Apple to initially offer 32- and 37-inch iTV
The media has been speculating on rumors surrounding Apple’s so-called “iTV,” a television product that the technology company is planning on releasing in the middle of 2012. We’ve now got more information as to what iTV will actually feature.
According to supply chain sources in a report in Digitimes, Apple’s suppliers are said to begin preparing materials for the new televisions in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung is already well underway on chip production, which was reported to have started up in November, while Sharp will supply Apple with the screens for the iTV.
APPLE iTV WILL BE RELEASED IN 2012
The most important nugget of information from these supply chain sources comes from the size of the displays on the iTVs, as Digitimes’ sources claim that Apple will offer both a 32-inch and 37-inch screen initially.
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While that size is a far cry from the 80-inch TVs that Samsung and Sharp are currently advertising, Apple is just opening up to the television industry, and this initial offering of medium-sized displays fits well with the company’s younger demographic.
The downside to the smaller size is that analysts are predicting a high price for its new technology. Gene Munsters of Piper Jaffray expects the iTV to retail for about twice the price of a similarly sized competitor, which could hurt Apple’s ability to steal a chunk of the market, even with its legions of loyal fans.
