Apple's rumored television is 'the elephant in the room' at CES 2012
Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities noted the many different kinds of TVs shown at CES this year, including large OLED panels, 4K LED TVs with four times the resolution of 1080p, improved smart TVs, and 3D TV without the need for glasses. But weighing over it all at this year's show is what he called "the elephant in the room" at CES 2012: an Apple television.
In speaking with industry insiders on the show floor, White said it is generally believed that Sharp will supply the display panel for Apple's anticipated television set. No other details or potential features were provided.
White previously predicted that an Apple television running iOS and featuring Siri voice control and FaceTime video chat would be a major earner for Apple in a market expected to generate $102 billion in 2012. Last April, before rumors of an Apple television began to pick up steam, White said Apple was moving at a "faster pace than the market expected" to launch an HDTV. He incorrectly suggested Apple could launch a TV as quickly as the end of 2011.
As for Apple's competition, if it does enter the TV market, both Samsung and LG Electronics are expected to unveil large OLED TVs this year. OLED technology can offer thinner design, lower power consumption and superior picture quality versus an LCD TV.
Sony has taken a different path from OLED with its own Crystal LED. At this year's show, Sony showed off a 55-inch Crystal LED, which the company said offers higher contrast, superior viewing angles, better colors and a faster response time than current television sets.
Sony's prototype Crystal LED display was unveiled at CES this week.
White said Sharp appears to be the most aggressive of companies building 4K LED TVs. The Japanese TV maker is expected to have a 4K set reach the market this year, and the company is already working on an 8K ultra-high-definition HDTV.
And though 3D TV largely faltered in 2011, White noted that Toshiba is pressing forward and could be first to market with a new 3D set that does not require glasses. However, he said he found a glasses-free TV from China-based TCL Corporation to offer "a more compelling experience."
Finally, "smart TVs" have also had a major presence at this year's CES, as new models will feature integrated applications, voice and motion control, and some will even be upgradeable with replaceable hardware components. White noted that most leading vendors have chosen Google and its Android-based Google TV platform as their partner of choice.
83 Comments
This always happens. Always. First, the Apple Rumor Community starts on about a new product.
Everyone else instantly panics and whacks each other with socks filled with batteries.
Then Apple releases their product, it's absolutely nothing like what the rumors said or what others made, and they all play catch up by making either terrible knock-offs or directly stolen designs.
Don't have to be a soothsayer to see it coming.
Render unto TV makers that at which they're good: price wars and panels with less intelligence than tree moss and blacks deeper than the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.
Render unto Apple everything else.
Zzzzzzzzzzzz
HDTV makers have shown increased innovation at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, spurred largely by fears that Apple is planning an entrance into the market with its own television set.
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What a load of BS. TV makers have been competing fiercely with each other for years, but now the "phantom menace" from a made up Apple product should be the driving force? Please...
What a load of BS. TV makers have been competing fiercely with each other for years, but now the "phantom menace" from a made up Apple product should be the driving force? Please...
Yup. CES has always been the place to see new TV tech. It has been like this for years. Apple really doesn't have anything to do with it.
exactly what evidence does ai have that "HDTV makers have shown increased innovation at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, spurred largely by fears that Apple is planning an entrance into the market with its own television set.", as opposed to them showing new products that they've been developing for months/years, just like every other year?
especially as it seems based solely upon comment from an analyst that the article notes "[He] incorrectly suggested Apple could launch a TV as quickly as the end of 2011."
ffs they're spurred by the same thing as every other year, get press coverage for their new stuff, create demand, and strike deals to sell it