Apple Siri-enabled HDTV has been in the works for years

After Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray echoed his own predictions of Apple launching an integrated Apple television set by late 2012, Nick Bilton of the New York Times as well believes a Siri-enabled television set is coming by 2013. According to the report, it is more about the way of replacing the remote control than a mere Internet HDTV.  The report states that alternative remote ideas had surfaced in the past which included a wireless keyboard and mouse, or using an iPod, iPhone or iPad as a remote. However, none of these ideas worked. Bilton states that the one ‘I finally cracked it’ moment arose when Apple realized that they could use Siri to control the television.

Apple Television set - the stuff of science fiction! (Image mock-up)

Bilton claims, “It’s the stuff of science fiction. You sit on your couch and rather than fumble with several remotes or use hand gestures, you simply talk: “Put on the last episode of Gossip Girl.” “Play the local news headlines.” “Play some Coldplay music videos.” Siri does the rest. Of course this experience goes beyond just playing TV shows or the local news. As the line between television programming and Web content continues to erode, a Siri-powered television would become more necessary. You aren’t going to want to flip through file folders or baskets of content, checking off what you want. Telling Siri to “play videos of cute cats falling asleep” would return an endless YouTube stream of adorable napping fur balls.”

He goes on to state that this project has been in the works for years and that Apple executives, in 2007, knew that the company would make a dedicated TV. He ends by saying that the “company is now close enough that it could announce the product by late 2012, releasing it to consumers by 2013.”

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