Apple Pushes Forward With Jobs' TV Vision

UPDATE: The Wall Street Journal has the latest on Apple's plans to make Steve Jobs' Web-integrated TV a reality.

The newspaper reports that the company's "TV strategy is advancing" and that in recent weeks Apple execs have briefed several large media companies on their plans to reshape television as we know it. 

Apple's unnamed TV project is said to rely on wireless streaming technology to access shows, movies, and other media content, something the late Steve Jobs hinted at in an interview with biographer Walter Isaacson before the tech icon passed away earlier this year.

Apple execs have kept things relatively close to the vest in their meetings with the other major media players, but according to the report they have suggested that Apple's new tech could recognize individual TV users across their phones, tablets, and computers as well—something that advertisers are sure to like.

There's good news for the users, too, particularly those who have trouble keeping track of the remote. In at least one meeting, Apple reportedly told execs that their new TV may be able to respond to users' voices and movements, although that feature may not be available on the company's first model.

Tuesday, October 25: Before his death, Steve Jobs said that he had "finally cracked" how to build a Web-integrated TV. It looks like we all may get to be the judge of whether the Apple co-founder really did as early as next year.

Bloomberg reports that Apple currently has a prototype in the works and that the company is believed to already be investing manufacturing facilities and securing supplies of LCD screens for the product. At least one analyst told the business news wire that all signs point to a launch either at the end of next year or in 2013.

The fabled Apple TV has been the subject of conversation for years, but in an interview before his death, Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that he had finally figured out how to build an integrated TV with a simple user interface that would wirelessly synchronize content with Apple’s other devices. "It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine," Jobs told Isaacson.

Citing a trio of unnamed sources, Bloomberg reports that Apple is turning to software engineer Jeff Robbin to guide the development of the new television. Robbin originally joined Apple in 2000 and is most famous for developing iTunes.

Bloomberg with more: "One of Apple’s goals for a new TV is to let users more seamlessly search for a show or movie, said one of the people. For example, instead of having to separately check to see if a movie or show is available through Netflix or a cable service, all the material could be integrated, this person said."

The iPhone 4S’s voice-command software Siri and Apple’s new storage service iCloud may also be used for the new television. Users will probably be able to use Siri to search for videos, record their favorite show, or further decipher the meaning of life, while iCloud will let customers stream their media through the TV, as well.