It's 2009 Again: Apple is Apparently Reconsidering Making a TV

[CharlesShaw]

Yep! Just hard to find one that's 65".

Aren't most people looking at a second smaller screen while watching content on the big screen anyhow? May as well just watch TV and movies at your workstation on the Studio Display that is now justified by the savings from not buying a TV. There, I fixed it, hehe.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

And the power button at the bottom of the stand. Requiring you to lift the TV everytime you want to turn it on. Aslo no wired video connections (no HDMI, etc) and no headphone jack.

Comes with 12-inch headphone cable.

 

[phrehdd]

Wake me when someone decides to make a 'dumb' TV again. Something with a gorgeous display that does absolutely nothing except display whatever content I feed into it via a variety of ports.

Is that too much to ask???

Glad you and some others feel the same way. If we must have all those bells and whistles, they should at leat offer a mode that is "your content only" and make all that stuff disappear.

 

[Attirex]

EU has already filed complaint against Apple for monopolizing the television market.

 

[Neepman]

Makes sense to me. now that even 50 inch sets are practically at dollar store prices, lets make one that will sell for 2 grand.

 

[daanodinot]

Gene Munster is crying of joy.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

EU has already filed complaint against Apple for monopolizing the television market.

LOL

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Gene Munster is crying of joy.

On his grave: "told ya so"

 

[now i see it]

Dumb TVs are dead forever. All the TVs nowadays are tracking devices which the TV industry loves and demands.
Everything you watch and for how long on a modern TV is logged in a database. You are being tracked.

 

[azentropy]

Makes very little sense for Apple make their own TVs. What would make "some" sense is if they did some sort of CarPlay like thing that TV makers could adopt. Sorta like what some have done with Roku.

 

[mcnallym]

There simply isn’t the margin in TV that Apple would want. They are better off simply continuing with STB like they do now or provide an App to existing TV producers, perhaps partner with LG initially whereby simply is an App on SmartTV.

 

[DevNull0]

Insta-buy.

Last time, I wasn’t too interested in an apple tv, but smart TVs are so horrible, I’d love to see what Apple can come up with.

I’ll wait until I see the price before judging though. Given the other displays, $10,000 for a 42 inch would be the Apple way.

 

[falainber]

I would love it. As much as I love my Sony, I hate the interface — it's ugly and slow AF.

On the other hand, with Apple TV set you'd get their stupid remote control which might be a bigger problem.

 

[dba415]

Knowing Apple it's probably going to be over-priced, and if the AVP is any indication, it's going to be a flop. There will be some apple fanboys that buy it no matter what though

 

[DevNull0]

Dumb TVs are dead forever. All the TVs nowadays are tracking devices which the TV industry loves and demands.
Everything you watch and for how long on a modern TV is logged in a database. You are being tracked.

I’ve never connected a TV to the internet. That’s what the Apple stb is for. Unless they hide cellular modems, I doubt my TV is tracking me.

 

[Jamie0003]

It’s the equivalent of driving screws with a hammer

Erm…..sure because how on earth do you do that?

 

[DevNull0]

What would they be able to offer that nobody is currently offering?

A nice TV viewing experience.

Everyone else offers a sluggish, broken, interface that’s infested with spyware.

I’ve never connected my Android Sony to the internet, and every few weeks, I get a pop up over my content demanding that I finish setting it up for the best experience.

The bar is so low for Apple to improve.

 

[Jamie0003]

I wish I could replace my TV with my Vision Pro but the tech isn’t there yet. So my AVP sits there collecting dust while I wait for its collectors value to skyrocket

Collectors value? It’s not even selling, lol good luck

 

[AppliedMicro]

I can see it now. 60Hz "Apple TV" for 1999€.

You forgot the "Plus Max".

"Apple TV Plus Max"

 

[reyesmac]

They need to make a much larger iMac for those who use them in their bedrooms, that way it can server as the rooms computer and tv as well as giving those in an office a larger screen. Up to but no larger than 40 inches should do it.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I doubt this will see the light of day, but I'd certainly appreciate and purchase it. Would likely be the best (and most private) smart TV on the market.

 

[zxski]

The comments here are kind of pathetic on both the proponents and opponents sides. No one thinks outside of the box.

You have to think “In what way do current TVs suck and how can they be improved?”

So first they need an outstanding UI/UX as literally all TVs have slow, slow, slooowww, ugly, unintuitive interfaces. Easy fix for Apple.

Then; privacy. No user tracking. No ads. Easy for Apple.

Then reinvent the remote control: get rid of it. Allow control with hand motions from a distance as well as Siri.

Then reinvent the watching experience. Allow synchronous watching of the same content together across multiple rooms and across the internet, including FaceTime so people can chat and talk while watching.

Of course add anything the Apple TV box can already do, including connecting game controllers to play games. App Store, FaceTime.

Then add Apple Home network control.

Then add a voice and hand gesture controlled web browser.

All this in a nice screen with a lovely design without dumb logos, lights, bezels and other ugliness.

Now you have an Apple TV.

 

[Realityck]

Between around 2009 and 2011, it was repeatedly rumored that Apple would be releasing a TV, but that obviously never happened. Now, a decade-and-a-half later, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the idea is back on the table.

I remember the rumors back when Jobs was alive, and that seems enticing then.

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman briefly mentioned that Apple has been "evaluating" the "idea of making an Apple-branded TV set." He did not provide any further details about the TV, but he said it could be one of several new smart home devices that Apple releases if its rumored wall-mounted smart home hub is successful.

Presently I would be not at all enticed, because the separate Apple TV 4K for only $129, $149 pretty much offers everything you need with any 4K TV if that is what you want to interface with most of the time.

 

[CharlesShaw]

The comments here are kind of pathetic on both the proponents and opponents sides. No one thinks outside of the box.

Perhaps, but this thread is a refreshing respite from the more scary topics we face daily, like the mere existence of iPads, or Vision Pro doom.

 

[vantelimus]

Nope. First off it won’t be over 80” so that’s an automatic pass for me. I thought my 83” G4 was pricey I couldn’t imagine what apple would change for an 83” TV. I’d bet $6-8k

Back of the envelope calculation:

Today, you can OEM 85” TVs from China for as little as $430 per unit in quantity. That sets a lower bound. Apple would probably want a higher-end screen than that. An LG 85” at retail is $900, which would put its cost to manufacture around $600. At Apple quantities, they could probably get that from LG for $700 per unit. They would add about $550 in cost for their aesthetics, a camera, and Apple TV circuitry. [Note: $550 is the estimated manufacturing cost of an iPhone 15 Pro.]. So $1250 manufacturing costs for an Apple TV. That would put the retail at $2500 considering a 100% markup.