Apple REALLY About To Move Into TV Now: Rumor

[Paul Daniel Ash]

The rumor with more legs than a centipede continues to crawl along: this time it's gossip at a CEO dinner, supposedly from people in the know, that Apple is about to do a major push into television. According to the Silicon Valley Insider's Dan Frommer, bigwigs at the dinner in Manhattan last night were talking about Apple's new direction and hints that the company is about to dig into its pile of cash for some more billion-dollar acquisitions.

Part of the rumor seems to be purely speculative; the change in name from iPhone OS to iOS is supposed to presage a move away from mobile devices (even though Apple now has three major mobile families with the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone lines). Additionally, though, Apple has telegraphed its desire to move into the living room in a number of ways, despite persistent avowals that the Apple TV device is "just a hobby." For one, the new Mac mini refresh included an HDMI port for direct connection of the small form-factor desktop to big-screen TVs. For another, we still have no idea what the monster $1 billion half-a-million-square-foot Apple server farm in North Carolina is going to be used for, even though it's nearing completion and staffing up.

And for yet another, Steve Jobs is on his way to a major event in Sun Valley, Idaho for entertainment industry executives. As BusinessWeek reports, the annual gathering is often used by execs to put together big deals: "Walt Disney Co. used it to hatch its $19.5 billion acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC Inc." in 1995. Steve Jobs, walking with his fat wallet through Sun Valley among a bunch of media executives? "Stay tuned" for sure...

[scooby4]

Hmmmmmm....that would we cool

[Kyle Matthews]

wtf @ title haha

[VBLUE42]

Apple will announce its of acquisition Netflix.

[MetallicaFan1991]

I'll stick with Sky TV here, no way Apple will be able to offer the amount of channels they have.

"For another, we still have no idea what the monster $1 billion half-a-million-square-foot Apple server farm in North Carolina is going to be used for, even though it's nearing completion and staffing up. " Wtf

[whereswaldo]

I like

[NSXrebel]

I'm curious to know what they plan on using that facility for in North Carolina. 500,000 square feet!?!? I don't care what they end up using it for, it will be interesting whatever it ends up being.

[Gustavo Saliola]

"...the monster $1 billion half-a-million-square-foot Apple server farm in North Carolina is going to be used for, even though it's nearing completion and staffing up."

That's Skynet.

Ta...taann...taaann...taa..taaaannn...

[tudtran]

I don't want to overpaid my cable bill.

[Redcurlygirl]

Um, yeah that would be awesome if they bought netflix! I've been wanting netflix on appletv!

[Cer0]

I just want an update to AppleTV already. I love mine but it needs "more power" (Grunt in a Tim Allen voice).

Yes dork I am.

[JonnyBoy123]

Sounds like a good idea. If this rumor turns out to be true, I wouldn't jump at it just yet, I'm guna give it sometime to prove itself! The only thing I'm concerned about is Apple's partnership with AT&T! Apple has been depending on AT&T for a lot of their new products and I can't help but think that AT&T is going to have something to do with this new Apple TV thing. I hope I'm wrong!

[JacquesChirac]

one word: slingplayer

[alglez_00]

Skynet!

[sziklassy]

That's Skynet.

Ta...taann...taaann...taa..taaaannn...

Was that a terrible HORRIBLE GOD AWFUL attempt at the terminator theme song?

[dcgore]

This has been one if not the one thing apple has not been successful at and given they haven't killed it, i am thinking they are seeing a future for the product.

With their mobile devices, the ipad in particular, Apple has a huge potential for mobile TV not to mention tv sets people have at home. In my opinion the big losers here will be the cable companies.

[Gustavo Saliola]

Was that a terrible HORRIBLE GOD AWFUL attempt at the terminator theme song?

Show some respect! It toke me a real hard rehearsall to match the beats...
Meh, you're right, was terrible...

[platnumn]

Show some respect! It toke me a real hard rehearsall to match the beats...
Meh, you're right, was terrible...

LOL god dammnit that was terrible, I wanted to say it first. I spent 3 minutes trying to mouth that out.. 3 minutes wasted of my life.

[bignighttrain]

Can't wait to have a 50" Apple touchscreen plasma or LCD HD tv hanging on the wall of my studio.
Sounds like iRobot to me.

[nc3g]

Can't wait to have a 50" Apple touchscreen plasma or LCD HD tv hanging on the wall of my studio.
Sounds like iRobot to me.

A 50" touchscreen would be a huge waste, and expensive to boot. I'll keep the TV I've got.

Why not have your iPhone as a dynamic remote? (just think of the iPad game where the iPhone is the Wii-like controller with controls on the screen and you get the idea...)