Apple television expected mid-2012, Sharp to supply display panels

Excited at the possibility of Apple’s television actually coming to fruition? Well if Jefferies analyst Peter Misek’s predictions are to be believed, we should be able to expect a launch of an Apple television set some time mid-2012, which is usually when Apple’s WWDC is held and where Apple’s iPhones have typically been launched (with the exception of the iPhone 4S).

Peter Misek in a note to investors stated that Apple has plans to partner up with Sharp to create TFT-LCD panels for the rumored Apple television (not to be confused with Apple TV). Production is expected to take place in February of 2012 at Sharp’s Gen 10 Sakai facility in Osaka, Japan.

For those unfamiliar with the story of Apple’s rumored television, it came about in a quote from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, where the Apple co-founder was believed to have hinted at an Apple television sporting “the simplest user interface you could imagine”. Some features of the Apple television include a controller-free experience where you would be able to navigate your way around it through Siri, Apple’s new voice assistant feature.

What do you guys make of this? Is a mid-2012 Apple television launch in the cards, or are we a long way off from seeing such a device from the Cupertino company?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Rumors
Tags: displays, prediction, Sharp, televisions, TV