The spate of Apple television rumors continues, as The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is testing designs for possible future television sets. While adding little to the currently available information, it does seem indicate that Apple is working on a possible product.
Officials at some of Apple’s suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been working on testing a few designs for a large-screen high-resolution TV.
Two people said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which assembles the iPhone and iPad, has been collaborating with Japan’s Sharp Corp. on the design of the new television.
“It isn’t a formal project yet. It is still in the early stage of testing,” said one of the people.
Hon Hai, better known as Foxconn, has been expanding into the HDTV market. In July they bought a 37.6% stake in an LCD factory in Sakai, western Japan, to become a co-investor along with Sharp. Under the terms of that agreement, Hon Hai receives up to half of the panels manufactured by that plant.
The report does note that Apple has been testing TV prototypes for a number of years, and that the company has tested many prototypes of various devices over the years, many of which never come to fruition. The report says a launch is not imminent, and Apple could always scrap the plans for any set.
Rumors once again began flowing last week, after Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an interview with NBC News, said the experience of using a TV today is like going “backwards in time by 20 to 30 years.” Cook also piqued interest when he remarked, “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”
