Rumors surrounding Apple’s entrance into the television market continue to gain steam, and a recent report suggests that Apple plans to unveil its debut HDTV next week at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. In a note to clients on Wednesday, Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek wrote that Apple may surprise show goers next week by pulling back the curtain on its television set. The analyst also claims that companies including AT&T, Verizon, Rogers, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom are already testing Apple’s HDTV in their labs. BGR reported late last month that Apple may unveil a new TV user interface tied to its Apple TV set-top box at WWDC, however a physical TV announcement was not expected by our source.
Apple’s upcoming flat panel television, or “iTV” as it is often called, is expected to feature voice controls powered by Siri, LCD panels manufactured by Sharp and possibly a unique content distribution model that offers channels in app-like bundles. A few outliers believe Apple’s HDTV might not launch until some time in 2013 or even 2014, but a number of reports — including an earlier note from Misek — suggest that preliminary manufacturing has already begun ahead of a launch in the fourth quarter this year.
