Analyst Says First Apple Television May Be iMac Hybrid

With all these rumors of an Apple television set, you’d think this thing was going to happen next month. Either way, another analyst has spoken up with their thoughts on the Apple HDTV.

Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair thinks that Apple will use a future iMac model with built-in TV capabilities to introduce their Apple HDTV. Here is how it will work, according to Blair (via Forbes):

“We think this makes sense because while we typically think about the newest TV’s hanging on the wall in large form factors, Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 42, 50 and 55 inch market. In short, we believe the initial Apple TV is their iMac computer that can function as a TV, over the iCloud platform.”

However, website 9to5Mac feels differently. They offer good reason to think otherwise, noting that Apple seems to be moving away from TV-type integration in Mac OS X (such as removing Front Row with Lion) and would likely make an iOS-like interface for an Apple TV set.

More on Apple’s Rumored TV set:

Apple TV Set Necessary?

Apple Television in Two Years?

More iTV Speculation