Apple TV stocks dwindle, fuel speculation as to third-gen device on horizon

// February 13th, 2012 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Apple TV stocks dwindle, fuel speculation as to third-gen device on horizon: “

This is sort of out of nowhere, but it could lead to something interesting.

Per 9to5Mac, an upgraded Apple TV media hub might come sooner than thought after signs emerged that multiple stores ran low on stock. Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Radio Shack, and Target all show the device either as out of stock or taking weeks to ship. Apple and others do have supply, but it follows a pattern of third-party resellers usually running out first.

While it’s possible that there would be a temporary lull in stock, new tips suggest that the existing version may have been phased out. No more were shipping to Best Buy stores, a person at the retailer claimed.

Code references have been appearing that refer to a new Apple TV for the past few months, but little has emerged as to what it might be. With a full TV set unlikely in the near future, it’s more probable that any device, if it reaches stores, would be an A5- or A6-based update that could support 1080p video.

The timing follows some dwindling iPad 2 stock and raises the possibility that Apple may use an increasingly likely early March event to show both a new Apple TV and a new iPad at the same time.

Stay tuned and we’ll have details as soon as they become available.

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Did store spill beans on Apple TV?

// February 7th, 2012 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Did store spill beans on Apple TV?: “Best Buy wants to know if you'd pay $1,499 for a 42-inch, high-definition Apple TV which uses your iPad or iPhone as a remote control.

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Apple Sold 1.4M Apple TVs in Most Recent Quarter vs. 2.4M Sold in All of Fiscal 2011

// January 25th, 2012 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Apple Sold 1.4M Apple TVs in Most Recent Quarter vs. 2.4M Sold in All of Fiscal 2011: “Apple sold 1.4 million Apple TV set-top boxes in the Q1 2012 quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed during today’s earnings call. Cook also disclosed that Apple sold 2.8 million Apple TVs in all of fiscal 2011, so the last quarter’s results seem to represent a significance acceleration of sales for the product.

The current generation Apple TV was released at the beginning of fiscal 2011, which means Apple has sold 4.2 million 2nd Generation (iOS-based) Apple TVs in total. This is fairly impressive, especially considering Google’s set-top box efforts have fallen flat thus far. However, even with these numbers, Tim Cook still considers Apple TV a “hobby” simply because on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the device barely makes a dent in Apple’s earnings numbers.

Answering an analyst’s question about Apple’s living room plans for the future, Tim Cook dodged the obvious inference to an Apple-branded television set and instead noted:

We continue to add things to it, and I don’t know about you but I couldn’t live without it. We continue to pull the strings and see where it takes us.

In the past year, Apple has added support to Apple TV for the streaming service from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League, among others.

TV Industry Preparing for Voice Recognition Interfaces in 2012

// December 9th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

TV Industry Preparing for Voice Recognition Interfaces in 2012: “

Apple iScreen concept by Ciccarese Design
Businessweek reports on the movement towards voice-activated TV remotes in the coming year. The move seems triggered by Apple’s plans to enter the TV market in the near future. Steve Jobs said that he had finally “cracked it”, referring to the TV user interface. Most believe that this revelation relates to Apple’s Siri voice recognition system, and the industry is on the move:

Whether the rumors are true that Apple is planning to release a TV set by 2013, Siri-like voice recognition is headed for the living room. Microsoft (MSFT) is already there, via its Xbox 360 game console, and Comcast (CMCSA), Samsung Electronics (SHCAY), LG, and Sharp are working on voice-enabled features for TV sets, set-top boxes, and related products.

Businessweek suggests an voice command as simple as “Record the next episode of Modern Family” as a much needed improvement over the current solution. Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group goes on to say “Anything would be better than what we have now.”

Upcoming remote devices are said to look more like iPhones than traditional remotes, with possibly a single physical button to activate the microphone. Others are working to simply embed microphones around the living room and eliminating a physical remote altogether. Nuance suggests that 5% of TVs could be voice controlled by Christmas 2012.

We’ve previously reported about competitors “scrambling” to identify what an Apple television set might look like. The lead up is reminiscent to the large number of tablet plans from competitors in the months leading up to the original iPad launch.

Rumor: Upcoming Apple television sets to arrive in three sizes, including 32″ and 55″

// December 6th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Rumor: Upcoming Apple television sets to arrive in three sizes, including 32″ and 55″: “

It’s the rumors that help make life interesting.

Per Australian web blog SmartHouse, Apple’s full-fledged television set will arrive at the end of 2012 in three screen sizes, maxing out at 55 inches, a new rumor claims.

Citing sources in Japan, the web site reported this week that the new Apple television will also come in an entry-level size of 32 inches. It did not indicate exactly what screen size the third model would feature, falling somewhere between the low end with 32 inches and maximum size of 55 inches.

The report said it’s a “major Japanese company” that’s involved in manufacturing Apple’s rumored television set. Echoing previous claims, the report said that the Apple television will feature Siri integration, allowing users to control the TV set with their voice.

Powering the rumored television will be a new processor expected to debut in Apple’s third-generation iPad, which the publication said will arrive “midway through 2012.” Presumably that processor will be an “A6″ custom-built ARM-based CPU.

Apple’s anticipated high-end 55-inch model is expected to compete with “smart TVs” from established television makers like Samsung and LG. Those companies’ next-generation TV sets are expected to have new features like faster processors, a “combination of OLED display,” and “Super HD” from LG, the report said.

Rumors of an Apple television set have picked up steam since the release of the authorized biography of Steve Jobs. In that book, Jobs hinted to biographer Walter Isaacson that Apple was at work on a completely new device that would feature “the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

Reports have suggested that Apple’s anticipated television set could arrive as early as mid 2012, while others have seen Apple announcing it in late 2012 for an early 2013 sale date.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

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Speculation on Apple’s Television Set: Range of Sizes, Device Integration, Premium Pricing

// November 30th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Speculation on Apple’s Television Set: Range of Sizes, Device Integration, Premium Pricing: “Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has long been one of the strongest advocates for an Apple-branded television set, and with increasing claims of just such a product pointing to a launch as soon as the second half of next year, it seems that his persistent confidence in the idea may be panning out.

Keeping in mind that Munster does not have specific knowledge of Apple’s ultimate plans for its television sets, he does have ideas about what he thinks Apple will do with the product. Business Insider reports that he shared some of those ideas at a conference this morning, going as far as to recommend that anyone thinking of buying a TV wait until Apple shows its hand. Among Munster’s predictions:

– Full-fledged television set. Given that Apple seeks to streamline the user experience and its recognition that users don’t really want yet another set-top box, Apple will almost certainly be going for an all-in-one solution. But given that Apple does not currently offer a full suite of television content offerings, most users will likely not be able to cut ties to their cable or satellite providers. Apple’s TV will instead serve as an advanced interface that still draws upon the standard signal coming in from a cable box.

– Range of sizes and twice current pricing. Munster believes that Apple will introduce its television in a range of sizes, recognizing that customers have different needs. He also believes that Apple will price its television at approximately twice the prevailing market price of similarly-sized televisions. The price premium would cover the additional hardware and software necessary for integration with the Apple ecosystem while also preserving Apple’s high profit margins in a competitive market.

– Simplicity and Apple’s ecosystem. Aside from the rumored Siri voice-powered interface, Munster predicts that the Apple television will integrate with iOS devices and Apple’s content ecosystem for video, games, and apps, serving as another hub for digital entertainment tied into Apple. The interface will likely include a traditional remote control, but also iPad and iPhone apps for controlling the set’s features, as well as Siri voice control that seeks to remove much of the complexity of interacting with television sets. Users will simply be able to input or say “ESPN” to be taken to the sports channel rather than having to look up or remember the channel number.

In line with some of the other predictions and rumors, Munster sees the Apple television set making an introduction late next year, in time for the 2012 holiday shopping season.

Rumor: Apple television expected in mid-2012, initial production slated for February

// November 28th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Rumor: Apple television expected in mid-2012, initial production slated for February: “

Apple didn’t do the “Inc.” and “lifestyle company” change for nothing.

Per AppleInsider, commercial production of Apple’s anticipated television set is expected to begin in February at a Sharp plant in Japan, while competing HDTV makers are reportedly desperate to find out just what Apple plans to sell.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said in a note to investors this week that Apple is expected to partner with Sharp for TFT-LCD panels for its so-called “iTV.” Production is expected to begin in February at the company’s Gen 10 Sakai facility in Osaka, Japan, placing the television set in position for a mid-2012 launch.

Apple’s expected entrance into the television market is said to have sent other TV makers “scrambling” to identify what the features of the product may be.

“They hope to avoid the fate of other industries and manufacturers who were caught flat footed by Apple,” Misek wrote. “Having said that, it appears that mainstream TV manufacturers are likely to be at least 6 to 12 months behind in a best-case scenario.”

TV makers are said to be looking at Android as a potential option to counter Apple’s anticipated television set. In that scenario, the television market would act much like the current smartphone landscape, with manufacturers making the hardware and Google providing the operating system.

TV makers are said to be looking to Android because they lack the software and cloud capabilities Apple already offers. Earlier reports have also suggested that Apple will implement its proprietary voice recognition service, Siri, to allow controller-free navigation and further differentiate itself from current products on the market.

Rumors of an Apple television set picked up considerable steam with the release of the authorized biography of Steve Jobs. To biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs hinted at a completely new product that would feature “the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

In an interview published last week, Isaacson revealed that before he died, Jobs had three products he wanted to reinvent, with the television being first among them, followed by textbooks and photography. Jobs reportedly felt there was “no reason” for televisions to be as difficult to use as they currently are.

Misek’s timeframe for a mid-2012 Apple television launch is slightly more aggressive than some other rumors have suggested. For example, last month The New York Times forecast Apple to announce the product by late 2012, with it going on sale to consumers by 2013.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

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Competitors Already ‘Scrambling’ to React to Apple’s TV Plans

// November 28th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Competitors Already ‘Scrambling’ to React to Apple’s TV Plans: “AllThingsD reports on a new research note from Jeffries analyst Peter Misek suggesting that manufacturers are already “scrambling” to react to claims that Apple is preparing to enter the television set market. And rather than innovating on their own, competitors are reportedly focused on trying to identify what Apple will do to revolutionize the industry.

“Based on our discussions, interestingly other TV manufacturers have begun a scrambling search to identify what iTV will be and do,” says Misek. “They hope to avoid the fate of other industries and manufacturers who were caught flat footed by Apple.”

Misek notes that Sharp appears to be retooling an LCD production line to suit Apple’s needs, with mass production on the line reportedly targeted for February 2012. Such a development could put a product release sometime in the middle of the year. Previous rumors had claimed that Apple could announce its television set by late 2012 and launch the product by early 2013.

Whatever Apple’s plans are, Misek suggests that competitors will almost certainly be six to twelve months behind with their own offerings, giving Apple a significant advantage in the marketplace if it truly does offer a revolutionary new product.

Sony has been the most visible company seeking to head off Apple’s potential blockbuster entrance into the market, working to develop a “four screen” strategy across TVs, computers, tablets, and phones and investigating Web-based television services that would enable consumers to bypass traditional cable companies.

Apple has dabbled in television with its Apple TV set-top box and TV content available through the iTunes Store, but the company’s ultimate plans are said to be much more ambitious, involving actual television sets incorporating Siri functionality that premiered in the iPhone 4S. The company has also reportedly developed a “new technology” for delivering content to TV sets and has expressed interest in offering “best of TV” bundles of shows, although content providers have yet to agree to such a plan.

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Netflix uses 32% of Internet bandwidth

// October 28th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV, Weird or Interesting News

Netflix uses 32% of Internet bandwidth: “Despite recent troubles, Netflix is a major force on the Internet, accounting for 32.7% of peak U.S. downstream traffic, according to a new report.

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Apple Looking to Launch Siri-Enabled Television Set by 2013

// October 27th, 2011 // No Comments » // AppleTV

Apple Looking to Launch Siri-Enabled Television Set by 2013: “Apple is definitely building a television set, according to Nick Bilton the New York Times. The TV, which will include extensive voice control courtesy of Siri, could be announced as soon as late 2012 with a consumer release in 2013. Bilton quotes anonymous sources saying that an Apple television is a “guaranteed product for Apple” because “Steve thinks the industry is totally broken”, which is echoed by passages in Steve Jobs’ biography.

Bilton says the project has been in the works for years, perhaps as far back as 2007 (the year the iPhone launched and the company launched the Apple TV set-top box. As far as controlling the new set:

It’s the stuff of science fiction. You sit on your couch and rather than fumble with several remotes or use hand gestures, you simply talk: “Put on the last episode of Gossip Girl.” “Play the local news headlines.” “Play some Coldplay music videos.” Siri does the rest.

Of course this experience goes beyond just playing TV shows or the local news. As the line between television programming and Web content continues to erode, a Siri-powered television would become more necessary. You aren’t going to want to flip through file folders or baskets of content, checking off what you want. Telling Siri to “play videos of cute cats falling asleep” would return an endless YouTube stream of adorable napping fur balls.

Bilton firmly believes the television is coming, but says the company “still has quite a bit of work to do on the project”, citing the physical design of the TV in particular. He also cites the expense of the display itself, though those prices are falling rapidly.

In a bid to set aside the speculation about if an Apple television is in the works, the piece finishes simply, “it is coming though. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”

Apple television mockup courtesy Nick Bilton/New York Times

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