Some time ago I promised myself that I will keep pace updating this blog with my other one, as a way to develop my thinking on investment and technology.
Yesterday a survey leaked from Best Buy regarding a smart TV that sports iCloud service and Netflix. The 40-inch, 1080p LED TV costs, hypothetically, $1499. Apple, as usual, declined to comment. Best Buy lamely described the survey as "hypothetical". Well, to make my following observations work, let's first assume that the Best Buy leak is unintentional and not at all "hypothetical".
The leaked spec of the iTV shouldn't have surprised us highly informed, rumor-hungry followers of tech news. If Apple were to have a TV in its product line then of course it would feature web service, iOS, iTunes, apps, and commands a premium pricing to its competitors (a 46-inch smart TV from Sony cost about $1,000 on Amazon). Such is expected from Apple. And what has not been expected, will be exactly why people will pay that premium (be it 50% or 100%) for the product.
So where will that surprise come from?
Here are a few of my guesses:
Control: controlling by Apple's hand held family (iPod, iPhone, iPad) will not be news. Existing apps such as Apple's official "Remote" will work just fine. The intriguing question is whether iTV will have a native remote at all, like the thin white stick bundled with Apple TV. Will Apple actually incorporate some guesture-based control mechanism and do away with a physical remote all together? It is possible, but that would require a technology faster and more accurate than Kinect. Otherwise user experience will deteriorate because we are all too accustomed to the immediate feedback of a ordinary TV remote, or the sleek feel of an iOS handheld. Assuming not all iTV buyers has a Apple handheld before (almost impossible), it follows that iTV will be equipped with a physical remote control to replicate and hopefully surpass the usual TV control experience.
So what is this physical remote like? I think it will not have much bells and whistles on itself. Much fewer keys than the terrible and confusing "normal" remote controls. I would image it to include some browsing/playing functions such as "back" and "forward". It may also also include a mic so that voice commands can be clearly communicated to the TV set (I have no doubt Siri will be included and play a major role). As I mentioned above, it is not likely to be a wii control type of remote. I think a small piece of touchpad on the remote is more probable, utilizing similar user experience of the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad: multi-touch, gesture command, accuracy guaranteed. Also, with a trackpad of some sort, user can have similar touch experience to using a iPad or iPhone. However, typing could be an issue with my above speculation of a minimalist voice-enabled trackpad. And very importantly, typing function is almost a must for a smart TV (note that the Sony smart TV linked above did come with a keyboard remote). It is somewhat hard for me to think that Apple would: 1. furnish iTV with a iPod touch/iPad like remote to type on and, 2. give a large and clunky full-size keyboard to iTV. I have to admit I am at my wit's end on this. Perhaps all input by voice? (good luck with your thick accent....)
(update: Or, we can let third-party accessory makers to deal with the "no-physical-keyboard complaints".
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