Foxconn Accelerating Sharp LCD Panel Orders to Launch Apple Television for Holiday Season?

In a new research note published today, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White points to a new report from Chinese business site 21cbh.com claiming that Foxconn/Hon Hai has accelerated its schedule for ordering television-sized LCD panels from Sharp, fueling speculation that the panels are destined for an Apple television set that could debut in time for the holiday shopping season this year. Foxconn and Sharp announced a partnership earlier this year to advance LCD technology, a move some observers have seen as closely tied to an Apple television set.

This morning, the Chinese character version of 21cbh.com indicated in an article that Hon Hai Precision expects to start receiving LCD TV panel orders from Sharp in 3Q12 instead of 4Q12 as was originally planned. Recall, Hon Hai invested in Sharp earlier this year to secure LCD panels that we believe will largely support a new Apple TV. Based on a recent interview by 21cbh.com with a Sharp executive and information from sources at the company, the online news source believes the order is for the new Apple TV and could be available for the holiday season. In our view, a holiday launch would make for a very merry holiday season for Apple and consumers. However, we will continue to monitor the data points surrounding the timing of this launch as they could change.

In his new note, White also reiterates his claims from earlier this month regarding Apple's use of Kinect-like motion sensing technology for controlling the forthcoming television set, with the device also including an iPad-like touchscreen remote.

apple tv 2012 interface
White continues to be one of the most optimistic analysts regarding Apple, maintaining his 12-month price target for the stock at $1,111. He believes that Apple could generate $10 billion in revenue from its television set in the first year, operating under the assumption that Apple's device will command a higher price than its competition's products and that the company will be able to grab 2% of the LCD television market in its first year.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...

Top Rated Comments

charlieegan3 Avatar
169 months ago
Need some new mockups, that picture is getting boring on every apple tv set story.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thenewyorkgod Avatar
169 months ago
Need some new mockups, that picture is getting boring on every apple tv set story.

I would be extremely happy if it looked something like this:



Or this:

Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MonkeySee.... Avatar
169 months ago
How forward looking, but I'm guessing that Apple will be a bit more conservative with an opening bid of 720p
Yes. Apple just upgraded iTunes to 1080p and the ATV3 box to 1080p to bring out a 720p tv set.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CindyRed Avatar
169 months ago
More ATV speculations...

Why is that whenever Apple looks into larger displays, it has to be a new AppleTV? Why not the more obvious answer of a new Cinema Display? After all, a new 4Kish display for Pro users and one to compliment the new MacBook Pro would make sense.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RobertMartens Avatar
169 months ago
Actually when 720p 49" display is viewed from a distance of 3 meters it has the adjusted dpi of over 300 which makes it qualify as a 'retina display'
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth.Titan Avatar
169 months ago
I still maintain that Apple has no cause to get into the very saturated television market. There's no way Apple can compete with existing sets pricewise, plus there's nothing they can do with their own brand television that they couldn't do with an add-on box like the AppleTV.

What about screen size? Are they going to have different options for different needs? We know how Apple has been historically about options, and you can't enter the television market with just one or two sizes available and expect to make everyone happy.

Even the hardcore Apple fans I know aren't going to run out and replace their televisions just because Apple starts making one, I don't care what "killer feature" it has. The TVs in my house are all doing the jobs they're intended to, and I'll only replace one when that changes. Not before.

I firmly believe that if Apple starts selling a television, it's going to be one of their occasional duds. I'm sure the tech will be impressive, I just don't think they're going to be selling them by the truckload like they're used to doing with iPhones and iPads. An Apple Television just doesn't make sense. I just don't think Apple can make any money off of it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)