Next iMac Will Have TV Functions to Bridge Gap Until iTV: Report

Clear the path, a Wedge Partners analyst is saying that Apple will ease consumers with a 27-inch iMac with built-in TV functionality, testing the waters, before going all in to sell full-fledged Apple HDTVs or iTVs or whatever it'll be called.

This nugget of info comes from Wedge Partner's Brian Blair via Forbes:

"We think this makes sense because while we typically think about the newest TV's hanging on the wall in large form factors, Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 42, 50 and 55 inch market," he writes. "In short, we believe the initial Apple TV is their iMac computer that can function as a TV, over the iCloud platform."

No mention of any sort of Siri function in Forbes' report on Blair's statement, either.

I'm extremely cautious as to predictions made by analysts (as they tend to often be completely wrong than right) and 9to5Mac's Jordan Kahn calls BS on it as well, suggesting that although Apple killed Front Row in OS X Lion, an iTV would likely be based on the company's simplified operating system: iOS.

Still, the rumors must continue to drip, and the latest is from Smarthouse. Reporting for Smarthouse, David Richards says that his sources in Japan point to Apple using an "A6 processor" that's due for the iPad 3 in 2012, and a Siri-like voice control. iTV screens will range from 32-inch models to 55-inch ones.

With rumors this strong, there's going to be a lot of expectations for Apple to deliver a revolutionary new TV. An iMac with TV functions or a TV tuner — something many PCs have had for years — isn't going to make any waves. And we all know how Apple only likes to play in markets it can dominate in. If it isn't going to be "magical" it's not going to happen.

Forbes, via MacRumors

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