iTV with Siri Out by 2013, Say People Close to Apple

People with knowledge of a new TV project at Apple are saying that the Steve Jobs-masterminded HDTV is on the way, and its flagship feature is not the big screen or a revamped interface. It’s Siri.

Calling it the stuff of science fiction, The New York Times says Apple’s new television will allow you to sit on your couch and simply say “Play the local news headlines,” or
“Put on the last episode of Gossip Girl”.

No more fumbling with the awkward remote control which, ever since it was invented, has been the most cumbersome piece of equipment in any household.

However, the full-fledged television set will not arrive until 2013, if the NYT report is to be believed.

The Cupertino, California based computer giant currently sells an Apple TV product labeled as a ‘hobby’ internally. It’s a small form factor set-top box designed to play IPTV content from the likes of iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, MLB.tv etc., onto a high-definition widescreen television.

However, shortly after Steve Jobs’ passing, Walter Isaacson granted the media a look at his interviews with the late Apple co-founder.

In one interview, Jobs told his biographer he wanted to “create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use”.

“It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.” Jobs said, according to Isaacson.

Jobs had previously opined that “The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everyone a set-top box, and that pretty much undermines innovation in the sector.”

At the time Jobs made this statement Apple still didn’t have a viable go-to-market strategy for its TV ideas. Apparently, now it does. However, the company will also have to convince cable networks to hop aboard.