Apple to launch ultra-high definition TV: report

New rumors emerge from the company's supply chain partners that the Apple TV is real and could go into production before the end of the year

New rumors emerge from the company's supply chain partners that the Apple TV is real and could go into production before the end of the year

The news, from Digitimes, a news site with a mixed track record when it comes to Apple rumors but with excellent sources within the company's Asian supply chain partners, suggests the TV set will feature voice and motion control functions and will have a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels.

Digitmes' sources claim that the project has been in development for some time but is being delayed by the fact that the best display manufacturers in the region are already working at full capacity to meet demand for ultra-high definition TVs in China. As a result the TV's launch could be postponed until early 2014 when capacity returns to the supply chain.

Rumors have been circulating for nearly two years now that Apple is about to move into the TV business but most experts agree that there are insufficient profit margins or room for innovation within that market segment to suit Apple's business model. What's more, the ultra-high-definition TV market is still in its very early stages -- TVs that support the technology currently retail for $20,000 and there is very little native content of a sufficiently rich definition available. Yet, despite these very real issues, tech sites, hedge fund managers and analysts alike persist in their claims that an Apple TV is only months away.