Ever since hearing that Steve Jobs had “cracked” the TV industry, Apple fans have been waiting for the day the company would release an actual television set. For now, Apple has given us the Apple TV set-top box, but some analysts now believe that Apple is gearing up to deliver an actual television in the next few years. Ming-Chi Kuo today noted that an updated Apple TV box running on Apple’s new A7 processor is expected in 2014, with an actual television set to follow in 2015 or 2016. The prediction also includes a warning that Apple TV sales will be limited unless Apple can find a way to integrate new TV services and content.
We expect Apple to launch a new version of the Apple TV with an A7 processor in 2014, and we forecast 2014 shipments to total 8.2mn units. Shipment growth will be limited unless Apple is able to integrate more TV content, services and its App Store, in our view.
We believe the slowdown in Apple TV shipments suggests Apple faces challenges in integrating TV content and services. If Apple wants to launch iTV, the challenges of integrating content and service are more difficult considering the different TV content ecosystems (e.g. cable operators) in various countries. Moreover, establishing an iTV supply chain is very costly. Thus we believe iTV launch will be delayed to end-2015 or early 2016 at the earliest.
Gene Munster said today that he also believes we will see an Apple-created television set soon, though his estimate puts the release in 2014. Other analysts have previously said that 2014 will be the year of wearable devices and that the “iTV” has been pushed back to accommodate that change in direction.
For 2014, an updated set-top box with faster hardware seems much more likely. 9to5Mac previously reported that such an update is already in development. That’s not to say that Apple isn’t exploring a television set. Last year the company was granted a patent for a TV navigation system and DVR. Before that they were rumored to be investigating voice-controlled systems for controlling a TV with an iCloud-powered recorder, which they later patented.
All of these developments seem to corroborate the idea that Apple is indeed working on a television set, but don’t expect to see anything next year. Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction of a 2015-2016 release seems like a much more likely timeline.
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Ming chi kuo = woman
always changes his/her mind
*him
With m7 too hopefully!!!
Why, exactly, is a motion co-processor remotely useful on a set-top box?
Funny shit. Still very good news i hope the bring the app store already. I think in the future we will be playing BF5 on the apple TV :)
Now that’s kind of overkill. I could understand the A6. That would make a noticable kick in speed and since the Apple TV is merely a streaming media device and a ‘closed’ system without an App Store and doesn’t do anything other than stream media there is no need to jump to 64 bit processor and definitely the M7 that the first commenter hopes for would be a pointless addition, you aren’t going to run round the block with it, it sits stationary next to a TV.
If they do update to an A7 then expect them to add some sort of ‘gaming’ capability to the Apple TV, then it would be merely to allow easy porting of games from the App Store to the Apple TV by developers when they start writing purely for the 64 bit based processors and leave the 32 bit owners behind with ‘planned obsolescence’ which is what Apple are slowing moving towards anyway.
it MUST have it. It’s kind of a deal breaker
/s
Have you tried using ANY mobile device that is more that two years old with up-to-date OS/software? Computers age 15:1, mobile phone have got to be at least 30:1.
Point is: Give me an A7!!! I want that sucker to be an iPad Air without the battery and screen!
And the ability to READ FROM A FRIGGIN NAS!!! (or USB) haha I’m sick of leaving my Mac mini running just to watch “home movies” in the living room!
Why would Apple try to heard the cats together that is the status quo content providers like cable? Apple needs to create the marketplace for the content CREATORS to come to them directly with original programming a la the App Store model. Call it the iTV App Store or the like.
One area that is vastly under served is legitimate evening news that is not tethered to a political party. A news organization independent of political affiliation could be offered by subscription through the iTV marketplace for example. Whatever the content Apple has the scale of potential subscribers that content creators would experiment with original programming being offered by subscription through the iTV App Store. And of course Apple gets a % of the gross.
The examples are endless IMO where Apple’s iTV App Store could and would lure original content creators to their marketplace. Forget cable. In a few years time the old guard content providers will be courting Apple and not the other way around…
I fear the cost of entry to build a mobile app vs. ongoing cost of producing TV content undermines your argument of duplicating the success of iOS appstore on ATV – particularly for news production.
Roku has an independent marketplace for news and, Al Jazeera aside, it’s mostly very low production values of niche political viewpoints – barely another front for a YouTube channel.
Drama seems to be the way forward – Netflix, Amazon and Hulu original programming. HBO going over the top in the USA could tip the balance. But non of these are / will be Apple specific. Apple’s best option is to tie the ATV to their mobiles as remote – ala AirPlay / Chromecast.
YES. MORE. MORE. KEEP PUSHING THAT LAUNCH DATE BACKWARD! THAT’S THE TICKET. THE 2.5” IPHONE MINI WILL BE ALONG ANY DAY NOW.
These people need fired at worst, jailed at best.
Smells like 4K to me…
Any analyst that thinks an Apple Television will be called an iTV is an idiot. One of the biggest tv companies in the Uk has been using the name ITV for over 50 years. The uk may only be 65 million people but it is still a major apple market. Different name for the UK? Doubtful!
Yes would be funny if these same analysts thought that Apple would then be registering iTV as a trademark or itv.com as a domain – and a 7billion market capitalisation (oh yes there’s an ITV stock listing too)
No one cares about this argument. You’re completely and utterly wrong. There are many instances of Apple not giving a flying frick about existing trademarks on names, and even instances of Apple changing a product’s name for one country.
Do some homework before making a claim.
Then why didn’t they call it the iTV in the first place? the “i” stands for “internet” (at least it did for the original iMac!) There is also EyeTV from El Gato. I’m sure they would have loved to have been able to use iTV as well.
Cisco made the iPhone, but no one had heard of it before, and probably still have no idea what it was.
The iTunes Store used to be called the Apple Music Store, but Apple, Corp. slapped them with a lawsuit.
What other instance is there that Apple took someone else’s name?
>>Then why didn’t they call it the iTV in the first place?
Because in that timeframe they were moving non-mobile product names away from the ‘i-’ prefix.
>>The iTunes Store used to be called the Apple Music Store, but Apple, Corp. slapped them with a lawsuit.
The result of which having nothing whatsoever to do with the change from “iTunes Music Store” to “iTunes Store”, given that said store now sells books, movies, TV shows, and apps.
>>What other instance is there that Apple took someone else’s name?
There are a fair few more for services rather than physical products.
If only Apple would release an ATV SDK and roll out an app store. Right now the device is a decent buy in the US, but everywhere else the near total lack of local services makes it a complete waste of time.
A 4K 32″ iMac is as close to a full blown Apple TV anyone will ever see. Speculation and guesswork will keep the rumors alive and writers will be disappointed when Apple doesn’t release what they had imagined. Microsoft run Asus 2702 is a 27″ iMac with a TV tuner and subwoofer that allows simple connection for i type devices and plays bluray.
Why did we ever assume that having “cracked the TV industry” meant that Apple was releasing a TV. If we had heard that Apple had “cracked the cell phone industry” before the iPhone was released, would we have assumed they were going to release a feature phone?
Never happen, ever – period.
I think one thing that no one expects with the Apple TV, is moving towards a Chromecast style. I don’t think it’ll be a set top box, rather a dongle. They want to get people used to using the Apple TV as their main/only interface for a TV, so hiding the device behind the TV means people stop mentally separating the two devices, people stop pointing the remote at the set top box and start pointing it at the screen, people start to forget about the tech – which has been apples goal from day one.
“Ever since hearing that Steve Jobs had “cracked” the TV industry, Apple fans have been waiting for the day the company would release an actual television set.”
So you mean October 25, 1993?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_TV
All kidding aside. I really don’t see Apple making their own television. The market is flooded already, and they wouldn’t make one cheap enough to justify over any other TV. Look at the cost of Apple Cinema Displays vs other manufacturers. Sure they off a few extra proprietary ports and they look gorgeous, but I got THREE MonoPrice 27″ IPS 2560×1440 displays for the $1200. THE SAME EXACT PANEL that Apple uses in their ThunderBolt Display. They also don’t refresh product lines fast enough to keep up with the others. Also, “Smart TVs” are just barely getting to the point where they can run apps at a tolerable speed. AppleTV might not be the fastest anymore, but it sure is the most familiar and easiest to use. I love that all of the apps have the same feel to them. I think everyone would agree that they would much rather keep the same $X,XXX TV for many years, and upgrade their $99 content device every other year (or so).
I welcome “Game Store” integration. Give me the 16/32/64/128Gb options. Let the developers come up with cool games to take advantage of this technology. (App Store as well)
The most we can hope for as far as actual television from the AppleTV is an “XBoxOne” type HDMI input with a channel guide. They will never put a TV tuner in there. That would mean they have to put a cable card slot, but what about people with a dish?
We’re all hoping for Siri integration and possibly a FaceTime camera. These are both long over-due honestly. And yes, there are PLENTY of people that would LOVE to FaceTime on the big screen. Especially if you can split-screen with another app. (not that I’m expecting SPLIT-SCREEN from an iOS device!)
If they can deliver XBox One level integration with TV without the $500 price tag, I’m sold. And so would many people who are not the “hard-core gamer” type.