Yet more signs Apple wants to be in your TV. The Cupertino, Calif. tech giant is building a “Smart TV prototype,” an analyst told investors Friday, citing Asian suppliers. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported Apple is talking with TV manufacturers about embedding technology enabling mobile devices to stream video content to televisions.
A Smart TV would give Apple another product category worth $4 billion for each percent of the TV market the iPad-maker and its partners captured, writes Morgan Stanley analyst Kat Huberty. A Pioneer executive was quoted Thursday describing Apple’s entry into the market “a blessing for an industry trying to move the needle forward on sales.”
This isn’t the first burst of speculation surrounding an Apple-branded TV. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has long believed the company wants a part of the industry, already selling TV programming and offering the Apple TV set-top box.
“While Apple’s commitment to the living room remains a ‘hobby,’ we continue to believe the company will enter the TV market with a full focus, as an all-in-one Apple television could move the needle when connected TVs proliferate,” Munster previously wrote. Apple’s earlier $3.9 billion investment in components could be a further signal of its intentions. Munster predicts an Apple TV set could generate $2.5 billion for the company.
