Don't trash your DVD players just yet. The box that is destined to take over living rooms everywhere by the end of February is now being pushed back a couple weeks into March. "Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March," an Apple spokesperson told Macworld.

One possible explanation for the delay is that Apple has not received approval for the device from the Federal Communications Commission. "A pushout of two to three weeks suggests to me more of an issue with the FCC than with anything else," says analyst Dave Carey of Portelligent.

Tim Beyers from the Motley Fool added that "for as long as Microsoft has been setting -- and missing -- schedules, Apple has been announcing and simultaneously shipping its biggest breakthroughs. Until recently, that is." Mr. Beyeres can't be serious. Apple's two-week delay on a single product pales in comparison to Microsoft's history of delayed product intros.

Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek reports, "Whatever the cause, if it does meet its mid-March deadline and Apple TV is a success, Apple will still be well ahead of the pack."

Apple TV delayed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The latest rumor churning throughout the web is that Apple's iTV, yes iTV, will now incorporate some sort of gaming experience. It seems as if Greg Canessa, the Vice President of video game platforms at PopCap games, had a slip up in a recent interview with Wired where he indicated that his role at PopCap will be to help "customiz(e) the user interface and display for Zune, iPod, Apple TV, Nintendo DS, PSP."

Recently, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stated that games specifically designed for the iPod will not play on the iTV. However, this faux pas, among others, could indicate that Apple is creating a game interface to compete with Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo in the family living room. (Then again, the Internet is rife with Apple rumors.)

If true, the question becomes: is Apple spreading itself too thin? Desktops, laptops, a music store, multiple music players, the iPhone, and now a gaming console? We'll see how far Apple's iconic brand (and the esteem it generates) can carry them.

iTV with gaming? Is Apple spreading itself too thin? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) keeps growing as fast as it is, it may just overtake its nemesis in Washington State in the next five years. An analyst points out that the iPod, iPhone, iTV and MAC maker has the chance to generate more revenue than Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) given its current growth patterns.

In 2002 Apple grossed just under $6 billion, while in 2006 its revenue was recorded at just under $ 21 billion. Apple's dramatic increase is an "impressive" 250% revenue growth from 2002 to 2006.

Some analysts predict Apple's growth to slow in the next couple months due to cooling iPod sales. However, as everyone knows, the company has many new and exciting products on the near horizon, not the least of which are the iPhone and iTV that should continue to fuel substantial growth. According to Apple Recon, Apple now expects to sell over a million Apple TV devices leading up to the 2007 holiday season, and at least that many again during the Thanksgiving - Christmas period.

The folks in Washington State, who have their own massive launch happening as I write this, better think about bolstering Zune and Vista just to keep up.

Apple's growth slowing down? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Netgear's weakness attributed to Apple TV originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jobs is working the Big Apple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• iPhone: The most rumored of all Apple devices for months. There has been a ton of speculation that the iPhone will finally be unveiled at Macworld; however, MacRumors.com points out that "none of the more credible rumors have specifically pointed to Macworld as the launch date for the device." Another MacRumors post, citing the International Herald Tribune, discussed the iPhone, which they believe will be released at Macworld, and will be "closer to personal computers in pocket form."
• iTV: In September 2006, Steve Jobs introduced iTV and said it would be coming in the first quarter of 2007, which is now. The Unofficial Apple Weblog bloggers are predicting either the official announcement, the finalization, the release date, or the shipment of iTV. However, nobody seems to be sure exactly what it is.
• iLife and iWork '07: The annual updating of Apple's iApps should continue. ZDNet.com says in addition to these updates, we may also see the addition of a spreadsheet, rumored to be called "Numbers" or "Sheets." Not exciting, but not every Macworld announcement can be, can it?
• Mac Tablet: ZDNet.com writes that although this is the product they would most like to see, they are putting the odds at 100:1 that it will be released, due to the small potential market for tablet PCs.
• iSight: Wired.com believes we will see an updated iSight camera at Macworld.
• Leopard: There is a general agreement that the release date for the latest OS will come at Macworld.

Possible releases at Macworld originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had a big day yesterday, seeing its shares rise $2.91 to close at $89.05 after Morgan Stanley's Rebecca Runkle lifted her target price to $110 from $90. She also raised her 2007 earnings outlook to $3.13 a share from $2.58. On top of this, Mad Money's Jim Cramer was very bullish on tech stocks, briefly noting that he sees Apple going all the way to $120.

Runkle based her upgrade on the fact that "new products introduced in January and less exposure to Microsoft's Vista OS launch could help reduce seasonal risk to Apple's shares." With the annual Macworld show fast approaching in early January, Mac fans everywhere are waiting for Jobs' legendary announcements. Will it be the iPhone or maybe iTV, or perhaps both? We will just have to wait and see as Apple's keeping it close to the vest.

In the meantime, iPod sales don't seem to be slowing with forecasts of as many as 16 million iPod sales, up from 14 million a year ago. Although some have predicted a slowing of sales in the company's iTunes music store, Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, said that such fears have been overstated. Dallas Mavericks Owner, Mark Cuban, gave his opinion about not only the speculation involving iTunes sales, but also Zune sales. Surprisingly, he wrote, "What there hasn't been much of, is speculation of what might happen if Google entered this market?"

Nonetheless, it seems as if Apple's stock is heading upwards, even after the huge holiday season, in anticipation of the Macworld show. Personally, I'd say we won't see AAPL fall back into the 50s like it did after last year's holiday season.

Apple's shares continue upward originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE:TWX) cable unit signed a much broader pact with BIAP Systems, an iTV Media company based in Plano, TX

This is great for consumers since it covers applications such as eBay on TV, Fantasy Football Tracker, and personalized information television. BIAP applications also include on-screen alerts, and channel applications both for networks and per-event basis. The applications are currently being tested in eight regions across the country.

From the press release: "Our initial usage and customer satisfaction results with the BIAP applications we have launched to-date have been excellent," said Bob Benya, Senior Vice President of On Demand and ITV for Time Warner Cable. "The agreement signals our continued commitment to rolling out interactive television features that enhances our customer's digital television viewing experience."

Why is this stock news? It's just another step in the right direction for Time Warner in terms of offering more services for its subscribers. The only possible downside is that this may heat up household arguments over the remote control.

Time Warner going farther into interactive TV, bring it on originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After watching the music industry suffer from illegal digital piracy, the film studios are taking extra precautions to avoid the same fate. As a result, Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is coming under pressure from some of Hollywood's biggest studios to rework the operating environment of its iTunes platform.

The studios, including Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros, are enthusiastic about following Disney by offering their content via iTunes, but remain concerned about the platform's ability to prevent piracy.

Rightfully so when one considers that the average cost of a major studio release nowadays is approaching $100 million. The movie studios feel they have a lot more at stake than their (sister) record labels. One movie executive said, "We're very willing to do a deal but we're keen to get some concessions from Apple that will account for the differences between the value of music and television content and feature film content."

With the development and announcement of iTV, it is even more important for Apple to demonstrate that it can protect more than just copyrighted music. If it succeeds in placating the film industry, consumers might just plan to replace their DVD player with Apple's iTV player.

Movie studios pressure Apple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple iTV: a hint as to why it was pre-announced so early originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, two more Hollywood movie studios have been rumored to join The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in selling feature films via Apple's iTunes Movie Store. Although Munster did not name the studios, he claimed to have met with four of the six major studio executives, two of which planned to ink a download deal with Apple Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

It seems as if they were waiting to see how Disney fared, especially in the area of piracy protection, but also to see if consumers caught on. Disney's recent public projections of to sell over "$50 million" worth of digital movie downloads in its first year partnered with Apple may have paved the way for the prospect of other studios.

These figures are likely to rise over the next couple years, especially with the release of iTV, which will allow consumers to watch these downloaded movies not only on their computers, but the television.

One other concern that is making studios hesitate before inking a deal with Apple is the cannibalizing effect on DVD sales. Isn't that what they said about VHS tape sales when DVDs were rising in popularity?

Disney-Apple matchup so good, other studios wooing iTunes? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple iTV a competitor to TiVo? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 9/26/06: momentum strong as iPhone rumors continue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple partnering with Google to provide iTV video? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 9/14/06: Zune steals some iPod thunder originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 9/13/06: investors respond positively to iTV and movie news originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday's big excitement was captured live here by bloggers attending the Showtime event held by Apple. The surprise announcement that caught my eye had to do with a product code-named iTV that will allow both Mac and PC users to watch movies or television shows purchased from the iTunes store on their living room entertainment systems.

The iTV box won't be available until the first quarter of 2007, making it the first time in a while the famously secretive company pre-announced a product. The cost will be $299 and it is a wireless router with ports for video connections to televisions, including an HDMI port for high-definition digital televisions. The concept behind a product like iTV has been around for years, but the DVD industry -- as pumped up by outfits like Blockbuster and Netflix -- has hindered its inevitable adoption.

Mr. Jobs & company are betting that they can successfully develop the iTunes movie store, like he did with the music store, and by so doing, mainstream iTV into homes. Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray is quoted, "The approach that worked for them in music was to have content in a device and have it seamlessly integrated, that's what they are trying to do with the living room now."

We'll have to wait and see.

Apple's new box will bring iTV to the living room originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 9/12/06: iTV and movies for sale through iTunes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.