Apple iTV rumors: will Cupertino build a smart television? – The Verge

Steve Jobs reportedly had no interest in building an Apple TV set

2014-03-16T18:30:53-04:00

The idea of an Apple-made television set has become perhaps the most notorious rumor that has ever surrounded the company. The notion swirled for years, picked up steam due to its inclusion in Walter Isaacson's Jobs biography, and has refused to die ever since. However, a new book that focuses largely on Apple under CEO Tim Cook contains a passage that seeks to dispel this myth in a big way. According to Business Insider, ex-Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Kane writes that Jobs vehemently denied an ambition to make a TV set in the new book Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs.

Jobs was reportedly asked about the possibility of an Appl …

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Apple is reportedly planning a new set-top-box with content from Time Warner Cable

2014-02-12T13:57:07-05:00

Apple TV 2012 hero (EMBARGO)

Since Steve Jobs first told his biographer that he wanted to make a smarter TV, there's been no stop to rumors that Apple will produce a product that seamlessly delivers live and recorded television programming. Now, Bloomberg reports that such a device could be imminent. Two sources tell the publication that Apple is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box this April, and ship it in time for Christmas. The Wall Street Journal says Apple could release the box as early as June, although it may come "several months after that."

While details about the device are scarce, Bloomberg reports that Apple is actively negotiating with Time W …

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Apple TV set reportedly delayed to at least 2015 over content deal trouble

2013-11-11T13:46:27-05:00

apple tv lead

Apple's much-rumored HDTV plans have reportedly been delayed by content deals, likely pushing a possible introduction into 2015 at the earliest, reports NPD DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon. Gagnon says that sources in Apple's supply chain informed him of the delay, after previously pointing to a late 2014 introduction. Though Apple's TV plans seem to be close to materializing every so often, they've inevitably seemed to slip away again as rumors vanish and reports surface of content issues plaguing its development. Gagnon suggests that Apple's focus for next year may have switched to wearables instead, mirroring other reports that it plans …

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Apple and Time Warner Cable nearing deal to stream cable programming to Apple TV, says Bloomberg

2013-07-02T16:43:44-04:00

Apple and Time Warner Cable have nearly finalized a deal that would allow TWC subscribers to stream cable programming with Apple TV, according to a Bloomberg report published today. Bloomberg claims the agreement could be made official within "a few months." Responding to the rumor, a Time Warner Cable spokesperson did little to quell speculation, saying only "We don't have an agreement with them at this time."

If true, the move would represent Apple's first time offering live TV on its set-top box. The company has recently been expanding content available on Apple TV, most recently (and finally) bringing HBO Go to customers - a streaming a …

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Apple TV sales surpass 13 million, ‘about half’ sold this year

2013-05-28T21:33:13-04:00

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When questioned on stage at the D11 conference about Apple's current standing in the TV market, CEO Tim Cook provided some new sales figures for the company's Apple TV set-top box. "For several years we were selling a few hundred thousand," Cook said. "We've now sold over 13 million. About half of those in the last year." That would mean the company has sold approximately 6.5 million units over the last 12 months. "That business has found many many more customers," Cook said. Apple has long described its Apple TV product as a "hobby."

As for what's in store in the months and years to come, Cook unsurprisingly remained vague. "I think many o …

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Apple TV set designs in ‘early stage’ of testing, says WSJ

2012-12-12T02:57:41-05:00

apple tv lead

Apple is working with Sharp and Foxconn to test designs for a TV set, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Rumors of such a product have persisted for years, but this is the most solid information we've heard yet that Cupertino is looking to produce an actual television. While a Journal report from the supply chain is often the first sign that Apple is serious about a new product, it looks like things are still in the early stages, with one source saying that the TV "isn't a formal project yet." The Journal also cautions that Apple "could opt not to proceed with the device." It's not the first rumor we've heard from the paper, h …

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Apple reportedly won’t release new TV product this year due to content negotiations

2012-09-06T07:37:24-04:00

apple tv

Although rumors of a new Apple TV box have heated up of late, a new report from Bloomberg throws cold water on the possibility. Apparently, though not surprisingly, talks with cable companies have not been going well due to a variety of issues - including whether Apple would have total control over the user interface and the exact structure of what rights deals Apple would need to strike to launch the product. Bloomberg says that the company is focused on creating a product that blends both live and recorded TV and integrates with Apple's ecosystem of products like the iPhone and iPad.

The consumer payment structure Apple is reportedly purs …

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Apple’s rumored cable TV box would ‘erase distinction between live and on-demand content,’ says WSJ

2012-08-16T20:19:23-04:00

apple tv

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was pitching a set-top box to cable operators, and today the publication's anonymous sources have alleged details about how such a device might work. Functionally, it sounds a bit like a DVR, except viewers wouldn't actually be recording their own shows: Apple's set-top would store entire episodes in the cloud as they're being broadcast live, allowing viewers to start watching programs from the beginning even if they're late to the broadcast. Since the Apple device would also allegedly have access (through other content deals) to the current and previous seasons of any given show, too, t …

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Apple pitching a set-top box to cable operators, reports WSJ

2012-08-15T20:30:19-04:00

Apple TV 2012 hero (EMBARGO)

Apple's long-rumored play for the television space seems to have changed: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company is in talks with cable operators to provide a set-top box that provides live television channels, rather than licensing content in order to offer its own streaming service. As far as the publication's anonymous sources are aware, no deals have been reached, and yet the idea has been on the table for some time: "Apple contemplated building a cable set-top box more than two years ago before it launched the latest version of its Apple TV," according to one of the Journal's sources.

Reportedly, negotiations for a cable …

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Apple TV ‘is an area of intense interest for us,’ says Tim Cook

2012-05-29T22:25:02-04:00

Apple TV 2012 hero (EMBARGO)

Steve Jobs famously called the Apple TV a "hobby," but his successor Tim Cook seems to be slowly turning that ship around. At the D10 conference this evening, he said that the Apple TV is "an area of intense interest for us." While Cook wouldn't answer a direct question about whether the company is building a full television set, he seemed to hint strongly that Apple's interest is an active one:

I think most people, maybe not all, but many people would say this is an area in their life they're not really pleased with. You know, they might not be pleased with many things about it. The whole TV experience. So, it's an interesting area, so we' …

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