Apple HDTV running iOS may be launched by Q4 2012

The rumours of an Apple HDTV have been floating around for quite a while and the major talking point about this integrated television, besides its features has been the television's launch date. A report from BGR shed some light on the situation as they claim Brian White, an analyst at Topeka Capital Markets has relayed a report from 21cbh.com who state that Apple’s manufacturing partner Hon Hai is scheduled to receive LCD panels designed for the Apple HDTV by the third quarter of 2012. This is a solid indication that an HDTV from Apple may be launched by the fourth quarter of this year, which is just in time for the holiday season.

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White wrote in a note to clients on Thursday, “This morning, the Chinese character version of 21cbh.com indicated in an article that Hon Hai Precision expects to start receiving LCD TV panel orders from Sharp in 3Q12 instead of 4Q12 as was originally planned. Recall, Hon Hai invested in Sharp earlier this year to secure LCD panels that we believe will largely support a new Apple TV.”

Will the Apple HDTV look like this if it launches this year?

He went on to add, “Based on a recent interview by 21cbh.com with a Sharp executive and information from sources at the company, the online news source believes the order is for the new Apple TV and could be available for the holiday season. In our view, a holiday launch would make for a very merry holiday season for Apple and consumers. However, we will continue to monitor the data points surrounding the timing of this launch as they could change.”

The news surrounding the launch of the television has been going around for quite a while with many analysts believing that it will launch by either the end of this year or by early next year. As of now, the television is a mythical product and yet the news about it is surfacing on a consistent basis.

Late last month, it was reported that Apple had approached Foxconn with orders to build the Apple HDTV and the device is currently in its trial production stage. The news that Foxconn may finally be working on the television matches up with the timeline laid out by noted Apple analyst Gene Munster, who recently predicted that the company would announce the television this December and begin shipping it in early 2013.

The news surrounding the Apple HDTV began to gather steam when it was revealed in the late Steve Jobs’ biography that he had finally cracked it. The Apple HDTV is believed to be a television measuring anywhere from 32 to 55-inches and will have features, such as FaceTime using an iSight camera, Siri, which is Apple’s voice recognition assistant and resemble the brand’s Cinema Display, but much larger in comparison.

With Apple possibly launching the HDTV by December, do yu think it'll go on to be as big as the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Macs?