Apple Prepping Its Very Own Wii Remote, Says Analyst

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has returned from a trip to Computex where he held meetings with unnamed people from Apple’s supply chain. He is happy to report that Apple is on the verge of introducing a new television product with a motion sensing remote.

Don’t bet your house on it, but White says “Regarding Apple TV, the data points during our trip indicate the company will use a special type of motion detection technology on future full blown Apple TV that we expect to be unveiled within the next couple of quarters, rather than touch technology.”

What the analyst is saying with that last part – “rather than touch technology” – is that he and his fellow colleagues are aware Apple markets and sells a Remote software application for its iDevices that lets you control the Apple TV set-top box.

And they wanted to point that one out before Apple fans jump to any conclusions.

And that motion-sensing remote sounds awfully similar to the Nintendo Wii’s popular controller.

White continued his note to clients today, stating, “Also, our contacts indicate a unique remote control with a touch panel form factor that looks similar to the iPad would be used to control the device.”

“The bezel is expected to be a plastic composition, rather than the aluminum unibody exterior that surrounds the MacBook Air,” he said.

White doesn’t provide any specifics regarding the TV set itself, which makes his research note sketchy. It’s very unlikely that Apple allowed details of a remote control device to leak out, before its TV product even entered production, let alone the materials it’s made from.

And there are so many rumors swirling around this unconfirmed TV set from Apple that it’s becoming impossible to assess which one may ultimately pan out.

For example, BGR reported earlier this month that Apple plans to unveil a software development kit for the current Apple TV, paving the way for a new App Store. That remote White is talking about could well be a controller for what may eventually turn out to be a full-fledged media center from Apple, complete with video games.