14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has confirmed plans to hold a September 1 event focused on music, as it is customary for the company in recent years, by sending out invitations to a San Francisco location, hinting at the ongoing focus on music, rather than plans of reshaping the television industry.
Invitations sent out to select members of the media reveal, via artwork symbolizing a guitar with an Apple-shaped sound hole, that the September 1 event will continue Apple’s focus on music.
“Please join us for an invitation-only event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on September 1 at 10:00 a.m. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Please arrive early,” Apple’s invite reads.
The invitation also includes directions to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, as well as a simple map, highlighting the location amongst other important venues.
Multiple sources have said Apple is planning to introduce a new Apple TV that will change the way we consume television content.
Perhaps the most vocal of all was Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg.com.
However, Apple’s CEO revealed during an interview earlier this year that, in order to capture a big slice of the television market, herculean efforts need to be made.
So, for now, Apple TV, or iTV as some believe Apple will call the new iteration, may remain a hobby for the Cupertino, California-based electronics maker.
Apple may stick to simpler plans, such as introducing revamped iPods, including a FaceTime-capable iPod touch, to ensure high revenue.
Steve Jobs said earlier this summer that Apple plans to ship tens of millions of FaceTime-compatible devices this year alone.
Since the iPhone 4 is the only one capable of FaceTime video chatting, it is reasonable to assume iPod touch 4 will jump in to achieve those numbers for Apple.
Currently, there is no indication that Apple is preparing to amaze the world with a new set-top-box
Still, the company could introduce the rumored $99 device as another take at its hobby, before it figures out the best way to take this industry by storm.
According to one analyst, a cloud-based Apple TV, with its own place in the App Store is a mere stepping stone before Apple intros a full-fledged HDTV media center.
In a note to investors sent out earlier this month, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster acknowledged rumors that the existing Apple TV would be renamed iTV.
The analyst said that 2012 was likely the time when Apple’s big plans in the TV industry would start to take shape.