The first reports came way back in July by Israeli media Calcalist and was speculated to be tagged at about 280 million. Last week, the same guys hottened the rumors with a speculated 345 million on table. Apple kept mum on the subject and PrimeSense even dared to dismiss the matter but we knew, we couldn’t trust the official words. As per one of yesterday’s news article on Globes, the deal is now closed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXKqIr4cjyo

According to various sources, including AllThingsD, Apple has responded to the news with a rather vague explanation. Apple’s spokesperson Kristin Huguet said in a telephone interview, “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans“. The real confirmation came from the other side according to Reuters, when a PrimeSense representative said, “We can confirm the deal with Apple. Further than that, we cannot comment at this stage“.

So what does that mean for Apple’s future devices? PrimeSense as you might be familiar with, is a 3D sensor provider, and was behind the original Microsoft Kinect. On the other hand, Apple has also prepared their own ideas for motion detection, as evident from the above patent. We can see that this particular image shows the living room as the sensors’ detection area and a television as the source of the sensor. With the rumors of Apple’s own television set getting hotter and hotter, we can hope that an iTV with smart gesture controls is on the road map.

But unlike the initial bulky sensor, PrimeSense has come alot way to reach a highly compact and portable design. It makes us wonder, whether the iPhone and iPad will also get their own piece from this deal. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, we would love to hear what you guys think.

 Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Confirmed: Apple buys PrimeSense appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

During yesterday’s Q3 earnings call Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company sold 1.3M Apple TVs in Q3 2012, up more than 170% year over year, that totals at 4M units so far this fiscal year and 6.8M since Apple began selling the iOS-based, $99 model (Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3). Tim Cook called these numbers “pretty incredible.”

Cook also said that “Apple TV is still at a level that we would call a >>hobby<<” but he admitted that the company continue to pull the string to see where it takes them. “There is a lot of people here that believe in Apple TV. We do it because we think it’ll lead us somewhere,” he added.

Where? Apple has been long rumored to be working on an Apple TV set, which, according to the latest rumors, could be released in 2014.

Back in May China Business News reported that Foxconn, Apple’s Chinese manufacturing partner, has already started a pilot production of the new Apple HDTV:

Insider sources told China Business News that a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen has received orders for an Apple “smart TV” and is producing them on a trial basis.

Other rumors claim that Sharp is set to begin delivering LCD TV panels to assembler Foxconn in order to begin building Apple television sets.

According to the experts at Stuff, when Apple HDTV does finally hit the market, it may start as a US-only release, because of the content rights.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on the rumored Apple TV set.

The post Apple sold 1.3M Apple TVs last quarter, up 170% year over year appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

The industry has been buzzing for months now about the hotly-anticipated Apple TV set. But according to the experts at Stuff, when it does finally hit the market, it may start as a US-only release. Apple surely doesn’t want to leave its international fans in the lurch, but with the massive work involved in content rights, it could simply be a necessary step before a wider release.

Any internet-based television service, even the big boys like Netflix and Hulu, have struggled with blackouts and the huge price tag content distributors are demanding for their top rated shows. All rights are negotiated through a different agreement and separate contract for each country, so launching such a significant product in a timely fashion could mean a slower roll-out. Apple television needs to offer great content to be successful, so it simply doesn’t make sense for them to push into additional markets until they have that content in play.

Video streamers in the UK have enjoyed content through iTunes for quite a while now, even with the limited content available, and the strength of the Apple brand should lead content distributors to accept a deal rather quickly. But the real question is what Apple will have to spend to strike those deals. Apple TV is sold internationally, but does the bulk of its business in the US. Seeing that their content platforms aren’t performing as well outside of the States may discourage Apple from spending big on marketing and content before they see a real demand for it.

As of now, Americans won’t have access to Apple television until at least it’s rumored 2014 launch, which means international fans may have to wait much longer.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on the rumored Apple TV set.

[image: Stuff]

The post Will Apple HDTV’s launch be US-only? appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.