Apple has considered manufacturing a television on several occasions, something that isn’t a secret. Before his passing in 2011, Steve Jobs, the company’s co-founder, told his biographer Walter Isaacson that he had found a way to make it happen. However, to date, Apple has not released a full-fledged television, focusing instead on its Apple TV streaming device.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple went as far as developing full-scale prototypes designed as large screens that could also function as touch devices for Mac or iPad. Despite this progress, the project was shelved after assessing the television market. The decision was driven by the low-profit margins in the sector and the infrequency with which consumers replace their TVs. High development costs also posed a significant challenge.
In 2019, the idea of an Apple television was revisited as the company explored the future of Apple TV. Ultimately, Apple decided to integrate its app and streaming service into TVs made by other manufacturers instead of creating its own product.
Today, as Apple develops new smart home devices, such as a wall-mounted tablet, Gurman reports that a full-fledged Apple television might once again be on the table. However, the same challenges of high costs and market dynamics could once again lead executives to abandon the initiative.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews Director