If you follow the rumors surrounding Apple, you know that the company is reportedly working on a television. That television, rumors suggest, will come with iCloud support, apps, and perhaps even Siri. More importantly, it’ll deliver the kind of image quality often not found in today’s televisions. However, like so many other Apple products, it’s highly likely that the television will boast a high price tag.
When it comes to the greatest in living room entertainment, Smart TV is only half of the battle: actually accessing that smart content presents challenges of its own. Statistics show that a sizable number of Smart TV owners don’t actually use the more advanced features their sets are capable of, intimidated or confused by the complexity of the button-encrusted remotes. Samsung has taken its own route to interactivity, replacing overly-complex remote controls with a combination of gesture, voice and face-recognition.
Cheap televisions may be great for the consumer, but it seems like some companies are fed up of the low prices. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony and Samsung have both begun to set minimum pricing on their TVs to protect profit margins. Retailers will be prevented from offering the TVs below the prices that the companies have set in an effort to avoid steep discounts.
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I remember a time when Netflix was special. The company was delivering innovative ideas to the marketplace, it fully understood its customers, and its management was in tune with the changing market dynamics. Netflix was, just last year, in fact, a tech giant.
But after increasing how much it charges customers for access to its rentals and its streaming, and watching its content partners turn their backs on it unless it paid up, everything has changed. Now, Netflix is a shadow of its former self, and a company that, as far as I’m concerned, could very well be on its way to outright obsolescence.
The biggest tech event of the year – if you believe the financial pundits – has been and gone, leaving analysts, shareholders and Mark Zuckerberg to pick through the remains of the Facebook IPO. Seldom have so many gathered to stretch credibility and understanding to talk about so little. In the end, despite stock flat-lining in a way that sent delicious shivers of schadenfreude down the spines of those who still can’t quite see the worth in shared contemplation of navels, Facebook has more than $16bn of extra cash in its account. For actual Facebook users though – in fact, for just about everyone, even if they’re now a shareholder in the company – the IPO is, so far, gloriously irrelevant.
Happy Monday, everyone. It's time to pause and take a look at what made news today. The evening wrap-up today starts with the headline that Microsoft is offering $15 upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. And moving onto Microsoft's bitter rival, we're pretty sure Apple is working on its own branded television set, but Foxconn denies CEO confirming Apple iTV. And finally, some cool news for you die-hard gamers out there - Diablo III Starter Edition provides free demo.
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Foxconn is denying reports that its CEO Terry Gou confirmed any plans for the much rumored Apple television set. The China Daily reported last week that during a speech at the start of building Foxconn's new headquarters, Gou revealed that the company had already begun preparations for Apple's iTV.
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The differences between the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and the iPad (1, 2, and 3 for that matter) are immense – though I’m sure the title of this post will evoke a litany of different interpretations from readers here today. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is the next-generation tablet from Samsung to come with their own suite of Samsung-tuned applications, while the iPad is the best selling tablet-like device of all time as well as one of the best selling devices of all time, bar none. Samsung didn’t create the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to compete with the iPad, but the inevitable question that pops up in the mind of everyone considering a new tablet purchase does end up being that almost no matter what: do I want this, or do I want an iPad instead?
German luxury TV manufacturer Loewe has denied reports that it is considering an €87.3m ($112.8m) acquisition offer made by Apple, describing the speculation as having "absolutely nothing to it." An unnamed Loewe spokesperson told German news site Heise that the rumors are unfounded, despite ongoing financial concerns with the company's high-end sets struggling to find buyers in the tough economic climate.
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Apple television rumors continue to swirl, and now the head of Foxconn has seemingly confirmed that the television is being put into production soon. Terry Gou, chief of Foxconn, gave a speech at the start of the building of the new Foxconn headquarters, spilling the beans by saying that the company was preparing to manufacture the TV.
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Is the Apple television coming this year? Is it even coming at all? We can’t answer those questions, but more details seem to be leaking out about the mythical television set of lore. Cult of Mac reports that a source has seen the fully working TV in the flesh, and has spilled the beans about what to expect. Most of what is outlined matches up with previous rumors, such as Siri integration, but there’s one or two odd details.
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We certainly wouldn’t call the new iPad thick, but its waistline did see a slight increase in order to accommodate the larger battery and new screen tech. CNET believes that the increased thickness was a compromise on Apple’s part, with the company originally hoping to retain the same thickness using Sharp’s IGZO panels.
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