DigiTimes’ sources are involved in the supply chain, and have informed the publication that Apple is selecting parts to create 32 and 37 inch ‘Smart TV sets’ which will be released during the third quarter of 2012.
Suppliers are aiming to meet Apple’s demands by the end of the first quarter of 2012, which will result in the product going on sale between the end of Q2 (June) and the end of Q3 (September) next year. This would make sense, and could fit in nicely with an official product announcement at Apple’s WWDC event, which usually takes place in June.
Apple has already released two products under the name ‘Apple TV’, both of which were diminutive set top boxes, providing access to movie rentals, web video streaming and more. The products reportedly already in development are actual TV sets, with rumours suggesting that various ‘smart’ features will be added, potentially resulting in the current Apple TV box being integrated into HDTVs from Apple.
There have also been plenty of rumours suggesting that Apple will be putting its Siri voice controlled tech into TV sets in the future. If this happens, we could be telling our television to switch channels, turn up the volume and searching for online videos to stream. It sounds like an awesome idea to us, though we’re not entirely sure Apple will make this move.
Steve Jobs’ recently released biography by Walter Isaacson also contains hints that the late CEO had already made plans for a Smart TV to be released by the company – the main excerpt affirming this being;
“’I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,’ he told me. ‘It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.’”
We’ve heard a fair few rumours about an Apple Smart TV before, and coupled with Jobs’ quote from the biography; we’re inclined to say that this rumour is becoming a cert.
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Source: DigiTimes