apple exhorts innovation with idea of iTV

iTV expected to share with other Apple devices served from the media-storing iCloud

I just read an article in USA Today about the idea that Apple will be the first to introduce a connected TV – a TV that will connect to and access content from the Internet. Most techies expect Apple to create the iTV at some point, which will share with other Apple devices content served from the company’s iCloud.

With innovation comes interference. So far, Apple has been unsuccessful at cutting deals that would allow it to offer first-tier TV programs enabling users to pick and choose, creating a ‘playlist’ of sorts, similar to the function found on the iPhone. It’s no wonder TV companies are leery to link with Apple. Apple’s a giant in the technology industry. It could easily monopolize the market, putting other less successful companies out of business if the iTV hits the ground running.

In the article, Steve Wozniak explains he expects living rooms to remain the center of family entertainment. This vision reverts back to the introduction of radio. Radio programs reunited the family unit as members were able to collectively consume entertainment and news. The iTV will also unite families, reinventing the living room by incorporating media in a much more interactive way. For example, my family could have YouTube video night without having to cramp around a PC screen. My brother would be able to upload a custom Christmas playlist from his iPhone to the iTV so my mom and I don’t have to listen to ‘I’m Gettin’ Nuttin’ for Christmas’ for the umpteenth time while wrapping presents.

Contemplating the creation and release of the iTV leads to the question of which adopter category one would fall under. Because you’ve been loyal to Apple, buying the iPhone over Android or a Mac over a PC, would that mean you’d choose to hop on the iTV train? Or would you be frustrated by the fact that you just purchased an HDTV less than five years ago and now there’s yet another enhanced option, and refuse to buy into – literally and figuratively – the iTV?