It would seem that the speculation regarding Apple’s plans of making a bigger splash into the television market may soon come to a head proving once and for all if there is a new Apple TV in the making. According to the analyst Peter Misek, Apple has a “media event” scheduled for this March to discuss something related to television. This event will be coming prior to relaunch of its new, FCC revealed, Apple TV, so what exactly could it be? According to reports from Apple Insider, Misek wrote in a report, issued to clients, stating that:

Channel checks indicate Apple has a product event in March that is Apple-TV related (possibly an iTV SDK introduction. We think a Sep/Oct iTV launch is being targeted.

Apparently, Misek is modeling Apple to sell an estimated 2 million of its revamped Apple TVs during the third quarter of this year but told investors if this release happens in October rather than September, he may need to be pushed back his estimates a full quarter.

We expect a price point of $1,500+ for a 42” to 55” model and also expect a below corporate average [gross margin]. Apple is likely to largely rely on leveraging content via partnerships with existing pay-TV operators.

Apple is clearly poised to dominate this market if the content delivery system is there. The unique eye for design, integrated software, and expansive AppStore could make an Apple iTV the must have item of 2014.

Apple Insider went on to point out that, “a good deal of the speculation from the investor side has to do with a desire on their part for Apple to diversify its offerings.” With all the concern in the market regarding Apple’s ability to continue their growth without new products, this iTV news could be just the thing to get Apple back on its feet. I say that realizing that they are already a dominant force in the market but their is no denying that companies like Samsung and Google are hot on their heals.

Update: After The Loop’s Jim Dalyrmple, who has proven to be reliable when commenting on Apple’s plans for media events, has published his one word response on the situation saying “Nope” to an Apple TV event taking place in March, Apple Insider has reached out to Peter Misek, who “maintained a high level of confidence regarding his hardware predictions.”

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Tim Cook’s interview at D10 conference and BGR’s report that Apple may introduce Apple TV SDK at WWDC 2012 led TechCrunch’s Josh Constine to believe Facebook will soon come to the Apple TV. Constine argues that our friends’ high-resolution photos and videos would look “great blown up” on a big screen and that “Facebook TV could be a more natural place for display ads.” He also thinks Facebook app could be a selling point for Apple’s new TV hardware (whatever it will be: an updated set-top box or a standalone Apple TV set):

Facebook’s got the world’s biggest archive of photos, with 250 million posted each day, and allows for high-resolution uploads that’d look great blown up on a big screen. Imagine the photos from your news feed turned into a slideshow on your Apple television. Or the videos shared by friends streamed back-to-back. Even simple text status updates and their comments shown full-screen could be a pleasant laid-back experience. It could update reverse chronologically in real-time so you could leave it on to always see the latest content.

And while Facebook is struggling to make money on small mobile screens, Facebook TV could be a more natural place for display ads. Advertisers have been demanding a bigger, flashier ad formats that Facebook TV could host. We’re so used to watching commercials on TV that a glossy still ad every 10 minutes or 10 photos, or the occasional fifteen-second pre-roll might not seem out of place.

BGR reported on Friday that Apple will introduce an Apple TV SDK and Apple TV App Store at WWDC 2012.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation today at 10 a.m. PST. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on WWDC 2012.

[source: TechCrunch]

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Is the Apple TV about to get its own App Store? According to BGR, Apple will introduce an Apple TV SDK at WWDC 2012. Apple TV software development kit would allow third-party developers to make apps for Apple’s set-top box.

BGR reported last month that Apple is planning to unveil a brand new version of the Apple TV operating system at WWDC. A “trusted source” has told BGR that the new OS will be much more feature-complete than the current Apple TV OS and that it’s apparently the one that the long rumored Apple TV set will run.

At this year’s D10 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook made clear that Apple TV is no longer a “hobby” project for the company: ”This is an area of intense interest for us,” Cook said, referring to the TV business. We’re going to keep pulling this string and see where it takes us.”

China Business News reported in May that Foxconn has already started a pilot production of the new Apple “smart TV”.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation today at 10 a.m. PST. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on WWDC 2012.

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!