apple hdtv

There hasn't quite been this much hype, intrigue, and mystery around an Apple product since the first iPad.

We're speaking, of course, about Apple's TV set. A device that began as a twinkle in an analyst's eye, and has since ballooned into what just about everyone expects Apple to roll out as its next major flagship product.

But where are these rumors coming from? How have they changed? And most importantly, how are you supposed to keep up with them? CNET's rounded down all the major ones below, a document we plan to keep lovingly … Read more

So, why would Apple make an HDTV? If you're looking for another reason, here's one.

I queried Raymond Soneira, the founder, president, and CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, earlier this week about the timing of the upcoming 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. Though he wasn't able to address that question, he did give a pretty good answer about why he thinks Apple is going Retina.

Soneira believes Apple will continue to adopt Retina across all "premium" products, including the Apple TV. But it's less about the intrinsic Retina technology than it is about consistency, he believes. … Read more

Foxconn aims to use its investment in Sharp to land orders for Apple's upcoming large-screen TV -- so the ongoing speculation goes.

The latest guesswork comes from Asia Ho Chao-yang, former president of Chimei Innolux, Taiwan's largest LCD maker, and current chairman of Chi Mei Materials Technology, who concludes that Foxconn Electronics' investment in Sharp is a play to "secure iTV orders from Apple," according to Taipei-based DigiTimes.

Ho added that the launch of an iTV would benefit polarizer makers, of which Chi Mei Materials is one.

This is by no means the first time that … Read more

This week's comic is inspired solely by a tweet from our very own CNET TV editor Ty Pendlebury. After at least two documented cases of iPhone prototypes getting lost in bars, you'd think Apple employees would have learned their lesson by now.

Will Apple unveil an HDTV at WWDC? That remains to be seen; we're just hoping one doesn't show up left behind in some bar in Southern California.… Read more

Apple may show off yet another updated version of its Apple TV operating system at next week's World Wide Developer Conference, according to BGR.

The new version is expected to be packed with more features, and will use the same version of the OS on Apple's much-rumored, upcoming HDTV, the report says.

Apple is reportedly talking to manufacturers about using a new "control out" application programming interface that allows accessories to work with the new Apple TV operating system and television. The idea is to allow users to control any component with an Apple remote.

CNET … Read more

An unconfirmed report that was ultimately dismissed by management isn't enough to turn shareholders off to German HDTV maker Loewe.

The company's shares today are up 22 percent to 5.55 euros following rumors that it would be acquired by Apple as early as this week. AppleInsider, an Apple-tracking Web site, reported on Saturday that it had received a report from a source claiming Apple had offered a buyout deal for a slight premium on the company's stock price, and Loewe's financial advisers had "been advised" to take the offer.

AppleInsider made it clear … Read more

In today's show, we're buying status updates, finding a new route and building a new game addiction:

Would you pay $2 to get your Facebook status message seen by more people? It's something Facebook is testing in New Zealand. (And tell me your two-cents on the issue via Tout!)

The Foxconn factory for Apple products is preparing to build the much anticipated Apple television set. The chief at the Foxconn spilled the beans in a news conference.

According to 9to5Mac, the next version of iOS will not include Google Maps. Rather, it will have Apple's own mapping software. … Read more

If a report from Cult of Mac this morning is true, we may have our first good sense of what Apple's long-rumored and much-hyped HDTV looks like and what features it contains.

In the report, Cult of Mac cites an unnamed source who is said to have seen a prototype of the forthcoming device and who claims that it looks like "Apple's current lineup of LED-backlit Cinema Displays but is 'much bigger.' It [also] has a built-in iSight camera for making free FaceTime video conference calls. And it has Siri, the iPhone 4S' voice-activated virtual assistant." … Read more

Best Buy said it authorized a survey that discussed the as-yet announced Apple TV, but insisted that fuss over the survey is much ado about nothing.

"The customer survey was a routine offer effectiveness survey conducted by one of Best Buy's research partners," Best Buy told Wired in a statement last night. "Any brand reference was hypothetical. The survey is no longer available."

Apple TV rumors have been swirling over the last several months after co-founder Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson that he had "cracked" the code for a revolutionary television. … Read more