Apple iTV May Have Found Canadian Launch Partners In BCE And Rogers Communications: Report

TORONTO (Reuters) - Apple Inc. is in talks with Canada's two biggest telecom companies about becoming partners in the launch of iTV, a device combining features of the wildly popular iPad tablet with those of a television set, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Rogers Communications and BCE, parent of Bell Canada, are already testing the device in their labs, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing an unnamed source.

Cupertino-based Apple has neither confirmed nor denied speculation that it was working on iTV, which the industry believes would involve a new device enabling a user to buy and view licensed content, along the lines of the iTunes model.

Even so, the company's late co-founder Steve Jobs revealed to biographer Walter Isaacson he was interested in reinventing the television set. "I finally cracked it," he told Isaacson in his book "Steve Jobs."

The Globe and Mail on Tuesday reported that Apple is eager to find Canadian partners with Internet and wireless experience.

"They're not closed to doing it with one or doing it with two," a source familiar with the talks told the newspaper. "They're looking for a partner. They're looking for someone with wireless and broadband capabilities."

Rogers and BCE offer telephone, Internet and television services to Canadian customers, and both own content that could be featured over an iTV service.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek had previously suggested Bell and Rogers would make suitable partners, and that U.S. carriers AT&T and Verizon would likely also offer the product in the United States.

Analysts see television as a natural progression for Apple, which has built a massive library of content for its iPhones and iPads. Most expect any future Apple TV product to incorporate gaming, video communication, content delivery, apps and computing capabilities - all controlled by voice commands.

Apple already sells a set-top box called Apple TV that streams available content to a conventional television set and allows the viewer to use an iPhone or other Apple device to control it.

Spokespeople for Rogers and BCE declined to comment on the report. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting By Alastair Sharp)

Comments

[Channa]

01:58 PM on 02/08/2012

I just switched cable providers. To set up the new DVR was a total pain. I imagine the iTV will have a built in hard drive, built in wireless and bluetooth and voice controls. I picture it hooking up to my home network with ease, then programming it by saying, "Siri, please record all new episodes of ..." No wires behind the TV. I would pay a lot for that.

[NerdyStudent]

01:14 AM on 02/08/2012

Anybody else wonder if ITV is a little miffed at the use of their name for this new product?

[Happy Kine]

05:33 PM on 02/07/2012

I got me a pirate bay TV !

Bleeding edge documentaries, old tv shows, unreleased concerts, oh yes.

[jokerdanny]

05:12 PM on 02/07/2012

my dad had a voice-controlled tv; it even fetched his beer; it was called the i-Son

[kinogod]

11:28 AM on 02/08/2012

Haha, lol, all dat, heehee

[farleft1917]

04:54 PM on 02/07/2012

iTV brought to you by indentured Chinese slaves and showing the lives of the rich and famous at a price only the top 10% will be able to afford, then you'll need an iPhone, an iPad and an Airbook....good family entertainment with nothing remotely threatening.

[Marc Driftmeyer]

02:43 AM on 02/08/2012

Hello Moto, I mean Hello Mr. Taiwan. What you say there Samsung? I mean Mr. Taiwan. How 'bout you HTC? Mr. Taiwan here. And you Nokia? Mr. Taiwan also. It's a clone War I tell you.

[Jebbushnot]

04:32 PM on 02/07/2012

IF APPLE MAKES A TV...you will need a Username and password for each station..case senstive...when you turn it off, it will ask you if you IF YOU ARE sure you want to turn it off and you must again turn it off. The GEEKS will delight in making the user CRAZY....You will be required to upgrade every year to the tune of $100 and some shows will only display with the upgrade. It will be made in China by slave workers and you will pay twice what a Sony will cost and it will still go out on you inside of the first year.

[Channa]

01:54 PM on 02/08/2012

You never used an Apple product, did you?

[MikeDu]

04:16 PM on 02/07/2012

Apple is so obsessive about the 'moral content' of its iphone apps I can scarcely imagine what apple TV would refuse to show.

[speedntktz]

03:50 PM on 02/07/2012

Why do they keep talking about a touchscreen interface on a device that large. I can see cleaning off the display on my iPhone or iPad, but never on a larger screen used for critical or entertainment viewing. My Cinema Display is a hands off don't touch item so why would I want anyone touching my 50" TV glass?

[Anthony Dodd]

03:46 PM on 02/07/2012

I don't believe Apple will simply launch a pricey iPadish TV and expect much to happen.

What I expect is a super high quality iTV, an Apple TV 3 (that mimics most features of iTV and is available to anyone), and a desirable/affordable/improved way to acquire content from iTunes.

[onionboy]

04:24 PM on 02/07/2012

I agree with everything except the term "affordable".

[Anthony Dodd]

04:53 PM on 02/07/2012

'Affordable' is in response to the notion that a season of MODERN FAMILY to rent/own on iTunes is over $50. That's a silly price.

[stopgeorge]

03:30 PM on 02/07/2012

YAWN. I can already do this with a laptop.

What's more -- Rogers is a company that was caught ignoring net neutrality by throttling. But, then again, this goes hand-in-hand with Apple's lack of freedom philosophy.

[rr6013]

03:22 PM on 02/07/2012

SteveJobs succeeded in abstracting the TVguide selection methods above the preferred embodiment claimed in TVGuide IP patents to avoid royalties then! The TV is mere monitor and your ' smart' device the method by which you select, program and play content.

NiceJobs!

[rr6013]

03:20 PM on 02/07/2012

asdf

[LightShadow62]

03:15 PM on 02/07/2012

A 60" iTunes display for 2 to 3 grand.

Oh and don't forget to buy your iPad3 because you will need that as the remote.

[kalima1]

03:13 PM on 02/07/2012

an ipad on steroids with a tv - big deal

[Runey]

03:09 PM on 02/07/2012

over hyped over price crap.. which can all be achieved, for much cheaper and more customizability, through any form of Media PC hooked up to a receiver. Install your flavour of OS and go.

[speedntktz]

03:55 PM on 02/07/2012

What you fail to recognize is you own level of technical competence. While you could set that up and customize it, Apple understands to rule the Living room they must make a self contained system that runs right out of the box with no instructions for my 5 year old or his grandmother. Think inclusion of customers based on brilliant integration and simplicity rather than exclusion of customers due to lack of technical chops.

[six seven]

04:04 PM on 02/07/2012

Hi agree that HTPC's require a maintenance to keep working effectively.

Western Digital and Roku also good options for self contained systems that run out of the box and are easy to use...

[Runey]

04:15 PM on 02/07/2012

I have to give you that, it does require a base level of know-how.. but these home entertainment systems all require some form of initial hookup.. and some operating systems do already lend themselves easily to sharing from NAS / other machines / etc.. so if it came down to just the need for someone to be walked through the initial setup, that already takes place and is handled by companies already when they set up home entertainment centers for customers and initiate them on their use