Saving up for that widely-rumored Apple television set? Well, according to one analyst, you have plenty of time. J.P. Morgan’s Mark Moskowitz issued a note to investors this week in which he states there is no indication Apple’s TV will make its debut during 2012, and that the current economic climate just isn’t suitable.
Moskowitz believes we’ll be waiting until 2014 instead, but suggests we could see an exciting new Apple TV set-top box before then.
In his note, which was obtained by AppleInsider, Moskowitz says that J.P. Morgan’s research “does not indicate any looming TV-related product launch” from Apple, and that the current economic conditions aren’t right for Apple’s set to make its debut.
Moskowitz notes that the TV industry is currently experiencing “strained” economics, despite the fact that several vendors offer “suitable solutions.” He said that he is “not sure” the Cupertino company’s set will prevail in the current market:
We are not sure that the Apple premium could prevail in the TV market, unless there is a radical change of the user interface, integration of the TV programming and data content, and use of gesture or voice control.
However, Moskowitz is confident that when the time is right, Apple’s set will have all the right ingredients needed to “radically alter the TV landscape.” Even without striking deals with content providers, Moskowitz believes the set will still be a success:
Enhanced-content offerings could augment Apple’s TV solution but are not a necessity for Apple to be successful in the living room, in our view.
Moskowitz feels the set’s success will be thanks to its “tight integration of hardware and software, industrial design, and ease of use,” like all of Apple’s devices.
The “fully-fledged” set won’t arrive until at least 2014, according to Moskowitz. But he believes that it’s likely we’ll a smarter Apple TV set-top box before then:
We believe Apple can design a smarter set top box to manage all components behind the end user’s TV experience, as well as eliminate the oft-cumbersome user interface provided by the cable and satellite operators.
Moskowitz said that potential features could include Siri integration and gesture controls, DVR capabilities, and even video gaming abilities.
Moskowitz then revealed in his note that he’s optimistic Apple will release a new mobile payment platform that uses near-field communication (NFC) technology called “iPay.” It will be a feature of future iPhones and iPads, Moskowitz says.
[via AppleInsider]
