A prominent industry analyst believes the public will have to wait a little while longer for Apple’s rumored connected television set.
According to JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz, sources “do not indicate any looming TV-related product launch,” primarily due to unfavorable economic conditions.
The TV industry, says Moskowitz, is experiencing “strained” economics, despite the fact that several television manufacturers have offered Cupertino a number of “suitable” platforms for a connected TV set.
“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,” the analyst explained in an industry note obtained by AppleInsider.
However, Moskowitz emphasized that Apple would likely be the one company capable of “radically altering the TV landscape” if it chose to.
Currently, it seems as if Apple has decided to adopt a slower, more evolutionary approach to breaking into the home entertainment market, even though Cupertino has the ability to deliver a “differentiated home entertainment solution” independent of separate “game-changing content-related deals” that would require further negotiation.
“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,” he opined. Rather, Moskowitz sees the “tight integration of hardware and software, industrial design, and ease of use” as a critical factor in ensuring the company’s television success.
“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.”
Eventually, says Moskowitz, a “full-fledged” TV may arrive, perhaps by 2014. ”We think that Apple can differentiate a TV through the industrial design and picture quality,” he added.
