Much has been said and written about Apple’s unconfirmed HDTV after Steve Jobs revealed it in the biography by Walter Isaacson. We have collected all the rumors from the past few weeks.

Apple HDTV rumors
Every day we hear some rumbling about the coming Apple HDTV. FlatpanelsHD is not reporting on every rumor but this week has been particularly active, so we have collected the most significant and latest rumors.


The current Apple TV box can stream video from Apple’s iOS devices  to a TV. AirPlay is believed to be an essential part of Apple’s coming flat panel TV

In January 2012 it was reported that Apple's chief designer Jony Ive had a 50-inch prototype of an Apple TV in his testing lab, and on Monday it was reported that two Canadian internet, mobile and TV providers (Rogers & Bell, respectively) also have prototypes in their testing labs. The source describes how the TVs are powered by a virtual assistant much like Siri, as well as a camera that recognizes hand gestures, according to Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

In a separate report, one analyst interestingly points out that he believes Apple is planning to partner up with the two Canadian providers as well as A&T and Verizon, America's two largest telecommunications providers that also recently took the first steps into the internet TV market.

- “We believe it is likely to be offered by AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. and Bell and Rogers in Canada,” says financial analyst Peter Misek from Jefferies

Apple is reportedly planning to offer movies and TV shows over the internet instead of relying on traditional cable, satellite and antenna companies. This could be done via Apples own iTunes platform and through other video services such as Netflix.

Another rumor has been widely debated in the US this week after electronics reseller, Best Buy, ran a consumer feedback survey in which they imagined Apple’s forthcoming TV with a 42-inch size, an App Store, iCloud, iPhone / iPad remotes and a price $1499 price. The survey is obviously thought up but the media speculates that Best Buy has formulated the survey based on an “educated guess” – in other words, received some initial indications.

Gigabit WiFi network
A report by AppleInsider claims that Apple is planning to widely employ the next Gigibit WiFi 802.11ac standard in their 2012 products. 802.11ac is capable of delivering over 1Gbps on wireless networks, which is considerable faster than the 802.11n standard that supports up to 450 Mbps. Apple was the first company to employ 802.11n in 2006. The standard was first recognized and used widely by late 2009.


AirPlay supports multi-player games on Apple TV – with 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi the technology can be improved further

The 802.11ac Wifi standard is believed to be an essential part of a coming Apple TV because it will enable Apple to rely more heavily on their AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring technologies. Wireless video transmission over a WiFi network takes up considerable amounts of data and 802.11ac could enable that. It obviously also requires that other products support the standard. The report specifically mentions plans to adopt it in Apple’s AirPort routers, iOS devices and Macs in 2012 and onwards.

Finally, Apple has added Genius recommendations to their Apple TV box. The Genius system recommends movies and TV shows based on what the user has seen in the past. This is one of the initiatives that has made Netflix the largest video streaming services with over 25 million subscribers, because it systemizes the almost endless video catalogues.

Apple remains mum
Apple has still not said a word about the rumored TV. The rumor began in 2008 and became more intense after the Steve Jobs biography was released. Since then new rumors have been presented every week.

Analysts, who study the supply chain and development of electronic component markets, believe that it is unlikely that Apple will release a TV in the second quarter of 2012. Instead they believe that Apple will wait until the fourth quarter of 2012 – or possibly later.

You can find more rumors and news about Apple’s upcoming HDTV here.

- Sources: The Globe and Mail, Jefferies, USA Today, AppleInsider