Rumour Claims Mythical Apple “iTV” Will Support 4K Ultra HD [Digitimes]

According to the Asian news site Digitimes, more rumours have surfaced over the alleged Apple Television. According to supply chain sources, the rumoured “iTV” will likely support 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 resolution), voice and motion control functions (think Siri), and internet connectivity.

The sources said that Apple and Foxconn Electronics have been in discussions for quite some time in terms of the TV’s mass production schedule, but that Apple has been considering where panel supply for the TV will come from, as Ultra HD TV panel makers, most of whom are based in Taiwan, are expected to be producing at nearly full capacity in 2013 in order to meet demand from China-based TV vendors.

The report additionally adds other existing panel makers within Apple’s supply chain may be able to product Ultra HD TV panels, but will rather concentrate on supplying the immense demand for iOS devices, which are said to increase in demand for 2013. Sources continue to say Apple could be relying on LG to produce Ultra HD TV panels by the latter half of this year, and if successful the “iTV” could launch by the year end of 2013 or early 2014.

Way back in December of 2011, Digitimes claimed the so-called “iTV” was set to launch by the end of 2012, but that failed to materialize. The WSJ reported last December Apple was testing TV designs with Foxconn and Sharp, but as of late, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, did not mention in his Apple product forecast of any television set launch for 2013.

We’re far away from 4K Ultra HD televisions becoming mainstream due to price and lack of high resolution content. The Apple “iTV” rumour stays alive because it’s an “area of intense interest,” as stated by Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an interview with NBC Nightline:

“When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” he said. “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”