In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is “evaluating” the “idea of making an Apple-branded TV set.” The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) says this won’t happen.
Rumors persisted for years that Apple planned to enter the HDTV market. Many folks, and more than one analyst, was sure this was gong to happen. But it never did, and I don’t think it ever will. With all the companies making HDTVs at various sizes and various price points, I don’t think the margin is there to make it worth Apple’s efforts.
IF Apple decided to give it a go, such a TV would have to include features that make it stand out from its competition. If Apple REALLY wanted to think different, it could serve up a modular TV or perhaps a glass screen powered by a Mac.
A 2012 article by Bloomberg Businessweek noted that Israel-based NDS, a TV services provider, believes the future of the television is modular. The company showcased a large matrix of six flat-screen TVs, without bezels, that combined to form a honkin’ big TV wall. The displays could be broken up, airing a video in varying sizes near the middle of the wall, with personalized and content-relevant widgets off to the side. With some cinematic 4K content, for example, a viewer could use the whole screen.
NDS used a computer with multiple video outputs to power its six-screen TV wall. This could be done using small, mesh networking-capable modules. However, if Apple ever decided to enter the television market, perhaps it could offer a modular TV model powered by a Mac. A Mac mini, perhaps.
NDS Chief Technology Officer Nick Thexton said he thought TVs will, in the near future, consist of smaller displays that can be combined to fit a room. Think of 6-in. to 8-in. squares without bezels that you can buy individually, mount on a wall next to one another, and gradually expand the size of the full display to fit your needs. Instead of watching your morning news in theater mode, you might watch much smaller clips and use the rest of the screen for other information.
Based on Thexton’s idea, an Apple HDTV could come with a basic 50-inch central screen. Screen size could be expanded by adding display modules, which you buy as you need ’em or can afford ’em.
If not a modular Apple HDTV, perhaps Apple would sell transparent screens with a glass bezel that you can fix to the wall in every room of your house. Or what about screens that hook up to the current Apple TV set-top box (and its descendants) and stream content from your Mac and iTunes with screens using touch technology.
Another, less futuristic, differentiating feature for an Apple HDTV would be positioning it as a digital hub, an idea proposed by Gene “The Tech Night Owl” Steinberg in the long-ago days of 2013. He suggested an Apple HDTV that could be used as a dock, to connect all your equipment, from a cable/satellite box to gaming console. Per his idea, the rear would contain the usual assortment of HDMI ports and audio ports.
“But Apple’s marvelous software, no doubt using the iOS [though, in 2020, that would be tvOS], can be used to make setups and switching among devices easy as pie,” Gene wrote. “You can announce to Siri you want to play a game, or watch a DVD, or connect to channel 242 on your DirecTV box (it’s USA Network, in case you’re wondering).”
He added that Apple might even offer to provide front-ends to the cable and satellite people, “so all you have to do is run one of their apps, login to your account, and access all of your programming, schedule pay-per-view and time-shifting without need of another appliance.”
All these are intriguing ideas, but don’t bet on setting an Apple HDTV.
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