Apple's long-rumoured television ambitions may be delayed, if word from NPD DisplaySearch's Paul Gagnon is to be believed. The analyst claims that sources within Apple's supply chain have notified him 2014 is no longer the year for Apple's big foray into the television space, and instead, could be the year of the watch. This would push Apple's anticipated launch for a fully-fledged television set into 2015 at the earliest.
Apple's been rumoured to have been working on the hardware for its television set for quite sometime, leaving you to think it would be ready soon. But according to Gagnon the real hang up is content deals. Apple is reportedly unable to secure unique offerings that would place it ahead of competitors in the space, such as a la carte pay-TV channels, or proprietary content not available on other devices.
Of course, this is just one analyst's opinion, but what he's saying does make sense. We can't really see Apple joining into the television market if it can't offer anything unique. If Apple were to jump in, it's presumed it would be done right. Currently, Apple offers only an Apple TV set-top box, full of content from Netflix, iTunes and other online services.
Gagnon's word about wearables echoes what we've heard before, and a new Apple factory could help with components for the launch. Apple's "iWatch" has been said to be on track for 2014, and Apple CEO Tim Cook's word about new product categories for the year on the last earnings call backs up the claims.
If Gagnon is correct, don't expect the television to be a part of the new product categories.