In his newsletter of November 17, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman revives a 15-year-old rumor: Apple is considering launching a TV. Enough to spark a lot of debate online, even if it is very unlikely to see this product arrive one day.
“Apple could even return to the idea of launching a television under its own brand, a project currently under consideration.”
In his November 17 newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman drops a bombshell. The journalist, who details at length Apple’s future projects for the connected home (including the HomePad wall-mounted screen), imagines the future products that the brand could launch if its new “home automation” division were successful. He suggests that an Apple TV would be a credible possibility, or at least one discussed in Cupertino, without saying more about what exactly is going on.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take much to cause excitement. There are several publications on social networks and in various media on the upcoming arrival of an Apple television… with a great lack of perspective. Indeed, this rumor has come up regularly since 2009 and seems very unlikely.
What could Apple bring with its own television?
The rumor of an Apple TV is not new.
In 2009, it was already rumored that Apple’s future big product, after the iPhone, would be an iTV. The brand would have started to invest massively in the field, before gradually withdrawing. His vision was ultimately that of the Apple TV box, which allows you to bring your own interface to any screen, rather than launching your own with all the industrial complexities that we know. We imagine that storing 55 and 65 inch screens in Apple Stores could be quite restrictive, especially since few manufacturers really know how to manufacture high-end panels (LG, Samsung, etc.)
Was there really an iTV project at Apple? The answer is yes, since Steve Jobs himself recognized it in his biography written by Walter Isaacson. “I would like to create a television that is very easy to use”indicated the creator of Apple to his biographer. “The user interface would be the simplest you could imagine. I finally found the solution ».
Among the options mentioned: a simplified remote control, automatic synchronization of content between all its devices or the simplification of changing devices to watch DVDs or access cable… Things that the industry has done with Smart TVs, without having need Apple. Today it seems more difficult to revolutionize TV, even though the Apple TV does the job perfectly.
Assuming Apple actually releases a TV one day, it’s hard to imagine it making anything other than a beautiful product. Apple will need to source from Samsung or LG, the interface will probably be identical to that of tvOS and an Apple TV box should be able to do the same thing. In short, unless it wants to complicate its life, Apple has no interest in launching its own product. Remember that Apple TV+, AirPlay and Apple Music, to name a few, are available natively on most modern televisions.
Finally, it is important to remember that Apple is not a brand known for its speed of execution. What Mark Gurman presents as internal discussions dependent on the success of the home screen probably won’t result in a TV launch for another 4 to 5 years, at a minimum. By then, it’s extremely likely that Apple will come to the same conclusions as us: there’s no need for an Apple TV today. On the other hand, a soundbar with an integrated Apple TV would be much more relevant, since it would attract more people into its ecosystem.
The Apple Vision Pro is the ultimate TV
Last point to consider: in Apple’s official speech, screens are on the way out. The brand, with its Vision Pro headset, imagines a world where you can display screens of the size of your choice wherever you want in a room, thanks to augmented reality. Launching an “old-fashioned” television, with a fixed size, would then send a strange message. Focusing on a cheaper and lighter Apple Vision, for watching TV from anywhere, makes more sense.
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In short, like 15 years ago, the rumor of an Apple television seems nothing more and nothing less than a not very coherent dream, since the product is not really necessary. Apple has every interest in launching new products in its HomePod and Apple TV family, to improve the experience at home without being locked into its own screens.
