Will the now-legendary Apple TV (or "iTV") hit the market on Summer 2012? Wall Street analysts are predicting that is the case, according to the New York Post.
Apparently, Apple is moving production to Sharp (rather than previous manufacturing partner Samsung), and will soon start manufacturing iTV screens. Jeffries analyst Peter Misek also says Apple is manufacturing Amorphous TFT displays for iTV use at Sharp's Gen 10 Sakai facility.
If this is the case, it will "put an iTV launch as early as the middle of 2012, which aligns with our other iTV checks," Misek continues.
Meanwhile the newspaper Tokyo Times says Sharp expects to start iTV panel production in February 2012.
Why the move to Japan? The New York Post says it is to "insure the quality of the new set and to protect its secrecy," but we also suspect professional rivalry is at least part of the reason-- particularly as tensions between Apple and Samsung continue simmering within the mobile device industry.
What the iTV will actually look (and act) like remains anyone's guess-- but it will probably combine the Apple ecosystem with traditional TV services, with Siri and iDevices handling remote control duties.
Apple TV rumours have started since the Steve Jobs biography release, where Jobs tells biographer Walter Isaacson "I finally cracked it." Was he referring to TV... or simply voice-based control on mobile devices? In this case, only the future will tell.
Go iTV Not Far (New York Post)
Go Sharp Gaining Share in Apple's Supply Chain for Future Products
