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The first of Apple’s secretive smart TVs has apparently entered production.
China Business News reports that Foxconn’s Shenzhen factory has received the first order for the product and is producing the initial models on a trial basis.
Banking analyst Piper Jaffray has predicted that the product – which presumably cannot be called the Apple TV owing to the existing set-top box – will be revealed in December.
It predicts a release in early 2013, with sizes ranging from 42 inches to 55 inches. Prices will start at $1,500, going up to $2,000.
Perhaps Apple’s biggest success in the last ten years is maintaining its margins. It does this by convincing consumers that its products are worth a sizable premium over similarly specced goods from competitors.
The digital TV sector is notorious for its low margins. How Apple will overcome this will be the key to its success of failure with the new product.
Piper Jaffray has predicted that Apple can grab a ten per cent share of the global TV market within three years of the product launching.
