Is Apple Moving Farther Into TV?

"Apple doesn't do hobbies, as a general rule. We believe in focus and only working on a few things. With Apple TV, however, despite the barriers in that market, for those of us who use it, we've always thought there was something there," these are the words of Tim Cook, taken from the livestream of the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference that Apple posted on Tuesday. The company is hinting strongly that they are getting ready to do something new with Apple TV. The question is, should you care?

Admittedly Apple has a strong recent history of rocking the tech world by taking devices that previously had a very narrow focus and making them accessible to the everyday person. Anyone who doubts that fact need only look at the sales numbers of the iPhone and the iPad to be proven wrong. Much like tablets and smart phones Apple is not the first to do it, television has been around for more than 50 years, but thus far their attempt to make it better for the average consumer has been less than impressive to the average joe.

We already know that prototypes for a new design are in production, but what does this mean? The new product, dubbed the iTV for the time being will feature a virtual keyboard, a la the iPad, and access to web apps. According to reports the device is almost certainly going to be a full sized TV, instead of the add on box model that the company used with Apple TV or the potential for a very large tablet. This will most likely give them the one feature that all of their other blockbuster devices have had, the ability to work without owning a Mac.

Currently, there are no prototypes out for public dissection, or rumors of a release date, but given the credibility of the source starting the rumor, the companies current CEO, the odds are good that we can expect to hear more buzz about the device in the near future. So, should you care? Only if you expect to be in the market to buy a new TV in the next 18 to 24 months. After all, there is no guarantee that a true Apple TV will be any less expensive than a Macbook Pro or a shiny new desktop would have been.