Almost half of consumers want an Apple television, willing to pay 20% premium

A television made by Apple doesn't even exist yet, but according to a survey, almost half of consumers polled said they are interested in one and are willing to pay 20% more than usual to own one. According to Morgan Stanley and AlphaWise, who polled 1,568 US households, 11% were "extremely interested" in an Apple television, while 36% were "somewhat interested."

Furthermore, out of those households that were polled, just 18% of those surveyed have a smart TV, while 13% of the respondents said they didn't know whether their TV is considered "smart." The poll also shows that those who own smart TVs actually spend less time accessing internet content through their TV than those who don't own a smart TV, suggesting that browsing the internet on a TV isn't as intuitive as it needs to be.

While only 47% doesn't seem like good odds for Apple, if all 47% of those surveyed bought an Apple television, that would translate to about 56 million units sold, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. Plus, respondents also mentioned that they're willing to pay a premium for an Apple television. 4% said they're willing to pay over $1,000, while 10% are willing to pay over $2,000.

On average, respondents said they would pay $1,060 for an Apple television, which is a 20% higher than the average $884 for a current television set. Even though the survey may be premature, and respondents don't know what an Apple television would consist of exactly, many of them noted that they look forward to great display quality and ease-of-use in the software — two things that Apple is notorious for.

[via AppleInsider]