Apple Could Launch A Siri-Powered Television By 2013

Ever since an excerpt from Steve Jobs biography revealed that he felt that he had finally cracked integrated Television sets, the chatter about Apple possibly releasing Televisions sets has got louder.

Nick Bilton of New York Times now claims that Apple is definitely building a television set, which could include Siri for extensive voice control rather than the conventional remote control.

Nick Bilton writes:

The television project has been in the works for sometime. I first heard about Apple’s television plans over a year ago.

According to Nick Bilton sources at Apple, Television is a guaranteed product for Apple:

I immediately began snooping around, asking Apple employees and people close to the company if a full fledged Apple Television was in the works. Several people, all speaking on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons, told me that nothing was actively being built, but — and this was a big but — I was told repeatedly that Apple would eventually make a television. “Absolutely, it is a guaranteed product for Apple,” I was told by one individual. “Steve thinks the industry is totally broken.”

He also goes on to explain how Siri will work with Apple's Television:

It’s the stuff of science fiction. You sit on your couch and rather than fumble with several remotes or use hand gestures, you simply talk: “Put on the last episode of Gossip Girl.” “Play the local news headlines.” “Play some Coldplay music videos.” Siri does the rest.

Of course this experience goes beyond just playing TV shows or the local news. As the line between television programming and Web content continues to erode, a Siri-powered television would become more necessary. You aren’t going to want to flip through file folders or baskets of content, checking off what you want. Telling Siri to “play videos of cute cats falling asleep” would return an endless YouTube stream of adorable napping fur balls.

While some analyst are betting on Apple to launch Televisions in 2012, Bilton reports that according to his sources Apple could announce it in 2012 and release it in 2013.

[via NYT]