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Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

Summary: The latest rumors about Apple's purported television set suggest you can control it via voice or gesture controls. Also, Best Buy surveys its customers about their interest in an Apple TV.

Sean Portnoy

By for Home Theater |

The Toronto Globe and Mail is reporting that a pair of Canadian carriers is in talks with Apple about partnering for its rumored television set (becoming unofficially known more and more as iTV), and that Rogers Communications and BCE already have prototypes in their office for testing.

The paper's sources claim that the TV can be controlled by both Siri-like voice commands and hand gestures (a la Microsoft's Kinect). That level of control extends to an on-screen keyboard that allows users to interact with the Internet while using the set. In addition, iPhone and iPad owners would be able to control the set through an app on their devices.

Meanwhile, Best Buy has set off a bit of a firestorm when it was disclosed on The Verge that the electronics retailer was surveying its customers about their interest in a potential Apple iTV. As you can see from the image below, Best Buy lists potential specs -- 42-inch LED, iCloud support, built-in webcam, though no Siri or motion controls -- and a potential price -- $1,499.

Considering the veil of secrecy Apple places over its products, it seemed like the leaked survey was a colossal blunder. However, Wired magazine contacted Best Buy, which responded that its poll was "a routine offer effectiveness survey conducted by one of Best Buy’s research partners. Any brand reference was hypothetical." The company has since pulled the survey.

It's highly doubtful that Best Buy would disclose any Apple iTV specs before its release, but the fact that it felt compelled to gauge consumer interest in the product does suggest that we'll be seeing it sooner than later. Whether it will come with those exact specs, or that exact price, will continue to be fodder for the rumor mill until Apple finally unveils the television.

Image: The Verge

Topics: Apple, Hardware, Mobility

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24 comments
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  • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

    Yes, you too can own this priceless work of retro art for only $25,000.
    Nate_K
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

    [i]and a potential price ??? $1,499.[/i]
    BWAHAHHAHHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHA!
    ok let me say it again.
    BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
    Loverock Davidson-
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @Loverock Davidson- <br><br>Just out of curiosity: what is your annual net income, if you can't afford a $1.499 TV? For me that is less than pocket money and I'd be happy to pay double or triple which is much less than my current Bang & Olufsen TV cost me.
      erann
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

        @erann
        So what you are telling us is that you have more money ... or credit ? than brains. Nothing lasts forever especially money!
        not impresssed.
        preferred user
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @Loverock Davidson- If it's $1500 with a locally backlit panel, it's actually a pretty good price. Especially if it has tri-color LED backlighting with a 10 or 12 bit controller.
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

    I can't imagine why anyone would buy a 42" TV for $1,500... BUT I am sure there are enough Apple fanboys out there to make it successful... which is both scary and sickening at the same time.
    clcrockett
    Reply Vote

    • Here's one Apple fanboy.....

      @ccrockett@...
      ...that won't touch it if it uses a voice or gesture UI. Both of those types of UI may be fine in certain situations, but controlling a TV isn't one of them. I believe Apple is smart enough to know that.
      Userama
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

        @Userama
        Yea what if GF or wifey comes in and tells Siri to change the channel
        4th down and goal with 0:15 on the clock or bottom of the ninth
        tie score count 3 and 2 you know Siri is gonna take the wifeys side!
        preferred user
        Reply Vote

      • Gesturing nothing new

        @Userama
        I gesture at my TV all the time. My wife talks to it. Nothing to write home about.
        cwallen19803@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @ccrockett@... Amen on that - $1500 is just crazy for a 42" TV. The TV is too small for that price. That's bedroom-sized. They really need to do this as a set top box with quad-tuner, HD DVR for about half that price. The people (like me) who would drop $800+ on a set top box aren't in the market for a TV that small. Plus, we're really picky about the display. So, we would want to choose our own display to match our own tastes. If they bring out a TV, they are killing off a huge number of potential sales.
      BillDem
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

        @BillDem That STB should be closer to $500; $800 is closer to the price of a Core i5 2500k-based Windows 7 box with 4 cable card tuners and at least 1TB worth of hard drive. Maybe with a small SSD.
        Champ_Kind
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

        @BillDem ... must have a huge bedroom to be able to lie that far back so you can see it properly. And your bed life must be most boring if a TV is needed. But then, you probably don't sleep much anyway since TV flicker overstimulates the brain for at least an hour after the set is turned off. By the way, how big is your "main" TV? Church-size?
        plandok@...
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

    You'll be able to do almost all of that with less than $250 before the end of the month.
    Playbook ($199), blackberry (free with plan) and an HDMI cable ($12) between the playbook and the HDTV you already own.

    (This should start some comments)
    Ray (Canada)
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

    Don't need a smart tv. I can push the buttons on the remote all by myself.
    partman1969@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @partman1969@... +100
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote

  • Doesn't matter what it costs

    Apple fans will buy it anyway, and line up to be the first. As they say, a fool and his money...
    garyleroy@...
    Reply Vote

  • Laughable price

    I have a ton of Apple gadgets, but iTV would have to do a helluva lot more than be a cool internet-connected TV for me to shell out $1500 for one. Especially at "only" 42-inches.

    I -- and I suspect most other people -- would be far more inclined to spend $750-1000 on a 50+-inch set and hook up a $99 AppleTV box, which comes with a remote. And I could hook up my Mac Mini to do real work on it, if I wanted.

    I just don't see the point in Apple creating a new TV. Maybe I'm being short-sighted or unimaginative, but I don't see a TV device being "revolutionary". An "inexpensive" box like the $99 AppleTV with some worthwhile upgrades to take better advantage of Apple's ecosystem makes total sense, though. Let it run apps. Give it Siri so you can interact with your "house" to set reminders, schedule appointments, play movies or music, etc. -- all of which would be pulled and sync'd with your existing Apple devices.

    And I still think Apple could revolutionize TV by creating a subscription service that lets us pick and choose shows a-la-carte to download and watch when we want, instead of choosing pre-defined "packages" of networks. I'd ditch Dish Network in a heartbeat to pay Apple $30/month as long as I could select all my favorite shows and events that I like to watch ... and none of the crap. But the "premiers" would have to be available on the same night at the same time as they show up on network TV ... none of this waiting days and days to maybe see a new episode if the network decides to stream it (which is very hit or miss and usually played through a lousy player -- and every network has their own lousy player).

    Heck, at $30/month, I'd be saving money. (I don't think I'd pay a premium for such a service yet -- Dish and my DVR are good enough.) But if Apple could negotiate to get all the networks to provide it with their up-to-the-minute programming, they could make a killing -- and still probably make it more worthwhile for the networks than cable/satellite companies do. Cable companies could then focus on network and phone services. Not sure what satellite services would do.
    jscott69
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @jscott69
      "Maybe I'm being short-sighted or unimaginative, but I don't see a TV device being "revolutionary"."

      That's what they said about portable music player, legally downloadable music, smart phone with touch UI, app store and tablet, among other things.
      erann
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Latest Apple iTV rumors: Siri and motion controls built in, Best Buy polls consumers on price

      @jscott69 ... what happens when the power goes off?
      plandok@...
      Reply Vote

  • My prediction: a big "gotcha"

    All this hooha about Apple coming out with a complete TV set of ANY size seems like just a bunch of smoke. Think about it. The HDTV market is pretty saturated right now. And what's the chance that someone who bought a big-screen HDTV recently will replace it any time soon? I, along with analysts, tech pundits, etc., don't have a clue what Apple has in the works TV-wise, but I have a strong gut feeling it's NOT a 42-inch, $1500 TV set!
    Userama
    Reply Vote
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