• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 20, 2024

Apple is once again looking to dip its toes in the water when it comes to developing an integrated Apple-branded smart TV set.

Is this too little too late? Bloomberg says the company is “evaluating” such a move -- while it has been moving more aggressively into a growing consumer area, a ‘smart home command center’ that will rival Amazon Echo Hub and Google Nest Hub devices.

One might think building a TV set product will mean using more facilities and production overseas -- in China and elsewhere. With the incoming Trump administration doubling down on its highly controversial tariff efforts, that seems to be a tougher task.

And with many digital-first branded TV sets in the marketplace -- Amazon and Roku, for example -- this would seem to be a tougher task.

A long time ago, when Steve Jobs was heading up Apple, the belief was that simplifying technology among different services and devices from numerous remote controls would be key for Apple, according to Bloomberg.

Loyal Apple consumers for all its products look to the company to always solve this: simplicity in the digital media world.

These days, anything AI-related could help to accelerate Apple’s efforts to get over other hurdles -- for example, in program discovery programming, no matter what the service.

Right now, Apple counts on its 4K Apple TV set-top box to connect the old and new TV worlds. But that device isn’t much different than what’s out there.

Roku and Amazon software/ functionality of its set-top-box device is incorporated into their TV sets. Apple, of course, would do this as well.

Surely as pricing has fallen dramatically over the years for TV sets, and with 4K HDTV sets in abundance, there is not much left for consumers to decide. Apple could move to, say, 8K and/or OLED technology.

Amazon and Roku had the wherewithal to put a foot in the sand with their branded TV sets to build out a slow consumer footprint. Is that enough for Apple?

Considering what those companies do to support their TV set efforts, Apple should consider getting into the TV set business if only for this: it would help further build out its $4 billion advertising business from other devices.

It’s that simple.