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Darien Red Sox

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2010
216
7
CT, USA
It makes absolutely no sense for Apple to manufacture and sell its own TV. Apple has called the Apple TV a "hobby", but we are now to believe that Apple has all of a sudden taken the "hobby" Apple TV and turned it into a full-fledged television, ready to take on Samsung, Sharp, Sony, LG, Panasonic, etc.? Keep smoking…
If :apple: builds both the TV set will capture the market of the people who don't like the site of another box sitting next to there TV. They will be willing to pay more.
 

DakotaGuy

macrumors 601
Jan 14, 2002
4,226
3,791
South Dakota, USA
Competitive prices won't matter. They won't go after the mainstream market, nor will they sell anything that they don't make a huge profit.

The loyalists will gladly buy a new tv every few years because theirs is not upgradeable.

Now people will buy tv's like they do phones.

Like just about everything Apple touches I predict an iTV will sell like crazy even if it's priced hundreds more then a comparable TV. People gotta have that Apple logo and will pay anything to get it.

Apple would be smart to price it high and create a frenzy where people feel like they can't live without it.
 

ILikeTurtles

macrumors 6502
Feb 17, 2010
320
2
I say - 100% BS.

I'm so tired of these analysts making predictions about Apple just to keep their name in print.

Truth is - you can visit any local fortune teller and get the same predictions these "analysts" give.
 

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
Also, for what it's worth, I really think that an Apple TV set will launch alongside a revamped "non-hobby" AppleTV box. (Both the TV and the box having full cable-compatibility built in, thus differentiating them from past AppleTV boxes. That's the "non-hobby" part.)

I bet the plan will be to sell 10% TVs and 90% boxes, with the TVs being the flagship "come and see it!" item in the stores.

Kind of like how the iMacs are real impressive-looking even though most people just buy Macbooks.

I like the box idea, but I think your imac analogy is flawed. In no way is it touted as a flagship product. It's there for people who want to buy a desktop with a large display, but it typically doesn't get the attention given to their notebook sales. While the imac may get an updated design, I see it as a parallel offering rather than a flagship one. I don't even think you need a specific set unless some of the hardware implementations are difficult without it. Beyond that I have difficulty considering the credibility of a source that cites trademark owned by another company (iTV).

I'm mixed about this.

Apple loves to stop updating software for hardware after just a few years typically.

For example, my late 2007 MacBook can't get mountain lion and my older Apple TV from 2008 didn't get the new interface or airplay. But both function great and have been left behind by Apple.

It varies. Other vendors don't necessarily provide certified driver updates and things for that long. If you were running Windows, it's likely that some of that hardware would not have updated drivers. These things are eventually desupported at the component manufacturer level. I don't think it makes sense to do this with a television as opposed to selling a box. I'm not sure what they'd add that would need to be implemented specifically as a set.
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
They're probably going to wait a few years so they can dub it a "retina" tv, because you know, everything needs to be retina.

I think they will and I don't think they have to wait.

A 3840 x 2160 TV would be the classic "we doubled the pixels each way" move that they've done to the iPhone and the iPad.

They've already sold a 30" 2560 x 1600 display in the past. Would putting 3840 x 2160 into 50" this many years later be impossible?

I honestly don't think an Apple TV is coming this year, but if they ever do actually do it, I think this is absolutely what they'll do.
 

wkadamsjr

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2010
282
62
Finding this hard to believe, even as far as rumors go. I hope it's the best thing ever and comes out this year, but seems like too much, too soon. I'm expecting to hear murmurings of a BREAKTHROUGH with content providers, whether it's cable providers or TV studios before this happens. Not rumors of "talks". I'd like to be wrong, though. :D

THIS. We have heard nothing about the content provider rumors. When iTunes Match was being discussed, we seemed to get a rumor every time one of the four major label companies came to an agreement with Apple. Here, we have none of that.

I suppose Apple could come to agreements within a few months, but I think Q1 next year is far more likely, assuming this thing is already in production - which I doubt.
 
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gugy

macrumors 68040
Jan 31, 2005
3,890
5,308
La Jolla, CA
Better be an amazing TV because I am pretty satisfied with my Pioneer Elite 60" and have absolutely no plans of upgrading it for years to come.

I am so skeptical of seeing Apple going into the TV set business. I would much rather seeing them creating a killer ATV box and a new content distribution system than another TV set.
 

b166er

macrumors 68020
Apr 17, 2010
2,062
18
Philly
I just bought a new TV after years of not owning one. I had never owned a flatscreen until this summer. I know maybe my case is unique (I went years without a TV) but I think people just tend to shop around and wait when it comes to TV's. I'd love to see what Apple has been working on. I think we can all assume that a product like this can not rely on the customer upgrading every year or two like we do with phones and tablets.

Also it's kind of lame that their desktops have gotten no attention lately but we are hearing about an iPad mini and a TV.
 

2bikes

macrumors 6502
Mar 9, 2012
420
4
I say - 100% BS.

I'm so tired of these analysts making predictions about Apple just to keep their name in print.

Truth is - you can visit any local fortune teller and get the same predictions these "analysts" give.

Yes but analysts job is to predict these events close enough so the investors that give their money to these analysts can make more money. Of course there is the element of speculation. So it is not as simple as reading a palm. When there is millions of dollars at stake, these analysts are under different conditions than fortune teller.

Plus where do you think the fortune teller gets their info from? :)
 

DakotaGuy

macrumors 601
Jan 14, 2002
4,226
3,791
South Dakota, USA
3840 x 2160 TV would be the classic "we doubled the pixels each way" move that they've done to the iPhone and the iPad.

Problem is who has native 3840x2160 content? Upscaling current 1920×1080 is going to introduce a lot of artifacts and won't be a huge improvement.

If Apple does offer native 3840x2160 content how long is that going to take to download and if a person has data caps from their ISP how quickly will they burn through them? Just things to think about because you would think the file sizes would be HUGE.
 

wkadamsjr

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2010
282
62
As others have pointed out, it would be insanely stupid for Apple to only release this technology in a TV. They have to put it in a set top box if they want any kind of adoption.

So you don't want to eliminate your cable box? Why wouldn't you want less cables and clutter if your Apple TV works with your cable provider? Assuming the price is right, of course.
 

DakotaGuy

macrumors 601
Jan 14, 2002
4,226
3,791
South Dakota, USA
I had never owned a flatscreen until this summer. I know maybe my case is unique (I went years without a TV) but I think people just tend to shop around and wait when it comes to TV's.

Up to this point yes, however if Apple does introduce a TV people will be lined up with Credit Cards in hand no matter the price.
 

bharatgupta

macrumors regular
Feb 28, 2012
156
0
How can the stockroom of an apple store handle dozens of 50-60 inch LCDS?

How will the customer carry said TV from the interior of a mall to their car way out in the parking lot?

store for display, orders online
 

Patriot24

macrumors 68030
Dec 29, 2010
2,813
805
California
So you don't want to eliminate your cable box? Why wouldn't you want less cables and clutter if your Apple TV works with your cable provider? Assuming the price is right, of course.

I would love to eliminate my cable box, but the reality is that I'm probably not going to wait forever to buy a new TV to replace the old one I have or buy/sell TVs like I do iOS devices.

Besides, I thought the whole point was to do away with the current cable box and have the Apple box as the only one that does everything (except play Blu-rays)?

At the end of the day, having a box on the shelf isn't the end of the world that some have made it out to be. Especially if it does magical things.
 

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
Problem is who has native 3840x2160 content?

iPad screens are close.

Anyone screen-sharing apps from that would find the a higher-resoltion TV incredibly useful. There are a ton of uses for sharing things from iOS on a bigger screen, and the Apple Television will quickly become known as the single best way to do that.

Upscaling current 1920×1080 is going to introduce a lot of artifacts and won't be a huge improvement.

The pixel-doubling trick allows for seamless upscaling. If you have a black pixel before now you have 4 of them. No interpolation needed. 1080p content should look the exact same on this set as any other TV. When watching Blu-Ray or iTunes movies I'd doubt you'd be able to tell the difference.

If Apple does offer native 3840x2160 content how long is that going to take to download and if a person has data caps from their ISP how quickly will they burn through them? Just things to think about because you would think the file sizes would be HUGE.

Not sure why you think you'd need to download anything at that size. Clearly the video you get from the internet will still be 1080p.

The stuff that's over that size is stuff that's being generated by a screen-sharing Mac or iPad. Like photo galleries, keynote, or e-mail. That's all being run off a computer in your house, not coming from an ISP.
 

theBB

macrumors 68020
Jan 3, 2006
2,453
3
Content will make or break a new approach to TV, assuming Apple would not come up with just a regular TV with AppleTV built in. I doubt content partners can keep their mouths shut for very long, so I am discounting these TV rumors until I start hearing rumors of new content deals.
 

Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
My Sony TV has never had a software update. So are you saying that if Apple did improve their TV sets with regular updates, this would somehow be a negative?

I get the "happiness is relative" thing, and it sucks to see newer models getting extra features that yours doesn't, but do remember that your old [Apple gadget X] doesn't stop working simply because it misses out on an update.

Except it DOES stop working because of an update, there are many iOS apps i cannot install on my 3GS or iPad 1, the message, The app requires a front facing camera, how can Soul Calibur, a game that doesn't USE a front facing camera require one ?

My mother still uses her iPhone , the original one, im going to have to buy her a new one because the banking app she uses no longer works on anything less than the current iOS version.

now, on a device i get for free, or £150 subsidised by my carrier over two years, thats not to bad, i can even stomach the 4ish years support on the macbooks and iMacs as i tend to upgrade my Hardware every 5 or so years, but on a TV, costing £1500 or more i expect to get a decade + out if it
 

wkadamsjr

macrumors 6502
Jun 29, 2010
282
62
I would love to eliminate my cable box, but the reality is that I'm probably not going to wait forever to buy a new TV to replace the old one I have or buy/sell TVs like I do iOS devices.

Besides, I thought the whole point was to do away with the current cable box and have the Apple box as the only one that does everything (except play Blu-rays)?

At the end of the day, having a box on the shelf isn't the end of the world that some have made it out to be. Especially if it does magical things.

To be honest, as with most Apple products, it is probably best off to wait for version 2 anyways...
 
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