Apple may soon be looking to take on the home television market, according to Foxconn manufacturing chief Terry Gou. Rumors of an Apple "iTV" have swirled for years, but the word from Foxconn might be the best indication yet of Apple's entry into the market.
CNET has the details of Gou's statements, where he claims that Foxconn is currently reading its facilities for Apple television production, though no development has yet begun.
From CNET:
Foxconn chief Terry Gou let slip that his company is getting ready to start producing an Apple television.
According to China Daily, Gou today held a news conference in Shanghai about his company's plans for the future. During that conversation, he mentioned that Foxconn is currently preparing its facilities to start producing Apple's long-rumored television, though "development or manufacturing has yet to begin," the China Daily report said.
Gou's comments are notable for coming from a prominent executive who could be expected to have knowledge of Apple's plans. The vast majority of reports surrounding the development of the television have come from unidentified sources and analysts claiming insight into Apple's plans. For its part, Apple has stayed tight-lipped on any possibility that it might be working on a television.
Still, the rumors keep coming, and they're suggesting, among other things, that Apple's television could be equipped with support for the company's virtual personal assistant Siri, a built-in camera for FaceTime, and access to the App Store.
Apple diehards can already access their content on a television through the Apple TV set-top box, but an actual Apple television could further integrate the company's ecosystem for living rooms.
Yet this market is not openly ripe for dominance, and Apple faces far more challenging circumstances. Competitors like Microsoft, Sony and Roku have already utilized components for home media integration, and Apple would need to demonstrate a wholly different interaction model to attract customers.
