It seems that rumors surrounding the HDTV Apple may or may not be working on (sometimes called the iTV, sometimes just the Apple TV) have been coming more frequently of late. Today we’ve learned that analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray believes that Apple may announce such a device in December.
In a note to investors, Munster predicted that an Apple HDTV would “freeze the market” for HDTVs during the 2012 holiday season. He also predicted that an iTV would be in the 42-55-inch range, and cost $1,500-2,000. He also suggested that the iTV would include Siri, App Store integration, and an iOS app for interface control (a la the Remote app already in the App Store). Munster also believes that such a TV would capture 10% of the overall TV market within the first 1-3 years following its release.
While 10% of the market is certainly nothing to sneeze at, it’s worth wondering whether that constitutes the kind of market revolution Apple has tended to target with its new products over the last few years. The HDTV market is full of smart TVs with many of the same capabilities Munster ascribes to the iTV. It raises the question of whether Apple might be better off going with a device like the hypothetical iHub we told you about yesterday.
Either way, Apple’s entrance into the TV market with some sort of TV-like device – whether the iHub or iTV – is looking increasingly likely. Whether Apple will be able to differentiate itself from the rest of the TV market enough to perform another iPhone- or iPad-like miracle remains to be seen.