Foxconn Chief Reportedly Making Preparations for Apple Television Set [Updated]

China Daily briefly notes (via How To Arena) that Foxconn chairman Terry Gou directly addressed the topic of Apple's rumored television set yesterday at a news conference in Shanghai marking the start of construction on a new company headquarters facility.

siritv
Apple "iScreen" concept by CiccareseDesign

According to the report, Gou claimed that Foxconn is making preparations for Apple's television set, with its recent partnership with Sharp to push forward LCD display technology being one of those moves.

Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc's rumored upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin.

iTV reportedly features an aluminum construction, Siri, and FaceTime video calling

Foxconn's recent 50-50 joint venture factory with Sharp in Japan is one of the preparations made for the new device, Gou added.

Rumors of an Apple television set have been picking up steam since Steve Jobs was quoted in his authorized biography as noting that he had "finally cracked" how to create "the simplest user interface you could imagine" for a television set, presumably referring to Siri voice control.

Update: Foxconn has issued a statement to The Next Web officially denying that Gou made any such comments.

In remarks at a media briefing during the groundbreaking of Foxconn’s new China headquarters in Shanghai on May 10, Terry Gou, Foxconn’s Chief Executive Officer, made it very clear that he would neither confirm nor speculate about Foxconn’s involvement in the production of any product for any customer because Foxconn’s policy is not to comment on any customers or their products.

At no time did he confirm that Foxconn was in development or manufacturing stages for any product for any of its customers. He did say that Foxconn is always prepared to meet the manufacturing needs of customers should they determine that they wish to work with Foxconn in the production of any of their products. Any reports that Foxconn confirmed that it is preparing to produce a specific product for any customer are not accurate.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

HarryKeogh Avatar
155 months ago
Making preparations? More suicide nets?

Just kidding. I know the suicide rate per capita is lower at FoxConn than in China as a whole but never let facts get in the way of a tasteless joke.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
155 months ago
There is no way the Foxconn Chief could be that dumb to just blurt out upcoming Apple products.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chiefsilverback Avatar
155 months ago
There is a Nitch however. Most AAPL stuff starts off targeting a Nitch. No? :)
Niche...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marzzz Avatar
155 months ago
Where's the new MacBook Pros??? Besides, I have a perfectly good 63" TV now, I hope that Apple will come out with something that doesn't require replacing the entire system.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
155 months ago
I'm guessing it isn't about selling TVs. It's about selling content on the TVs.

I don't need to buy an Apple-branded television to access content.

I need Apple to shake down the whole infrastructure so I can buy TV shows directly from the producers. I don't want to pay for packages. I don't even want to pay for channels. I want to buy only the shows I want, and at 2$ per episode it's way too expensive.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iEvolution Avatar
155 months ago
No market for a TV with an Apple premium.

The TV market is packed full I cant imagine Apple overtaking the segment, especially with the Apple TV device.

SIRI isnt going to make me pay another 1000 for a TV.

The ONLY way the device has a chance to succeed is integration with iOS devices and AFFORDABLE programming.

The current itunes model is a rip off for both buying and renting.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...