- Apple is reportedly evaluating whether to make an Apple-branded TV
- It was rumored years ago, and it may be back
- People might pay a premium for privacy and long software support
Apple doesn’t make TVs, but that may soon change. According to new report, Apple is seriously considering an Apple-branded TV set. And that might not be a bad idea, even in a very busy industry.
As you know, Apple isn’t currently a TV manufacturer: it makes the excellent Apple TV 4K instead, bringing Apple’s system and smarts to any television, as well as a widely available Apple TV Plus app.
Apple TVs have been rumored for a very long time, but it’s a very low-margin business and if there’s one thing Apple hates, its low profit margins. But there’s something Apple likes, and that’s profiting from other firms’ mistakes. And the TV industry may have given it an opportunity to do just that.
Why an Apple TV could be a big hit
It’s important to stress that the story, from Bloomberg, says that Apple is only “evaluating” whether to make a TV; that doesn’t mean it will. But there are some good reasons why it might even though it didn’t before, and why an Apple TV might not be another expensive-then-abandoned project like the Apple Car.
There’s no doubt that Apple can make a TV. But the bigger question is why it should. And the answer could be: privacy.
As we reported last month, a severe new report has accused many streaming services of being a “Trojan Horse”, a sinister surveillance system that’s undermining not just privacy but consumer protection too. What used to be a simple transaction – you pay money, you get a TV, and you don’t have any more contact with the maker unless there’s a warranty claim – has become a swamp of services demanding your data by fair means and foul. This privacy-collecting smart TV tech is built into all of the best TVs today, and people are starting to take notice.
Apple has made privacy a big part of its pitch to us for quite a long time in its Macs, iPhones and services such as Apple Intelligence. And the same policy for a TV would be an important differentiator from many other firms.
There’s a second issue too, which is software support. Apple sticks with its stuff for many years, so you’ll get iPhone updates for longer than you will Android ones; the current Apple tvOS, tvOS 18, works with Apple TV devices going back to the Apple TV HD from 2015.
How many smart TVs from 2015 are still updating their apps? Again, people are starting to get frustrated that services may stop working on their TV. Samsung recently addressed this concern with a promise of seven years of updates to its TVs, while LG is promising five years. It’s a problem that needs addressing, and Apple can easily promise it.
The downside, of course, is that an Apple TV wouldn’t be cheap if the company is to keep its usual profit margins in a cut-throat market – and the company is said to be looking at OLED for the screen, and the best OLED TVs are never cheap.
But you could say exactly the same about the best iPhones, best iPads and best MacBooks. But as with those products, Apple may offer something different enough to its rivals to justify the more premium pricing.