Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has been behind much of the speculation regarding Apple’s fabled television set. He even claimed over the weekend that the device is on track to be released this December, with sales beginning early next year!
CNET reports on a research note issued by Munster on Friday:
Apple could unveil its highly anticipated take on the television in December and ship it next year, according to a research note today from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Munster said he expects the Apple TV product line to cost between $1,500 and $2,000 and range in size from 42 to 55 inches. That’s a considerable premium over typical televisions of that size, which have a range closer to $700 to $1,400.
A new report this morning from China Business News (via TheNextWeb) seems to back up Munster’s claims, stating that test production for the upcoming television has already begun at Foxconn’s manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, although no significant details were provided.
This follows an earlier report (which Foxconn later denied) suggesting that Foxconn is already preparing their facilities to produce Apple’s connected television, and follows a host of other claims regarding Apple’s HDTV.
Of course, it’s definitely worth maintaining some skepticism towards claims about Apple’s television. A large number of contradictory claims have been made, most of which were spawned by a statement in Steve Jobs’ authorized biography stating that he’d “finally cracked” the idea.
