New Apple TV Rumored

It doesn't seem like a bad deal when you add it all up... but will Apple actually do this?

We know a new Apple TV is coming... the only question is when, and in what form. The newest rumor making the rounds is that Apple TV is actually going to be... a TV, with the Apple TV functionality built in. Sure, this one's been rumored before, but to me it makes more sense now. Apple has a significant base of retail stores; TVs aren't that difficult to ship any more; there's plenty of room in the market for a new player.

The idea, I think, is to bundle iTunes into the TV and get ready to take on Netflix. That huge data center in North Carolina Apple built could be the necessary component in this push. Of course, the ability to put Apps on your TV is a huge potential money-maker for Apple and for developers. The game market would be right in the crosshairs of such an effort... note in the above picture one of the factors going into the price comparison is a game console.

Still, it would be pretty pricey... I don't see this idea as the real gamechanger. I think Apple TV at $99 is a great buy if you could get a full App Store with it, and access to thousands of games. Such a box would be easy to add to existing setups. While Apple may sell a full TV set someday, I don't think it would ever have a chance to take over the world. Or a significant market share. An Apple TV with an A5 chip could put out some serious game graphics, and at $99 with thousands of games at $2.99 or less would be an instant death threat to the console industry as we know it. Wii U? Wii Who would be more like it... use an iPad for a controller with your Apple TV, or an iPhone, and you've got the Wii U beat before it even comes out.

I think this holiday season would be a perfect time for Apple to bring out the App Store for Apple TV, and a new upgraded Apple TV too with more horsepower. Will it happen? I don't know, but if it does the ensuing hooraw in the game business will be interesting to watch.