Jean-Louis Gassee, a former president of Apple’s products division, says in his “Monday Note” blog (http://macte.ch/hzgGo) that an Apple-built HDTV “has got to happen.” He’s expecting a 50-inch, flat screen TV in the near future.
“Imagine a true plug-and-play experience,” Gassee writes. “One set with only two wires: power and the cable TV coax. Turn it on, assert your Apple ID credentials and you’re in business. The program guide looks good and is easy to navigate; pay channels are just a click and a password away. The TV runs apps, from games to FaceTime and Skype, it “just works’’ with your other iDevices and also acts as a Wi-Fi base station using the cable provider’s Internet service.”
Gassee is currently general partner at the venture capital firm Allegis Capital since 2003. In late 1990, he founded Be, Inc., a multi-media system software company, took it to the Nasdaq in 1999 and sold it to Palm in 2001. Jean-Louis started Apple France in 1981, moved to Cupertino, California, in 1985 and became president of the Apple Products Division, covering worldwide product development, manufacturing and product marketing.