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Foxconn Likely to Win Contract for Building Apple Television Set

Nuvi said:
In all honesty, why on earth would Apple start manufacturing TV's. :apple:TV hasn't been huge success so why would "set top box built into a monitor" be any different. Anyway, all the major players in TV set business manufacture their own panels in their own factories to achieve better profit margins with attractive price point. Honestly, why would Apple want to compete in that market?

I might be totally wrong but I think Apple will never release a TV set. There will be more capable :apple:TV set top boxes but never TV sets.
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Easy, they will be priced significantly higher so they will have a higher profit margin than the other major players, simply because it will have an Apple logo. Apple is in a position where they simply have enough fans that will simply buy their stuff simply because they made it and no other reason, so they don't have to go into it with the goal of selling millions of units, they can just simply sell less for maybe 2x, 3x the price of similar sized TVs. Plus don't forget the free media blitz when they finally introduce it, that alone will equal lots of the TVs being sold. So pretty smart move by Apple. Very impressive.
 
Screen Too Small for Most; "New" Delivery Technology

A 32" or 37" screen is pretty small by today's HDTV standards. A few years ago I purchased a 52" Sony XBR (1080i, 240 MHz) and its "just right" for my living room (10' ceilings), though a newer model has 3D, LED sidelighting, and 480 MHz refresh rate and comes in a 55" size.

So, the 32" or 37" screen would be far too small for the living room, even the bedroom (46" in my case).

As for delivery of content, I would expect wireless delivered via iTunes such as what Sonos has done for wireless music.

Watch the video on the following page to see how to add speakers to multiple rooms and control playback via iPhone, iPad, or similar devices. They call it their HiFi for WiFi.

http://www.sonos.com/system/

Personally, I would love for Apple to purchase Bose and cut the prices of Bose products by 1/3 -- 1/2. It would be a "good fit" for both companies.
 
I love the last part. Resistance from content providers put the project on hold. These are the very idiots that are being robbed every day. They simply refuse change because they want to sick with what has worked. The music industry came to this realization late in the game and so will these content providers. It's sad.

As far as the technology is concerned, I think it'll be great! The notion that you can use your iPhone as a remote not to only change channels, volume, and navigate through the interface, you can use it as a controller for many games without the middle man (the console). Think about it. Portable gaming faded out, now it's a matter of time for this entire industry to evolve. That's the beauty of technology, it never stops. It always evolves to suite our increasing demands.

:apple:
 
drewyboy said:
Look at what Apple already does. Do you think they make any money on their software? Yes but hardly, it's all in the hardware, very opposite from amazon. iTunes store viewed at as more of a break even strategy to gain hardware. I think apple has it because software/content (book) is not very often updated so it's viewed at as a one time sale, but hardware is always getting better therefore people will buy newer hardware. This get tricky though with video content because it's always been subscription. So it could be viewed at as we'll charge you 700 for a 32", but content it $10-30 a month depending on how much you want. But at the end of the day, I have no idea and so does everyone here.
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If it was remotely relevant to look at what apple is doing, i would. I'm sorry, but i don't get your point at all. Like stated, the proposed model is pretty much unproven. That includes Apple. That said, there are probably good reason for why this is so. More than likely, incentives and price structure pretty much point in the opposite direction of the ideal.
 
Compile 'em all said:
Apple has always believed in the whole-package experience. Right now, Apple TV isn't a whole-package experience.
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Hmmm. Is an Apple TV box with a single HDMI 1.4 cable to any third-party TV really so hard to set up ?

Once it's connected, the third-party TV will just a dumb display for the Apple TV hockey puck version 3.0 - controlled via Wifi to/from your iDevice, Siri...or whatever Apple has in mind.

I don't see a problem there in setup or general customer experience.
 
I demand nothing less than a 100" touchscreen with Siri and free on demand or Apple is stupid! And it better not cost more than $600 retail!!!



The biggest problem I see with Apple making a TV is that they now have to sell to TV buyers.
 
acozilla said:
I love the last part. Resistance from content providers put the project on hold. These are the very idiots that are being robbed every day. They simply refuse change because they want to sick with what has worked. The music industry came to this realization late in the game and so will these content providers. It's sad.

As far as the technology is concerned, I think it'll be great! The notion that you can use your iPhone as a remote not to only change channels, volume, and navigate through the interface, you can use it as a controller for many games without the middle man (the console). Think about it. Portable gaming faded out, now it's a matter of time for this entire industry to evolve. That's the beauty of technology, it never stops. It always evolves to suite our increasing demands.

:apple:
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The music industry and the tv/movie industries aren't in comparable shapes. A simple growth chart would tell you that. Thats why this nut is harder to crack than the music one was.
 
divinox said:
Cf. pay-per-view. If i, for example, can handpick which games to view its both a la carte and live. Live a la carte isn't the problem. Getting it affordable is.
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Thanks, but this is not new.

Perhaps, like the mobile system, the TV system in USA is totally different from Europe.
 
derbladerunner said:
Hmmm. Is an Apple TV box with a single HDMI 1.4 cable to any third-party TV really so hard to set up ?

Once it's connected, the third-party TV will just a dumb display for the Apple TV hockey puck version 3.0 - be it via Wifi to/from your iDevice, Siri...or whatever Apple has in mind.

I don't see a problem there in setup or general customer experience.
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Anyway, it's naive to think that a single TV set would be a "whole package". Sorry sir, I'm not listening to TV from dinky TV set attached speakers. I have a nice 5.1 surround sound system I want to hook it up to.

Unless the "whole package" experience is seriously limited, there's just no way in home theaters or TV to offer such a thing.

So frankly, that argument is bunk and if it's the only thing Apple brings with a TV Set rather than a set top box, I for one won't be buying this stuff.
 
I think 32" and 37" are new high-resolution Cinema Displays that can act as TV when activate for that purpose.
If they are only HDTVs they will fail at these screen sizes. Seriously I have a 60" plasma and will never go smaller.
 
After image quality, the most important feature of a TV set for many people is the Full Picture-in-Picture (Full PiP), which requires at least two Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV or DTT) tuners inside the TV set. Which manufacturers/models deliver that?
 
What about the cool factor??

I don't see anybody openly considering that this TV will also be flat-out COOL in its design. I seriously doubt it will be a standard looking black-faced TV with a bezel around the screen.

I am betting it will have edge-to-edge screen and edge-to-edge glass (NO BEZEL) with brushed aluminum edges... kinda like the current iPhone's glass. If they really want to wow the crowd... the screen won't be black when it's off. It would be WHITE... if that's even possible. But that's what I would push for. And knowing Steve & Jony... it would have a great speaker system built in. There would be aspects to this device's design that are just as cool as its functionality and access to content. So much so that people might not at all mind a smaller 37" screen...
 
KnightWRX said:
...
So frankly, that argument is bunk and if it's the only thing Apple brings with a TV Set rather than a set top box, I for one won't be buying this stuff.
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Just in case I was misunderstood, I was trying to make the same point: Apple should continue making set-top-boxes (Apple TV 3.0) and not dabble in TV sets.

PS: If they really start making TV sets. One argument for better/easier user experience could be surround sound. Apple could implement Bose's Videowave system with 5.1 audio integrated in the TV set:

http://www.bose.com/controller?even...=/shop_online/televisions/videowave/index.jsp

That's the only improvement in hardware I can think of. All the other improvements can be done via set-top-box and software in my view.
 
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the8thark said:
This whole report/article/rumour does not say 100% it's for a television set. It could be very well for the next generation TV or similar.


This screams to me TV. And delivering the content to a television.

There has NOT been one rumour on MacRumors that has said "we think Apple will build a television set". All of them just say Apple have new ways to deliver content or have cracked the UI issue. Etc etc. Could be a television set or a new TV or something else.

I'm still waiting for a rumour that says Apple is or is not making a television set.
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Did you read the first part of the article and the thread title?

Other MacRumors articles about the rumoured Apple TV set...

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/12/2...2-and-37-apple-television-sets-in-early-2012/

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/3...-of-sizes-device-integration-premium-pricing/

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/11/23/competitors-already-scrambling-to-react-to-apples-tv-plans/

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/27/apple-looking-to-launch-siri-enabled-television-set-by-2013/
 
derbladerunner said:
Apple should continue making set-top-boxes (Apple TV 3.0) and not TV sets.
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100% in agreement.
Just make a killer ATV box and add a new distribution model then voila, this think will sell like water in the desert. Why a TV set? people already have it and keep for way longer than any other CE.
 
The reason for the initial introduction of only 32 - 37" TV's buy Apple is obvious.

Apple is so hugely profitable because it has a large fanatical fanbase that will buy ANYTHING that Apple puts out. So their profit model is to give the consumer just enough features to make them buy the current model and hold back features so you'll buy the NEXT model. For iPhone / iPods and iPads, this can work because most people will turn over there devices once every 1-2 years anyway. TV's are a different animal - most people hold onto a TV for 5-10 YEARS. Apple doesn't like a 5-10 year turnover cycle, so instead they arbitrary limit the TV SIZE in the initial production knowing that the fanatical fanboys will buy it anyway, then slowly introduce larger models so those people will buy a more reasonably sized model as replacements for their 32-37" models in a more desirable to Apple 1-2 year timeframe.

That is what Apple does.

Tony
 
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derbladerunner said:
Apple could implement Bose's Videowave system with 5.1 audio integrated in the TV set:

http://www.bose.com/controller?even...=/shop_online/televisions/videowave/index.jsp

That's the only improvement in hardware I can think of. All the other improvements can be done via set-top-box and software in my view.
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That is not an improvement. Not unless the unit can scan your room like in The Incredibles and align its speakers and timing to actually give you proper surround sound from one location. I think we're a few years away from that.
 
As for TV CONTENT, Apple will never ever complete with the Cable / Satellite companies for content. Other than music, Apple content always has been grossly inferior to the competition because the movie, TV and book industry don't like their dictatorial controlling ways of doing business. So the LiveTV on demand packages will probably have a couple of major stations but mostly a whole lot of B and C stations. It'll never work.

Tony
 
Tones2 said:
The reason for the initial introduction of only 32 - 37" TV's buy Apple is obvious.

Apple is so hugely profitable because it has a large fanatical fanbase that will buy ANYTHING that Apple puts out. So there profit model is to give the consumer just enough features to make them buy the current model and hold back features so you'll buy the NEXT model. For iPhone / iPods and iPads, this can work because most people will turn over there devices once every 1-2 years anyway. TV are a different animal - most people hold onto a TV for 5-10 YEARS. Apple doesn't like a 5-10 year turnover cycle, so instead they arbitrary limit the TV SIZE in the initial production knowing that the fantatical fanboys will buy it anyway, then slowly introduce larger models so those people will buy a more reasonably sized model as replacements for their 32-37" models in a more desirerable to Apple 1-2 year timeframe.

That is what Apple does.

Tony
Click to expand...

And there's no evidence that what you said is incorrect. People will get offended, it is exactly how Apple does things. It's a corporation, it's goal is to make as much money as possible, and doing things like that is the best way to increase profits as much as possible.
 
So, next year, I purchase an iPad 3 and and iPhone 5, both of which are likely to get resolution enhancements. All of the sudden, there are games that near max out the TB display, which has much more resolution than any 1080P display.

The first niche Apple targets is students. They game, they connect their laptops and they watch television. Maybe another niche is apartment dwellers.

What's different with Apple is that the television would be another piece of the existing ecosystem. You could extrapolate this to an Apple TV and existing televisions, which, coincidentally has much less resolution, ie, lesser experience.

The key to making this work is to break the user from scheduled television, cutting the cable as it were. If Apple can solve that, then they can win big.

LG is prepping a 55 inch OLED for late spring of next year, and I would be excited if Apple was able to latch onto that tech at the 32/37 inch size and TB display resolution. I would buy that, and so would most of you.

If I was an audio device builder, I would kill to get a piece of TB, because all of the sudden, I'm selling amplifiers as black boxes. The Apple Television holds the interface and digitally processes the audio, as simple or complex as can be imagined.
 
inlovewithi said:
And there's no evidence that what you said is incorrect. People will get offended, it is exactly how Apple does things. It's a corporation, it's goal is to make as much money as possible, and doing things like that is the best way to increase profits as much as possible.
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There is no question Apple does this but coming out of the gates with such a small TV sets just makes me believe this rumors is crap or they are talking about ACDs and not HDTV sets.
 
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