“Japan’s Sharp, maker of huge-screen televisions, voiced confidence Thursday as it told reporters Apple isn’t much of a concern,” Ed Sutherland reports for Cult of Mac.
“What about the almost incessant chatter that the tech giant will enter the TV manufacturing market with an iTV in 2012? ‘It’s not something we’re studying very hard,’ an executive claims,” Sutherland reports. “Unclear whether this is bravado or whistling past the graveyard, but perhaps Sharp missed class the day Apple mangled a whole string of industries thought to be untouchable.”
Sutherland reports, “Sharp’s comments are intriguing, given reports in November that the TV manufacturer and component supplier is adapting its production lines to churn out TFT LCD panels for the iTV. Although those reports suggest TV manufacturers, already operating on razor thin margins, are panicked by the idea Apple could enter the market.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iCal’ed.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Edward Weber” for the heads up.]
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Well I see they are following the lead of Blackberry who was never worried about an IPhone….. And Dell who says the IPads are not going to hurt PC sales…. LOL
An Apple TV would be a hurt on Sharp and all other TV makers for sure.
Not if Sharp is manufacturing the Apple iTV!
Agreed. They are the suppliers so why be worried? They should only be worried if they pull a Samsung and trying to steal the idea and power it by crapdroid.
Ditto!
Wjen iphone came around, Weren’t similar remarks made by Microsoft, RIM, Nokia…
Sounds vaguely familiar.
…especially Palm! In the words of Ed Colligan, Palm CEO:
“PC guys aren’t just going to figure this out. They’re not just going to walk in.”
Exactly.. Motorola too. Its almost as if the competitors are hyping up the AppleTV … for free :S
Maybe Sharp is making the panels for the Apple TV. In that case, they should be worried… about keeping up with demand.
lol good one…
Nah, no one in their right mind will buy an Apple TV, not when it’s crippled with 720p resolution. It’s going to be crap.
Time and time again, I’ve seen circumstantial evidence that most people in a normal living room at normal viewing distances can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080i; much less so the difference between 1080i and 1080p. Besides, the real geeks are preparing for 2k and 4k.
That’s actually true — I’ve read the same thing. But in this case, I think the spec matters. 1080p seems to be the minimum for new HDTVs these days. Even the little TV we have in our bedroom supports 1080p.
But where did “Bln” get the idea that the TV will be limited to 720p? Just because that’s the maximum resolution of the videos Apple sells and rents, doesn’t mean the TV will be limited to that.
——RM
Ballmer’s scrotum makes a good point.
Don’t expect the Apple ‘iTV’ to be anything less than 1080p. Apple know better.
And I can easily tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. I have yet to fathom what is the point of 1080i except to save on bandwidth while faking 1080p. Don’t bother! Stick to progressive scan video. Interlaced is so 20th century! 😛
iPhone shoots 1080p video. No way in hell Apple’s TV wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent TV,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”
“Razor thin margins” are what happens when everyone sells the same thing.
I don’t know the future except that Apple will not sell the “same thing”.
They like their strategy. They like it a lot.
I bought my first flat screen tv three years back… It’s a Sharp. Can’t complain about build quality or picture output regarding brights and colors and all the rest. It produces a good picture. Now this tv is just a 24″ with built in DVD player i have in the kitchen. Fast forward to today and I’m in the market for another tv for the living room. Not a rush need because it is not an immediate emergency. Started looking at tvs including Sharp, but haven’t purchased based on the scuttlebutt of the possibility of an Apple tv. Want to see what Apple does first.
So while I won’t commit to saying I’m sold on a Apple product, Sharp and others should be concerned that I have put off any near purchase of a tv and will patiently wait to see what the Geniuses at Cupertino come out with!
Sharp has a lot of experience with TVs. Apple’s not just gonna walk in and take that market. Or something like that.
Do you know Arnold Ziffel?
Apple is going to get established TV makers to make the base model, and Sharp has been identified in some rumors. Apple specializes in software that makes hardware easier to use.
When companies start expressing confidence about their ability to compete with a product that doesn’t exist on the market, and may not even exist at all, you know they are worried. What Steve Jobs expressed about TV offers no insight into what the Apple strategy is. It could range from box (i.e. AppleTV) improvements to computer integration, from actual television sets to giant iMacs. Everything is pure speculation. He merely spoke of how we currently interact with our TVs – anyone who thinks they have it all figured out from that is full of it. The fact that other companies are feeling the need to disparage a unicorn suggests they are not so confident. Makes about as much sense as Star Trek fans getting upset over how an alien looks. (I love the show, but not inanely.) Get a grip – until it’s in your hands it isn’t real.
No matter how many so called Apple TVs get sold, it will have little impact on Sharp.
• Deja vu PC manufacturers about the all-in-one iMac.
• Deja vu MP3 player manufacturers about the iPod.
• Deja vu smart phone manufacturers about the iPhone.
• Deja vu Windows Slate manufactures about the iPad.
As long as other manufacturers are determined to be lazy and ignorant, Apple Has It Made! 😆
Perhaps they aren’t worried cuz they’ll be making the LCDs?
Famous last words of a fool.
I have a Sharp Aquos TV. Colour is superb. It comes with an internet connection which I have used only to download the latest software. Oh yeah also to look Sharps wall paper.