Tim Cook hints at Apple HDTV

Tim Cook, in a recent interview, has dropped the biggest hint that Apple could be working on an HDTV. In an interview with Brian Williams, host of NBC’s television newsmagazine Rock Center with Brian Williams, Tim Cook has shared some rather harsh words about the current state of the television industry. He stated that for Apple, the television industry was an area of intense interest.

When Brian Williams asked Tim Cook what is next for Apple, the Apple CEO stated, “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years. It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”

This is by far the biggest clue regarding the possibility of Apple stepping in the television business.

Tim Cook drops a hint about an Apple iTV

Earlier this year, in May, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou let it slip that his company is getting ready to begin producing the Apple iTV. Since then, there have been various analyst reports stating that the Apple iTV was imminent. As per a report by China Daily, Gou stated that Foxconn, the manufacturer of various Apple products, is making preparations for the Apple iTV. The report noted that though preparations had been underway, the development and manufacturing of the television was yet to commence. iTV reportedly features an aluminium construction, Siri and FaceTime video calling.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

These revelations by Gou were the most substantial bits of information known regarding the rumoured Apple HDTV, with all other previous leaks being revealed by anonymous industry sources and analysts. However, with Cook also voicing his opinion on the iTV, it backs rumours and speculations that an Apple branded television is imminent in the near future.

To get a better idea on what this iTV would entail, anonymous sources in the past have revealed that one could start watching a movie on the television set and then pick up an iOS device, such as an iPhone, and continue watching from where they last watched. Reports had emerged stating that the television would look a lot like Apple’s Cinema Displays, only it would be a lot larger.

In late November, a report stated that the Apple iTV would be launched by the end of next year. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster stated in an investors note that Apple will introduce the television in November 2013. This new estimate is a drastic change from Munster’s previous report that claimed that Apple will announce the television by December and launch it in 2013. Munster states that the TV will most likely retail for $1,500 to $2,000 and would be available in screen sizes measuring 42 inches and 55 inches.

Munster went on to add, “We expect the beauty of the design to be a feature, but the most important feature will be the ability to use the TV as the main interface for the living room across multiple devices. We believe the TV will include Siri and FaceTime. The biggest item unlikely to come with the TV will be unbundled channels.”