Was the iPad Supposed to Be a TV?

(Photo: catchesthelight/flickr)

Was the iPad originally meant to be a killer TV platform? An analyst speculates the iPad would be the perfect platform for Apple to launch its vision for anywhere television, tying Apple TV, iTunes and network programming into one sleek and stylish portable DVR.

“Imagine a portable set top box, but with its own killer screen,” wrote Berstein Research analyst Craig Moffett. “Navigation of programming guides and iTunes listings would occur on the iPad, using an intuitive touch interface. Output would go directly to the widescreen TV on the wall.”

On the go, the iPad could be used as a DVR “which also happens to be a half-inch ergonomically gorgeous high definition tilt-sensitive screen that fits comfortably in your hands,” wrote Moffett.

Is such a platform practical? After all, the iPad is rather slim on resources (no multitasking, for instance) while video is particularly demanding. However, some have suggested there are applications particularly suited to the new tablet device. One example: a Major League Baseball app that includes graphics, information, video clips and live action simultaneously.

“It is both suggestive of a media-centric killer app for the iPad and a bellwether for the future of TV Anywhere,” writes Mark Sigal at O’Reilly Radar.

Something along these lines was being reported in late 2009. Apple was discussing with studios offering TV shows for $1 per episode via iTunes. As we said at the time, “The timing of this report suggests a Tablet connection to me. The Tablet is likely to be a very media-oriented device, and there has been some theorizing that it may actually finally deliver on the promises of the Apple TV, but in a portable form factor.”

Apple was also reportedly talking with television studios about a $30 subscription plan offering the “best of” network television.

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[Via Barron's and All Things Digital]

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