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Apple Television Set Rumors Revived, To Launch in 2011?

Tuesday June 21, 2011 2:23 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

DailyTech revives a long running rumor that Apple may be getting into the TV set business. (via 9to5mac) These rumors have been running for years with previous claims even specifying that Apple would release 42" and 50" Plasmas displays for sale in Apple Stores. Both Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook have dismissed the possibility of an Apple TV set before. In 2010, Cook responded to questions about the Apple TV set top box at a Goldman Sachs Conference:
Q: Where do you see things going with the Apple TV?
A: It's still a hobby, but our gut tells us there's something there. The go-to-market model is difficult, and we have no interest in being in the TV market. But we have continued to invest in the Apple TV and will keep doing so.
According to DailyTech, a "former Apple executive" has revealed that the company has entered into a partnership with an unnamed consumer electronics manufacturer to build Apple-branded television sets that will come with Apple TV and iTunes functionalities built directly into the television set.
According to source Apple plans to "blow Netflix and all those other guys away" by bundling Apple TV + iTunes inside physical television sets. According to the source Apple is teaming up with a major supplier (our guess would be Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEO:005930)), to provide the physical televisions, which will be rebranded as Apple television sets.
While the televisions would be manufactured by the partner company, they would be branded and marketed as Apple products. Apple is understood to be shooting for a fall release, although the debut may slip into early next year.

Apple's own Apple TV set top box has seen limited success since its launch with Apple describing the entire business as a "hobby". Selling an all-in-one solution could address one of the hurdles that Steve Jobs discussed when talking about Google's entry into the same market:
"Subsidized set-top boxes have squashed innovation because no one wants to pay for separate boxes...ask TiVo, Roku, us, Google in a few months. The set-top box needs to be torn up and redesigned to get people things they way they want them.
DailyTech hasn't been a recent source of Apple-related rumors, so it's hard to gauge their accuracy on the topic.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: dailytech.com
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
[ 224 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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Avatar
important
89 months ago
So let me get this straight - Apple can "barely" (by iOS device standards) sell the $99 Apple TV, but they are going to roll out actual TVs?

Not happening. Just keep adding features (*cough* apps *cough*) to the $99 ATV and they'll move.
Rating: 19 Votes
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appleguy123
89 months ago
I wouldn't want to buy a 2,000$ tv every time some new software feature I want comes out. That's the main reason I like the set top box idea.
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
Arcus
89 months ago
Blow Netflix away? Lets see, all I can eat streaming and as many DVDs as I can watch , mail and watch for $9.00 a month. Ya, good luck with beating that.
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
wordoflife
89 months ago
42 inch TV: Just $6999.

Jokes aside, I think Apple has the capability of producing some very nice TV sets (quality wise) as well as implementing a lot of features like built in WiFi ... hell, just throwing an Apple TV into that in general.
Rating: 12 Votes
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smakus
89 months ago
Samsung? Doubt it.

Samsung has their own app store built into their televisions, complete with Netflix app, etc.

For them to completely abandon that in favor of an Apple pairing... well, it just seems unlikely.

Apple selling televisions doesn't exactly sound likely either. And the only way Apple is going to put a dent in Netflix's progress over the last couple years is to offer all-you-can-eat subscriptions through iTunes. That won't happen. A lot of this stuff blowing in the wind is likely bunk.
Rating: 12 Votes
Avatar
esquared
89 months ago
No sense

So let me get this straight - Apple can "barely" (by iOS device standards) sell the $99 Apple TV, but they are going to roll out actual TVs?

Not happening.


Agreed, makes no sense whatsoever.
Rating: 10 Votes
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hansende
89 months ago
version 1 black and white
version 2 color
Rating: 10 Votes
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radiogoober
89 months ago
lol why would Apple want to "blow out Netflix"? Netflix is on the current AppleTV (and it rocks!)
Rating: 7 Votes
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Icaras
89 months ago

PLasma? you must be kidding. LED or LCD yes but plasma No


Kidding? Why? For proper movie viewing on a TV, Plasma screens are still king of the hill. Look it up, or better yet, visit avsforum.com and find out for yourself.

However, that said, I am inclined to believe with skellener. As better as Plasma screens are for viewing film content, Apple strikes me as the company to be more eco-friendly about it and if I had to guess, would probably go the LED route anyway.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Unggoy Murderer
89 months ago

Can't see the love between Samsung and apple to be honest, given their to and fro court battles?


Samsung wouldn't bat an eyelid at Apple asking them to supply any of their tech, all they care about is that Apple have billions to blow, and they could be on the receiving end of it.
Rating: 5 Votes

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