For 4 straight years, Apple’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference was the launchpad for the company’s newest iPhone, and this year the company may again try to change the mobile landscape with a June announcement. Last June Apple disappointed some of its loyalists by not unveiling an iPhone (the iPhone 4S launched in October), and now it looks as if the company may try to capture attention this June with an iTV announcement. This week BGR reported that an Apple source has disclosed plans to demo a new operating system and user interface that will run on a new HDTV.
Right now Apple TV refers to a $100 device that streams content onto televisions made by other manufacturers. An actual Apple TV set seems like the next logical step to many observers, and reports that Foxconn is working on such a device have surfaced in China and the United States.
The big win for an Apple TV set would be seamless integration with other iDevices, and other connected devices in the home. The newest offering could be significant if it simplifies home entertainment by reducing the amount of equipment needed to integrate TV and the Internet. Apple is reportedly planning to introduce developers to software that will indeed allow integration of other remote controls and set top boxes, provided the manufacturers of these products are ready to cooperate.
If Apple does indeed unveil an iTV, the company could face a trademark issue in the UK. ITV is the name of the country’s oldest over-the-air broadcast TV network.
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