In a note to clients — as reported by “AppleInsider” (www.appleinsider.com) — Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says the long-rumored Apple-branded HDTV (the so-called “iTV”) will be one of three of four core product launches from the company next year.
He expects Apple to launch a television set in time for the holiday 2013 shopping season with screen sizes between 42 and 55 inches. The price? Between US$1,500 and $2,000.
“We expect the beauty of the design to be a feature, but the most important feature will be the ability to use the TV as the main interface for the living room across multiple devices,” Munster says. “We believe the TV will include Siri and FaceTime. The biggest item unlikely to come with the TV will be unbundled channels.”
The analyst also expects Apple to unveil an iPad mini with a Retina display in early 2013 and an iPhone 5S in September. What’s more, Munster forecasts a revamped Apple TV (the set-top box, not a television set) with a TV app store arriving early next year.