WSJ: Apple Discusses its Future TV Plans with Media Companies

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Apple executives have met to discuss its television plans with media executives from major companies in recent weeks.

Apple is also working on its own television that relies on wireless streaming technology to access shows, movies and other content, according to people briefed on the project.

In the recent meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple’s technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs, people familiar with the talks said.

Sources have told the WSJ Apple explained its future TV technology would be controlled by user voice and movements to search for shows or change channels. Apple has been ‘vague’ in meetings and hasn’t made any proposals to license shows, but they did reveal some details about features:

The company, for example, has discussed new ways they could stream media companies’ content, allowing a user to watch a video on a TV set, then pick up another device, such as a smartphone, and keep watching the video on the move, one of the people familiar said.

The TV device Apple is working on would use a version of Apple’s wireless-streaming technology AirPlay to allow users to control it from iPhones and iPads, according to people briefed on the matter.

Apple is also apparently working on DVR capabilities integrated with iCloud for storage and syncing, according to sources. Regardless of what is to come, Steve Jobs revealed to Walter Isaacson he had ‘finally cracked’ the future of the television set. Although these features are still unclear, Apple will surely keep any final TV products secret until the last minute, as always.

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