14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is either reinventing the TV or dropping out of the race altogether. Philips has just announced an Apple “partnership” and a range of new LED televisions that bundle Apple TV features.
It may sound surprising that Apple could be prepared to pass the baton over to Philips, but it’s not that far-fetched. First, let’s see the announcement.
It went down in New Delhi
It’s important to note that the announcement, relayed by thehindubusinessline.com, was made in India, for Indian consumers. It isn’t clear if the product even has a name or not. The report just calls it the “Philips LED TV.” Mainly because it’s based on LED technology, as you’d assume.
The report states that “The new range would have Apple’s iTunes, which is world’s largest entertainment library containing music, movies, TV shows. It would also have Airplay and Screen Mirroring, which would render iPhone, iPad screen on Philips LED TV.”
Citing the company, the article continues to reveal that the TV set would be “loaded with Apple TV’s smart features and could access surround sound, HD picture, live news, sports, radio and live streaming through YouTube.”
A statement from PE Electronics Chief Executive Officer Neeraj Sethi is then offered.
“With the new range of Philips Full HD televisions, and the Apple TV partnership, we want consumers to indulge in the smart TV solution in the market, but without getting hassled about complicated set-up options,” says Sethi.
The device will be available only for a limited time at select electronic stores and e-commerce portals, according to the announcement.
Apple could be abandoning the TV race
Ever since introducing the original Apple TV product, Steve Jobs struggled to change the thinking of content providers and hop on his platform, but to no avail. Tim Cook took the baton and continued the crusade against cable companies, but again he failed (at least so far).
All this while the company continued to iterate the Apple TV with exciting new features, more software-bound than hardware-related. If these developments are any indication, Apple could well be on track to abandon this endeavor and just cash in on the software features.
The catch
The iTunes integration announcement could be the actual key takeaway in the deal. If the report turns out true and Apple is indeed partners with Philips (and perhaps other television sellers), wouldn’t it be the final blow to every competitor out there? To have the iTunes Store in every home and on every screen in sight?
Update: looks like our fears were correct. The wording in the article itself was to blame. Pictured here is the actual ad from Philips' announcement (via Business Insider).