14 DAY TRIAL // An analyst with Morgan Stanley wrote in a note to investors today that "checks in Asia suggest Apple is working on a Smart TV prototype."
Checks with Asian suppliers have historically turned up good indications regarding Apple’s forthcoming plans, and Katy Huberty sees Apple's rumored Smart TV as "potentially the next new product category."
According to a report by AppleInsider citing the analyst, Huberty predicts that an Apple-branded television could add $4 billion per 1 percent share of the TV market captured by 2013.
Huberty also forecasts that Apple will unveil an LTE iPhone next year, with new features and faster performance, and the company is expected to preserve entry-level $600 price point.
The report resurrects older TV-rumors surrounding the Company in Cupertino, California, recalling predictions made by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who has stated on multiple occasions that Apple is poised to introduce a full-fledged connected television.
The analyst said in a note to investors earlier this year, "While Apple's commitment to the living room remains a 'hobby,' we continue to believe the company will enter the TV market with a full focus, as an all-in-one Apple television could move the needle when connected TVs proliferate."
Apple currently sells a product called ‘Apple TV’ which ships as a small set-top box that connects to a wide range of HD television sets.
The system costs an affordable $99 but keeps users somewhat locked in iTunes, Apple’s platform for purchasing and distributing media, from music and films, to software applications and e-books.
Apple’s aim, based on many analysts’ assumptions, would be to introduce a TV solution that acts as an alternative to cable TV.
Steve Jobs suggested in an interview with the folks at All Things D that Apple was clearly looking at the possibility of such a business model, but that there was no “go-to-market” strategy set in place.