“Canada’s largest telecommunications companies are squaring off in a fight about the future of television,” Rita Trichur, Grant Robertson, Boyd Erman and Steve Ladurantaye report for The Globe and Mail. “Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. are in talks with Apple Inc. to become Canadian launch partners for its much-hyped Apple iTV, a product that has the potential to revolutionize TV viewing by turning conventional televisions into gigantic iPads.”
“While the iTV product remains cloaked in secrecy, sources say Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has approached Rogers and Bell as it actively pursues partnerships with Canadian carriers,” Trichur, Robertson, Erman and Ladurantaye report. “‘They’re not closed to doing it with one [company] or doing it with two,’ said one source who is familiar with the talks. ‘They’re looking for a partner. They’re looking for someone with wireless and broadband capabilities.’ Another source, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Rogers and Bell already have the product in their labs.”
Trichur, Robertson, Erman and Ladurantaye report, “The product reportedly integrates Siri, Apple’s voice-recognition software that acts as a personal assistant on the latest iPhone, into television sets to help viewers make programming choices. Viewers can then control the TV by voice or hand gestures, all from the comfort of a couch. An on-screen keyboard, meanwhile, can also be activated in a similar manner, allowing viewers to surf the web, conduct video chats and use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook – all without any physical interface. Jeffries analyst Peter Misek said an analysis of Apple’s patents suggests its iTV product will likely be interoperable with mobile devices, while also functioning as a gaming platform.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Canuckie C. Canuckster” for the heads up.]