I was asked recently about whether I think Apple will in fact release a TV.
Yes, I do. That’s not really “news” though – just about every industry analyst thinks that Apple will release an actual HD TV.
But I’m going to go out on a limb here and prognosticate on a key feature of the device. I’ve been thinking/saying this for several months now, but I’m going to put a stake in the ground here, for fun, to see if it holds up (or not) before I hear anyone else say what I’m about to say. And by the way — I’m not claiming that nobody has said what I’m about to say, just that I have not heard it yet…
Ok, what is “it”?
I believe that Apple is going to release a consumer television, powered by Siri.
Steve Jobs made a statement that he felt that he found the missing piece that he needed to make a TV under the Apple brand. It was a cryptic statement, and could mean many things. Personally, I believe Siri is the missing piece. In my opinion, the iPhone 4S was a proving ground for Siri. Notice that Siri is still referred to as a “beta.” They’re working out the kinks.
Think about it: Apple has all of the pieces. They make flat screen displays. They have iOS. They have AppleTV working. They have AirPlay and all the technology to make all of the devices in the house interoperable over WiFi. They have iCloud and iTunes for content.
And now they have Siri.
I think Siri is the “missing link.” And the magic! I mean, they could have made a TV before. They make flatscreens, and the AppleTV device has been out on the market for years. But it’s awkward and unwieldy to really control apps with the little TV remote. When Netflix forgets my username and password, I cringe at having to hunt and peck it out again with the remote. And besides, we have that now — Samsung and the other manufacturers already have apps integrated into their flat screen HD TVs. A Samsung “Smart TV” is basically an HD TV with the equivalent of AppleTV (or Roku or whatnot) built-in. That’s not revolutionary, it’s evolutionary.
Steve Jobs’ style was to transform industries, not just release yet another “me too” gadget.
And quite honestly, trying to control apps from a TV remote is a hassle and the average consumer does NOT want a keyboard to run their TV. We’ve had that for years already, and they’re duds.
But imagine just TALKING to it! “Turn to channel 10″ or “show CSI Miami”, and BAM! It does it!
Now that is killer!
And, I think it’s going to be @?!*#$%! huge.
Not because I’m an “Apple fan boy.” Because it just is. Think about it.
