14 DAY TRIAL // The full-fledged Apple television is indeed in the works, according to sources quoted by The Korea Herald in a rather sketchy report this weekend. An unnamed display maker is allegedly making sample screens for the “iTV,” which has been delayed again.
Made by an unnamed “local” manufacturer, the display panels for Apple’s iTV reportedly measure 65 inches on the diagonal and are based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology.
“The company is making 65-inch organic light-emitting diode sample panels for Apple’s iTV in collaboration with Apple,” said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at Seoul-based IBK Securities.
John Seo, an analyst at Shinhan Investment, explains why Apple is going with OLED instead of plain LCD: “Though the yield rate of OLED panels is still not high for mass production, they are considered to be the best panels for TVs because of its high definition and the potential of curvedness.”
There have been a lot of rumors regarding the size, the shape, and the included features of Apple’s elusive iTV, but there is little evidence to back claims that the company is actually planning to deliver this device to the market. Moreover, the Cupertino giant is still undecided regarding what screen technologies to use.
“However, it is not certain whether Apple will use it for the mass production of its long-rumored iTV as it is still running tests,” Lee Seung-woo added.
The device is also delayed. This is at least the third time analysts beat the drum about Apple’s potential new TV set launching with a delay.
A source close to the matter tells the Korean newspaper that “Around 2 million Apple‘s iTVs with 65- and 77-inch liquid crystal displays were expected to hit the market in the second half of this year. However, Apple employees visited this local company in October 2013 to delay the plans to next year. Following the visit, the display maker’s stock prices plunged.”
The report adds, “multiple sources say that the plan has once again been deferred to 2015.” The main reason for the delay is said to be the shift from LCD panes to OLED technology. A secondary reason is “content supply,” according to the paper.
Apple has been steadily adding channels to its current-selling TV box, but it may need much more media (including games, perhaps) to sell an expensive full-fledged TV set. The company is believed to have plans for another refresh of the $99 / €109 set-top box this year.