead of CES and a smart watch

If you are just shaking off the holiday headaches, just think of Apple. After taking a drubbing from Wall Street analysts worried about everything from the fiscal cliff to too few (or too many) sales of iDevices, the iPhone maker woke up this morning to its stock actually up. After rising 4 percent in early morning trading, AAPL shares remain positive. Why the better performance, after being jostled around like a visitor to Time Square on New Year's Eve? Apparently, it has to do with next week's CES and talk that Apple could create an iWatch...

NPD: consumers find current ‘smart’ TVs a little too smart

The year is now 2013, and according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, Apple is going to release a new television product in the next 6 months. Of course, you can't always believe what analysts say. But you can't always ignore them either.

The 20+ year senior researcher believes that Apple's TV device will feature a completely rebuilt remote control and a UI that makes finding content a lot easier than current solutions. And judging by data from a new NPD survey, it would be a hit...

Samsung teases new TV launch at CES 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAV-Kkq-GtY

While the iTV rumors have continued unabated right throughout 2012, little concrete supply chain leads do we have of Apple building a full-blown television set. Meanwhile, the sunset of Japan's television business and ongoing struggles of Sharp, Sony and Panasonic combined have paved the way for the rise of new competition from South Korea, chiefly Samsung Electronics whose Smart TV sets have taken over the entire television market by storm. And as Apple is pondering its next move, its frenemy is building up on the CES 2013 hype with a teaser that promises a new TV launch...