Tim Cook didn’t announce an Apple TV today, but we should expect a big announcement, really big, from the mothership in 2014. Specifically, a notable analyst says Apple will launch a frameless LCD television in 55 and 65 inch sizes.
Bloomberg, quoting Advanced Research analyst Masahiko Ishino, reports that Apple will ship an ultra-high definition Apple TV (a.k.a. iTV) in the fourth quarter of 2014. Additionally, he believes these monster television sets will be priced from $1,500 to $2,500.
The Cupertino, California-based company is deciding on specifications, and the models likely will have a frameless design, Masahiko Ishino, an analyst at Advanced Research who tracks developments in the consumer-electronics industry, said in an interview Oct. 18. Ishino declined to identify the people who gave him the information.
Of course, tech watchers and financial analysts have been predicting that Apple would ship a full-on television for years. These expectations have been fed by statements from former CEO Steve Jobs, who said he had finally “cracked” the go to market strategy.
Current chief executive Tim Cook has said TV is an area of “intense focus” for Apple.
The perhaps interesting tidbit in this latest rumor, very inside baseball, is that Sharp is expected to provide up to 70 percent of the LCD panels to be used in these 55 and 65 inch Apple TV models — Apple expects financially challenged Sharp to be around long enough to participate.
Looking forward to a 65-inch Apple TV or should we just shut up until Apple actually ships?