Gen Munster, analyst at Piper Jaffray said, he believes Apple will soon launch an internet-enables “connected HDTV” in next two to four years of time which will bring its iTunes music and movie download service to the living room of people.

Munster said that “a rumored forthcoming refresh of the Apple TV set-top box was likely, but that it would be just one part of the overall jigsaw, paving the way for a stand-alone high-definition television that integrated Apple TV’s key features”.

This new box is expected to be called as iTV, and many of the components used in iPod touch and iPad will be used in this TV which will have a limited amount of memory. According to the rumors, Apple is setting up a new data center in North Carolina which would support a cloud based iTunes streaming service that will enable people to stream movies and TV shows on low powered iTV instead of storing them in hard drive of the device. According to Munster, future Apple HDTV would enhance the streaming capabilities and users would pay $90 per month to gain access to contents on iTunes store. Games consoles, DVD players and cable television could be replaced by this television combined iTunes service, if it happens.

“Apple’s ability to deliver hardware, software and content that could replace an entire entertainment system with a single TV, puts Apple in a unique position for the emerging connected TV cycle,” wrote Munster in a note to investors.


Written by: josh, who runs a website about Tech News