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Foxconn, the company that manufactures Apple’s iPad and iPhone, is making preparations for the Apple iTV. That’s according to Terry Gou, Foxconn’s CEO, China Daily reports.
There’s no direct quote from Gou, so it’s possible that he just hinted at the fact. Maybe he doesn’t want to reveal one of Apple’s biggest launches and risk losing business with the Cupertino company. Or maybe he means Foxconn is making preparations just in case Apple announces its TV set.
Either way, it’s fanning the rumour flames.
So what preparations is Foxconn making? It has a 50-50 joint venture with Sharp in Japan, which, according to Gou, is one way Foxconn is readying itself. This squares with a previous rumour that the TV would be made by Sharp — or at least, the screen panel would be. Foxconn also owns an 11 per cent share in Sharp.
Gou refers to the device as “iTV”, but whether he knows something we don’t regarding its name is anyone’s guess. It would be in-keeping with Apple’s naming convention, but then the broadcaster of the same name has warned Apple to call it something else.
Earlier in the week we reported a source claimed they’d seen the set in action, and that it features built-in Siri for voice-activated video calls. The prototype looks like one of the large LED cinema display monitors, and previous rumours suggest it will be available in 32- and 37-inch sizes. Apple is also reportedly in talks with US TV channel Epix to bring its movies to the service.
Steve Jobs kicked all this off by telling his biographer Walter Isaacson he wanted to reinvent TVs. He claimed to have devised “the simplest user interface you could imagine,” according to Isaacson. “I finally cracked it,” Jobs said.
Sounds like voice control or maybe motion control to me. But what do you reckon? And when will we see it? Let me know your hopes and thoughts in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
