Analyst claims Apple iTV debut is imminent

There have been a lot of rumours around an Apple television, and in what may add some fuel to the fire, an analyst states that the launch of such a device is just around the corner.

Cnet now reports that analyst James Kisner of Jeffries & Co stated that his firm has heard rumblings from their industry contacts about at least one major cable operator doing tests to see if it can handle the extra bandwidth required for a product like an Apple television. This statement was made in an investors note about cable technology company Arris Group.

The launch is imminent (Image Credit)

Commenting on a report on data growth released by the firm, Kisner said, “...Our discussions with industry contacts suggest that at least one major North American multiple system operator is working to estimate how much additional capacity may be needed for a new Apple device on their broadband data network.”

He went on to state, “We believe this potentially suggests an imminent launch of the Apple TV.”  He added that the iTV would be a boon to the Arris Group as it sells capacity to providers such as Comcast.

Cent reports that the impact the device would have was forecast by assuming that 50 percent of the iTV owners would watch HD programs during peak hours at a streaming speed of 5Mbps. The analyst group states that this impact would be felt by Arris if Apple sold between five million and 30 million units of this television set.

Over the past couple of years, it has been rumoured that Apple is preparing an HDTV deeply integrated with Apple’s voice recognition assistant, Siri, and that it would be launched by late this year or early next year. However, the possibility of it being launched this year appears to be slim, and now, in all likelihood, this full-fledged television set may make its debut next year.

The rumours went as far as stating that the Apple branded HDTV was in production, and an analyst Peter Misek, in a research note, stated that the television would show up in stores by the end of this year.

In a related report, commenting on the report by Jeffereies, 9to5Mac states, “While referring to the platform as iTV, Jefferies added Apple is planning to partner with Verizon and AT&T in addition to selling set-top-boxes for cable providers such as Comcast. According to the report, Apple will offer a “premium Apple television” offering content from Verizon and AT&T, as well as giving users an option for just a cable box for Comcast and possibly other cable operators. Content for users outside of the US was not discussed in the report. Jefferies is now including 2 million iTVs in its model for early 2013 with an average sale price of $1,250”.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, in his biography, had told author Walter Isaacson that he had ‘cracked it’, while referring to an integrated HDTV. However, there has been no concrete information regarding an Apple HDTV, also known as, Apple iTV. Isaacson did not wish to divulge information he had about any of Apple’s forthcoming products. With Foxconn CEO Terry Gou letting it slip that his company is getting ready to begin producing the Apple iTV, we may expect to see some official information soon.

An earlier report stated that Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc's rumoured upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin. iTV reportedly features an aluminium construction, Siri, and FaceTime video calling.

To get a better idea on what the iTV would entail, anonymous sources have revealed in the past that one could start watching a movie on the television set, pick up an iOS device such as an iPhone, and continue watching from where one last watched. Reports have emerged that the television would resemble Apple’s Cinema Displays, but it would be a lot larger. Like the report by China Daily, previous reports too have indicated that the iTV would be Siri-enabled, and have an iSight camera that enables making FaceTime calls.