We’ve seen predictions for an Apple HDTV and a revamped Apple TV experience come and go over the last couple of years. Analysts have predicted several times since as far back as 2011 that we’d see Apple introduce its own full-fledged TV set by the end of the year, and the most vocal analyst, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, was still calling for a full HDTV by the end of the year with an innovative new remote control last we checked in. Today, in a note that sounds like it should have been scheduled for an April 1 release, another analyst has backed Munster’s claims that Apple will launch a full TV set (not a set-top box) in the second half of 2013.
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White issued a note to clients today, following checks with supply chain sources in Asia (via BGR), claiming Apple’s “iTV” project will launch this year in 50- to 60-inch variants and come with a ring-shaped motion controller dubbed, get this, “iRing”:
White continued by saying Apple will include a “mini iTV” with iTV that will allow users to have a second-screen experience on a smaller, iPad-sized display:
The one “mini iTV” display, which sounds like a scaled-back iPad hardware of sorts, will apparently come bundled with the iTV, but customers will be able to pay extra to upgrade up to four screens. White noted “the capabilities and features will be very basic and thus not an iPad replacement,” so it’s unclear what that means for the “mini iTV” in terms of functioning as a standalone tablet, but we’re not exactly buying it.
White’s last prediction: iWatch will play an “important role” in the new platform (surprise). Customers will also have to hand over between $1,500 and $2,500 for the iTV, but he claimed there is a possibility the device could be subsidized:
Most of White’s intel today seems to line up with past predictions from analysts, including mentions that the next iPhone will include fingerprint sensor tech. Previous reports claimed components in the 46- to 55-inch range were currently in testing, while the price and motion controller predictions have also been discussed previously.
One interesting aspect of White’s note is the second-screen experience. It’s unclear if these devices would be scaled-back iPad hardware or simply iPads bundled with the iTV alongside dedicated apps, but we definitely expect the second screen/Airplay experience for iPhone and iPad users to play a big role in Apple’s new TV platform. As for whether an Apple HDTV with iRing will really launch later this year, your guess is about as good as White’s.
