There hasn't quite been this much hype, intrigue, and mystery around an Apple product since the first
iPad.
We're speaking, of course, about Apple's TV set. A device that began as
a twinkle in an analyst's eye, and has since ballooned into what just about everyone expects Apple to roll out as its next major flagship product.
But where are these rumors coming from? How have they changed? And most importantly, how are you supposed to keep up with them? CNET's rounded down all the major ones below, a document we plan to keep lovingly updated as more tidbits make their way out. (Editors' note: This story was originally published on May 7, 2012. It has been regularly updated since then.)
December 12, 2012Apple TV is in 'early stage of testing,' report says It's not a formal project yet, but Apple and suppliers Sharp and Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) are trying out designs for a large-screen, high-resolution TV, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper's sources say that Apple has been testing television set prototypes "for a number of years."
December 11, 2012Apple TV? You're ready to pay extra, analyst says Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty tells investors that consumers would be willing to pay a 20 percent premium on an Apple-made television, and that there's twice as much interest in purchasing such a unit versus Apple's mobile devices. That's based on the findings of a research survey the firm did, polling users on possible
Apple TV scenarios.
December 6, 2012Apple TV hinted at by CEO Tim CookIn an interview with NBC, Apple CEO Cook notes that the TV experience in his own living room is like having "gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years," and that "it's an area of intense interest," for the company. It's not the first time Cook's been grilled over the company's own living room plans, but one of the first times Cook has said that Apple is eyeballing ways to improve the TV experience.
November 28, 2012Time Warner CEO wants Apple to make a TV Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes tells attendees at a Business Insider conference he'd be very interested in Apple making a TV set, highlighting Apple's "great" devices as a good example of what could be done in the TV arena.
November 20, 2012Apple TV won't debut until late 2013, says analyst Somewhat rebutting a report from Jefferies & Co., Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster tells investors not to expect an Apple TV until late into 2013, specifically in November to match up with the holiday shopping season. Munster says the set would likely retail for $1,500 to $2,000 and be somewhere in the 42-inch to 55-inch range.
November 15, 2012Analyst: Apple TV launch is 'imminent'In a note to investors about cable technology company Arris Group, Jefferies & Co's James Kisner says the firm has heard rumblings from industry contacts that at least one major cable operator has been doing some tests to see if it can handle the extra bandwidth of an Apple TV set, suggesting its release is just around the corner.
September 6, 2012No new Apple TV this year, report saysWith negotiations still in flux, Apple has no plans to put out a TV set or a new set-top box, says Bloomberg. In a report that cites anonymous sources, the outlet says Apple is still trying to work out deals with content companies and cable providers to decide who gets to sell the device: cable operators or Apple.
August 15, 2012Apple TV could double as cable box, report saysCiting "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal says Apple has been in talks with cable operators in the U.S. to pitch its $99 set-top box as an alternative to the cable boxes that cable subscribers rent. The report suggests no deals have yet been made toward that goal but that Apple has at least talked with cable provider Time Warner.
Apple's DVR patent.
(Credit: USPTO)August 14, 2012Apple gets a patent for an Apple TV cable boxOK, so patents don't always lead to products or product features, but boy is this one interesting. Apple has been granted a patent that shows content playing while a user pulls up a menu that shows what's playing on other channels. The company originally filed for the patent in late-2006. Then there was no way to watch live TV channels on an Apple TV set-top box. And there still isn't.
An Apple TV software development kit?
(Credit: Apple)June 8, 2012Apple TV to get its own SDK with apps to follow, report saysAdding to its previous claims of newly updated Apple TV software at WWDC, Boy Genius Report says Apple will offer a full-on software development kit for the platform. Said SDK would let developers build apps for the set-top box, just like they could for iOS and the
Mac.
May 30, 2012New Apple TV OS to debut at WWDC, report saysMobile tech blog Boy Genius Report says Apple will unveil an updated version of its Apple TV operating system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference that includes a feature to let the set-top box control third-party hardware.
May 25, 2012Apple TV slated to debut in December?Apple could have its TV set ready by December, with it ready to ship in early 2013, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. In the same note, Munster said the set would cost between $1,500 and $2,000 and run the gamut from 42 to 55 inches.
May 14, 2012Foxconn refutes claim it's making Apple TV setsApple manufacturing partner Foxconn says its chief executive made no such mention of working on an Apple TV set at a news conference in Shanghai, and that any reports otherwise are inaccurate. In a statement, the company said that chief executive Terry Gou "made it very clear that he would neither confirm nor speculate about Foxconn's involvement in the product," and that it was the company's policy not to talk about what it was working on for any customer.
HDTV maker Loewe surges, even as it nixes Apple rumorIt was an unconfirmed rumor and Loewe has said there's "absolutely nothing" to it. But considering Apple's penchant for secrecy and its efforts to keep past acquisitions out of the spotlight, Loewe shareholders are seemingly not so sure they can trust the company's dismissal.
Apple's third-generation Apple TV set top box arrived in early March, bringing 1080p with it.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)May 7, 2012Apple HDTV prototype spotted, blog claimsCult of
Mac says it has a source who has seen Apple's rumored television, which apparently looks like a large Apple computer display, has built-in iSight, and makes use of Siri. There's even a picture! Well, OK, a mockup.
May 3, 2012Apple TV set may not launch until 2014, says analystJ.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has some bad news for those expecting an Apple-made TV set sometime in 2012. In a note, Moskowitz said that the "economics of the TV industry are strained," and that Apple was not going to hop into the crowded market until it could garner better margins.
April 27, 2012Apple TV set chatter heats up with rumored content talksAccording to Reuters, movie channel Epix -- a joint venture of Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM -- has been in talks with Apple to bring its content to Apple's digital stores. The interesting tidbit, Reuters says, is that Apple's been pitching a deal that would bring the content beyond its $99 set top box, and to "upcoming devices that stream content."
April 5, 2012Apple's iTV: Will it be called iPanel?In a note to investors, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek says the expected television from Apple will be "far more than a TV." Misek added that the device would be called the "iPanel."
"We now believe the iTV could be called 'iPanel' as it is far more than a TV; it is a display, gaming center, media hub, computer, home automator, etc," he said. "Also, Apple would likely have difficulty getting naming rights from the UK TV network ITV."
February 6, 2012Canadian telecoms vie to become Apple TV launch partnerCable companies Rogers Communications and BCE have been in talks with Apple to be the launch network for Apple's TV set, says The Globe and Mail. Citing multiple unnamed forces, the outlet added that both companies already have the product in their labs for testing.
Apple TV for $1,499? Would you buy it?A Best Buy customer survey asks the question of whether a 42-inch Apple HDTV would sit well at $1,499. The survey mentions that the device would have iOS and be able to buy and play apps and games from the App Store. It would also be hooked up to iCloud to store movies, TV shows and music. Other features include iSight cameras and microphones. The next day, Best Buy
said that survey was "hypothetical."
January 31, 2012Apple reportedly scouting TV display componentsIn a note to investors, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster mentions speaking to "a major TV component supplier who has been contacted by Apple regarding various capabilities of their television display components." Adding to that, Munster says meetings in Asia suggested the company was scouting investments on LCD technology between 3.5 to 55-inches.
January 4, 2012The 50-inch Apple TV set rumor re-emergesIn a report about Apple's rumored TV business, USA Today cites an unnamed source who worked at Apple who said that "Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi." That same source said Apple VP of industrial design Jony Ive already had "a slick 50-inch TV" in the company's design studio.
December 18, 2011Voice-controlled Apple TV in the works?Apple executives have reportedly been in talks with media executives at several companies, says the Wall Street Journal. The report added that Apple's working on a technology that can identify users on devices like phones, tablets and TVs. Further out is technology that would let users change channels and search for content with their voice (presumably using Apple's Siri voice assistant), the Journal's sources said.
December 1, 2011Apple TV sets will be mighty pricey, analyst saysTalking to attendees at Business Insider's Ignition conference, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster suggested that if Apple's TV will cost quite a bit more than standard TV sets. The example given was an $800 set, which Munster said would run customers $1,600. There would, however, be several choices and configurations to pick from Munster offered.
October 25, 2011iTunes creator working on Apple TV, report saysThe person leading Apple's internal TV efforts is the same one who helped create iTunes and develop the iPod, according to Bloomberg. Citing multiple sources, the outlet reported the Jeff Robin, Apple's vice president of consumer applications had a prototype in the works.
October 24, 2011The 50-inch Apple TV set rumor re-emergesApple's TV set will be 42-inches or larger with built-in Wi-Fi according to an unnamed Apple source who talked to USA Today. That same source said Apple VP of industrial design Jony Ive already had "a slick 50-inch TV" in the company's design studio.
July 25, 2011Rumor: New Apple iDevice to be 55-inch OLED TVAccording to a "Hollywood lawyer" interviewed by online lifestyle outlet Smarthouse, Apple's been in talks to get the rights for U.S. TV shows. That same source said that the TV would feature OLED screen technology, hang in the 55-inch category, and launch sometime in 2012.
July 11, 2011Analyst: Apple ripe for HDTV and 'Genius Squad'In a note to investors, UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um offers up that Apple could expand its tech support offerings with the help of a TV set. Um suggests that Apple's in a good position to boost its market cap by anywhere from $50 billion to $100 billion by getting into the business of making and selling connected TV sets. Um cites growth in both the flat-panel TV market, as well as Internet-connected set-top boxes, adding that Apple could expand its Genius Bar support services with a paid element to help the customer get it set up back at his or her home.
(Credit: Apple)June 23, 2011Analyst: iCloud linked to Apple's TV ambitionsPiper Jaffray's Gene Munster says Apple's iCloud will be the key to Apple's television efforts. "Apple's iCloud service for media storage makes it simpler to own multiple Apple devices and share content among them," Munster wrote in a note to investors. "At first the only media iCloud will store is music and pictures, but we believe Apple may add movies and TV shows purchased or rented in iTunes to the iCloud service, which could be viewed on a TV."
April 13, 2011Report: Apple TV set could be coming this yearIn a note to investors, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White said that Apple was moving towards offering a TV set of its own "at a faster pace than the market expected," and could have that product launch by the end of the year.
February 18, 2011Job listing hints at work on Apple TV setA new job listing says the company's looking for people who know about power supply for, among other gadgets, televisions. Could the Apple TV finally be ready to morph into an Apple-branded television?
January 3, 2011Will Apple release a TV by end of 2012?Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster sent a note to investors saying Apple would be in the TV market by the end of 2012. "While Apple's commitment to the living room remains a 'hobby,' we continue to believe the company will enter the TV market with a full focus, as an all-in-one Apple television could move the needle when connected TVs proliferate," Munster said.
