Analyst: Apple Television Set On Sale Later This Year
by Brent Dirks
March 13, 2012
Apple is very close to beginning full-scale production of a television in May or June of this year, according to an analyst.
Peter Misek from analyst firm Jeffries recently returned from Asia and saw more evidence that Apple is close to producing the famed iTV set. Specialty components, including polarized film and filters, are starting to move in small quantities to Apple’s panel suppliers in the region.
With the movement of parts, Misek said he believes commercial production will commence in the May or June timeframe, with the product being put on sale to consumers some time in the fourth quarter of this year.
Misek also said he expected between 2-5 million units built initially.
The analyst raised his target stock price for Apple from $599 to $699, which isn’t much of a stretch as AAPL is nearing $565 in trading today.
While the television set is looking more and more like a reality, it will be interesting to see how the most important part of the initiative, content, will work.
Apple has apparently been pushing the iTV initiative for quite some time, as CBS CEO Les Moonves recently discussed the negotiations, and why he turned down the offer after negotiating directly with Steve Jobs.
The sticking point, according to Moonves, was that Apple wanted to split the advertising revenues, something the CBS head balked at.
And on the movie side of the equation, the company is apparently having just as much difficulty. A recent report said negotiations are at a standstill over the “we decide the price, we decide the content” stance floated by Apple.
So while Apple will undoubtedly design a spectacular TV set, how much will it matter if the content is not there to support the hardware at launch?
