Abdel Ibrahim: ‘Apple Wants to Sell You a Television Set, Just Not Today’

Abdel Ibrahim:

Yet, despite it not being a hobby, it’s still going to be connected via HDMI 2 on most of our televisions, something even Eddy Cue admits. Of course, the major reason for this is because Apple has yet to announce their own television service to go along with their box. If and when they announce such a service, that’s when we can expect Apple TV to start utilizing HDMI 1.

I believe the new box, and the soon-to-be streaming service, is a setup to start selling a true Apple television in the coming years. What makes me feel this way? The iMac. […]

I know what you’re thinking. “The TV business is horrible. There are no margins there!” That may be true, but guess what? There are no margins in the PC or smartphone business either. The margins only go to those who are making premium products with an OS they own and control. And guess who does that better than anyone? Apple.

Ibrahim’s point about the new Apple TV not being “HDMI 1” is a strong one. But that’s more about Apple’s long-rumored, supposedly-still-in-the-works content streaming service than about making actual TV sets. (To be clear, Ibrahim is talking about Input 1 on your TV, not a version number or spec for HDMI. For most people their cable box or DVR remains Input 1.)

But 4K is an interesting opportunity. If 4K takes off, that means there’s an upgrade cycle coming for everyone with 720p/1080p HD TVs. That would be the time for Apple to make an iMac-style all-in-one TV set.

★ Saturday, 31 October 2015