Steve Jobs' Last Vision? Apple iTV Rumored to Debut This Summer

By Gabrielle Devenish, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Technology bloggers and journalists covering consumer electronics are attempting to unravel the mystery of the Apple's rumored smart TV. Fox News reports that the late Steve Jobs said the smart TV will have "the simplest user interface you can imagine."

The latest rumors come from Digitimes which reports the Apple iTV will be available in 32 and 37-inch screen sizes as early as this summer.

According to Digitimes, the current Apple TV, which uses a set-top box (STB), the iTVs will be full television sets. The report indicated that Sharp will produce the displays and Samsung is already producing the chips for the initial iTVs. A follow-up report Wednesday also said Foxconn Electronics will most likely be behind the assembly for the Apple smart TV.

While the Christian Post reported earlier this month the sets could be as large as 55 inches, it appears the 37-inch will be the largest available initially. The New York Times reports that some critics speculate on whether the new sets can compete with today’s mega-screen home TVs, with sets averaging 38 inches at cheap prices.

Home televisions can offer flat screen, LCD and 3D technology, but Apple iTV will likely differentiate its line of TV sets with Siri-voice control, and if current Apple products are any indication, it will be user-friendly and stylish. Tech writer Phillip Moorhead even speculates that users may also be able to share content across all Apple devices, and solve many of the problems set-top boxes have.

Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he "wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant."

Hardware standards for the iTV will be finalized in the first quarter of 2012, Digitimes reported.