Apple 'in TV talks over set-top box'

Apple is in talks with US cable companies about developing a set-top box to deliver live television, according to reports.

Apple TV
The current Apple TV focuses on streaming content from iTunes.

Rumours had suggested that Apple would move into the television market by making its own TV set but new reports suggest the company is considering a more modest plan, at least at first.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has not yet reached a deal with American cable companies, who are reluctant to allow the firm to establish a foothold in the television business.

Apple has sold its Apple TV box for several years but it does not carry live television and the company has consistently described it as "a hobby". The box delivers films, music and television shows from iTunes to a TV set and also lets iPhone, iPad and iPod touch stream content from their device to a TV.

The Journal says it is not clear whether Apple plans to expand the existing Apple TV or whether it is trying to develop an entirely new set-top box.

Analyst Benedict Evans suggests that Apple's plan is unlikely to succeed, particularly in Britain where Sky TV has just updated its Sky+ iPad app to allow people to use the tablet computer as a remote control.

Evans writes: "Nor is there any compelling reason why many pay TV providers would allow Apple do do this - why would they sell their soul? They’ve spent 15 years fighting to keep Microsoft out of the living-room - they’re not about to give Apple the keys to the kingdom."

Speculation about an Apple television has been rife since the publication of the Steve Jobs biography last year. The Apple co-founder, who died in October 2011, told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that he had "cracked" the problem of television.

The book does not elaborate and all kinds of theories followed the publication of the book, from the suggestion that Apple would turn the iPhone into a remote control, to the theory of a full-size television set.

Late last year, 'industry sources' were quoted as saying that Apple would launch 32-inch and 37-inch television sets some time this year.