Why Apple really needs to start selling TVs

(Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

last updated 8 January 2015

The Apple TV is coming. Or it isn't. Or perhaps, at the very least, it's being tested. That's the nebulous takeaway from a new Wall Street Journal report, which claims Apple is "working with component suppliers in Asia to test several TV-set designs," according to "people familiar with the situation." Adding fuel to rumors that Apple is hot on joining Microsoft, Sony, and Google in the land-grab for your living room as a way to extend its offerings beyond mobile and personal computing, the report says that suppliers like Japan's Sharp (known for large, high-resolution screens) and FoxConn (which builds actual hardware) are working with Apple to develop components for the long-rumored, fully-realized TV set (not the iTunes box it already offers). The new device's features — Siri integration? A 3D remote app? — are, unfortunately, pure speculation at this point.

One thing is clear, says John Paczkowski at All Things D. Apple really needs to reveal a new TV. Badly. It's not that the company's product offerings aren't strong; they are. For investors, it's "the fear that Apple may not have any more disruptive innovations left in it." The once infallible company is clearly having problems, and a game-changing TV that could upset the stodgy cable-box industry is exactly the prescription it needs.

The Apple TV is the rumor that will never die, says Richard Lawler at Engadget, so let's not get too excited. Say we indulge this latest Wall Street Journal report — which isn't that different from a story published back in May — just for a second. The unremarkable gist is: "Apple is — like nearly every technology company — extremely interested in developing products for your living room."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

They were under Steve Jobs, they are with Tim Cook at the helm. Unfortunately, for reasons ranging from studio licensing agreements to DRM to a lack of access to pay-TV provider data/content, it's very difficult to do with the level of polish and control of experience Apple would like. Microsoft and Sony are spending billions of dollars on their Xbox 360 and PS3 just to grab a foothold in this market, with varying levels of success, while Google's TV project has experienced even tougher growing pains.

Apple often tests designs with its Asian partners without committing to manufacturing, though the company usually does spend years doing its own internal designs before involving outside suppliers. In this case, it sounds as if Apple has at least gotten that far — two sources claim Hon Hai is the supplier that's working with Sharp to design the new TV — though there's no guarantee that it (or other designs) will ever see the light of day.

Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox