“Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, said in a note Thursday that he believes a new Apple TV will arrive in the next several months. Beyond that, he believes the company will launch a ‘connected television’ in 2011,” Slash Lane reports for AppleInsider. “Munster suggests a new Apple TV would bolster iTunes video purchases with a subscription model.”

“‘Apple could leverage its deep library of content with many network and cable channel content owners to provide unlimited access to a sub-library of its TV shows for a standard monthly fee ($30 or $40 per month),’ Munster writes. ‘Such a product would effectively replace a consumer’s monthly cable bill (~$85/month) and offer access to current and older episodes of select shows on select channels,’” Lane reports.

“Munster goes on to say that he believes the timing could be impacted by the negotiations Apple would need to conduct in order to have the rights to offer a subscription model,” Lane reports. “However, he predicts that when a deal is finalized, Apple would simultaneously release the offering with a new Apple TV, or updated Apple TV software, within the next year.”

Lane reports, “As for the ["connected television"], Munster believes that is a long-term goal for the company, within the next two to five years. He suggests such a device would have DVDR and home media center functionality built in to the set. Recorded shows, he predicts, could sync with other Apple devices, like Macs, iPhones and iPods, all wirelessly.”

More info in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple now has sold several million Apple TV units and we expect that if the company rolls out a subscription option, it would not orphan existing Apple TVs which, so far, have only continued to get better and better over time for free.