Julie Clover
From 2011 to 2014, there were numerous rumors that Apple was working on an Apple-branded TV that would revolutionize the TV industry. No such product ever materialized, but now the rumors are back.
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Apple 'Evaluating' a TV
Apple is “evaluating” “the idea of an Apple-branded TV” as part of its new smart home initiative, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is investing in the smart home as it looks for new ways to generate revenue, and if some of its early smart home products are successful, it’s possible that a TV could be in the works.
Apple’s Smart Home Command Center
As early as March 2025, Apple will launch a smart home hub, or “command center,” that will be its first dedicated smart home control product. Apple TV and HomePod can already be added to HomeKit and used as home hubs, but the new device is designed specifically to control HomeKit and the Matter device.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the smart home device will have a six-inch square display. It's said to be similar in design to an iPad, but not rectangular. There are thick bezels around the edges, a rechargeable battery, and built-in speakers, as well as a camera at the top that can be used for FaceTime.
Apple plans to let users mount the device on a wall or on a desk with a dock, and customers will be able to have them in multiple rooms. Along with controlling smart home products, the hub will be used as a sort of life management device, with Apple Intelligence and Siri integration, widgets that display important information, and apps like Calendar, Photos, Home, Apple News, Apple Music, and Notes.
Sensors inside the hub will detect whether a person is in a room, and if so, how close, with information on the screen tailored based on the person's position. This type of presence detection could also be used in various HomeKit products. automation.
If the product is successful, it could potentially spawn a line of Apple-designed home products, including a TV.
Other Smart Home Product Rumors
Apple is considering a range of smart home accessories, such as smart home cameras. Apple currently makes the Apple TV and HomePod, but cameras, smart plugs, smart lights, and other devices are supplied by third parties.
Apple is rumored to be developing a smart home camera that will be released in 2026. Apple could sell “tens of millions” of devices in the long run, relying on its privacy policies to provide an alternative to cameras from companies like Ring and Nest.
If Apple ultimately succeeds with the hub and subsequent products like cameras, it's not hard to imagine a future where the TV could finally make sense.
The Original TV Set Rumors
Rumors of an Apple TV TV began in 2006, but were reignited in 2011 after a former Apple executive claimed that Apple had struck a deal with the TV maker. Later that year, a quote from Steve Jobs in Walter Isaacson's biography of him made headlines.
“I finally cracked it,” Jobs reportedly said, referring to the TV. “I'd like to build an integrated TV that's completely easy to use,” he reportedly told Isaacson. The TV will “sync easily” with devices and iCloud, and users won't “have to fiddle with complicated remotes.”
That quote fueled rumors about the TV for years, but in 2014 and 2015 it became clear that the TV was not coming.
In 2014, a new book by Steve Jobs implied that Jobs told employees that the TV was not in development in 2010. “TV is a terrible business,” Jobs said. “They don’t give up, and the margins suck.” In 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple had canceled plans to release an Apple-branded TV “more than a year ago.” At the time, a report said Apple was looking for breakthrough features that would give it an edge in the TV market, but was unable to find new features that were compelling enough to compete with existing major TV makers.
In 2016, reporter and longtime Jobs friend Walt Mossberg said Jobs planned to reshape the TV industry after stepping down as Apple CEO in August 2011, but he ultimately died of pancreatic cancer less than two months later in October 2011.
“I think we’ve figured out a way to do it, and it’s going to be fantastic. I want you to come out in a few months, and I want to show it to you,” Jobs told Mossberg.
After the TV rumors died down, attention instead turned to Apple’s work to create a streaming TV service that would support channel bundles from participating content providers. Apple wanted to offer a wide range of content from third parties, but with its own interface. The company’s plans had to be scaled back several times, and Apple was never able to secure the content deals that would have been necessary for that initial idea at the time.
How Things Have Changed
Since those early TV rumors, Apple has made strides in the TV industry. By 2017, rumors began to focus on Apple’s plan to create original content since the company couldn’t license content, and that’s what eventually happened.
In November 2019, Apple introduced Apple TV+, and over the past five years, it has continued to add new TV shows and movies. There is now a decent amount of content available on Apple TV+, and there are other services like Apple Music that weren’t available when Apple was considering making a TV.
Apple is working on advanced display technologies, and while the TV market is still crowded with Samsung, LG, and Sony, Apple may now have an opportunity to create a viable product that consumers will love.
Since 2014, when rumors of a TV died down, Apple has released products that could make a stronger case for releasing a TV. Apple has more experience with speakers, headphones, remote controls, and other devices and technologies.
- Apple TV 4K
- Siri Remote
- Apple Pencil
- AirPods
- HomePod
- OLED, miniLED, and micro OLED displays
- Apple Music
- Apple News
- Apple TV+
- Apple Arcade
- Apple Fitness+
- Apple Intelligence
Apple is in greater need of new products that can generate higher profits today than it did in 2014 because the smartphone market is so saturated that it is not seeing the same iPhone sales gains it saw in previous years.
Apple had hoped to enter the car market, but after years of research and billions of dollars, all plans for an Apple Car have been scrapped. Apple's other big gamble, augmented and virtual reality, has yet to take off, with the Vision Pro failing and work on artificial intelligence still in its early stages.
Possible Launch Date
The smart home hub Apple is working on is scheduled for early 2025, and it's possible that the first home product, a camera, could follow in 2026. Considering that a TV isn't even a solid plan yet, we could be heading into the decade before Apple can launch one.
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