The recent rumor reports of Apple’s iTV have many people assuming that it’s going to be an actual television set. One of these rumors went into further details of Apple’s plan to release a high definition television set that runs on iOS and uses Siri-powered voice controls.
Now there is a new rumor indicating the the iTV may not really be a television at all. James McQuivey, analyst for Forrester Research, reported recently that the tv in question would be called the iHub, which would be a thirty-two inch screen that utilizes touch, voice, gesture, and iPad controls to operate. He imagines an all-in-one entertainment/home office hub that you’d place on a wall in a room where you (and your family) spend the most time. Users would be able to download all their favorite iOS applications like calendars, FaceTime, video viewers, and the like. It sounds kind of like a television/iPad you could hang on your wall.
If this Apple TV rumor turns out to be true, the finished product probably won’t be released until 2014.
The iHub sounds like a real possibility. People have speculated that one day, the television and personal computer would merge. And since Apple is one of the most forward-thinking thinking companies of the future, it wouldn’t be so surprising for them to take the initiative to create the first real computer-television set.
Will this endeavor prove successful? I’d like to think so, but there’s already a market that’s saturated with internet-ready televisions and internet-streaming boxes, so why would anyone spend a lot of money on something they could buy for less? If Apple finds a way to enhance their iHub (and I’m sure they will) that takes it beyond an internet-tv, they’ll have another winner. From McQuivey’s description, the iHub just sounds like a souped-up large version of the iPad.
