Apple, long ambivalent about the television market, is once again quietly exploring the possibility of a dedicated TV set and a wall-mounted tablet — devices that would deepen its presence in the spaces where domestic life unfolds. Having shelved similar ambitions years ago over economic concerns, the company now appears to sense that the conditions, or its own confidence, may have shifted. This renewed interest reflects a broader human tendency: to return, with new eyes, to the roads not taken.
Apple reportedly developing dedicated TV and wall-mounted tablet
A television designed to justify its price through deeper ecosystem integration
Mark
So Apple is building a TV now? I thought they decided against that years ago.
Mimi
They did, but they're apparently exploring it again. The reporting comes from Mark Gurman, who covers Apple closely. The company built prototypes before—actual full-scale TVs—but decided the market wasn't worth it. Too expensive to make, not enough people willing to pay premium prices.
Luke
Right, and that's the key question: what's changed? Did the economics shift, or did Apple's confidence in its ability to charge a premium grow? The reporting doesn't really say.
Mimi
Fair point. What we know is that Apple is exploring both a TV and a wall-mounted tablet as part of a smart home push. The tablet especially makes sense—it's a control center for your home, integrated with everything else you own from Apple.
Mark
But has Apple actually committed to making these? Or are they just prototyping again?
Luke
That's the thing—no official announcement, no timeline, no confirmation from Apple itself. This is all from Gurman's reporting. The company could easily decide to cancel these projects, just like it did before.
Mimi
True, but the fact that they're working on them at all suggests they see an opening. Apple's whole strategy is ecosystem integration. A TV and a wall-mounted display are natural places for that to live.
Mark
So if they do launch, what would make them different from a Samsung TV or an Amazon tablet?
Mimi
Everything would work together seamlessly. Your iPhone, your Mac, your HomePod, your Apple TV box, and now a television and wall-mounted tablet—all talking to each other, all running Apple's services. That's the bet.
Luke
But that's also the risk. Consumers have to buy into the entire ecosystem to get the full benefit. And Apple's products are expensive. A premium TV plus a wall-mounted tablet is a lot of money.
O Pulso
- Apple is developing a dedicated television and wall-mounted tablet, reigniting ambitions the company once abandoned when manufacturing costs outpaced what premium buyers were willing to pay.
- The tension is real — Apple has walked this road before, built prototypes, done the engineering, and still turned back, making any new commitment a calculated risk against a familiar ghost.
- Rather than own the hardware last time, Apple pivoted to software partnerships with Samsung and LG, a workaround that extended its reach without the burden of selling screens — a strategy it may now be ready to leave behind.
- The smart home ecosystem Apple has quietly assembled — HomePod, Apple TV box, streaming services, fitness, gaming — creates a natural gravitational pull toward devices that anchor those services in the living room and beyond.
- No launch is confirmed, and Apple is known for developing products for years before quietly canceling them, leaving the question open: will this time be different, or will the economics win again?
Apple, long ambivalent about the television market, is once again quietly exploring the possibility of a dedicated TV set and a wall-mounted tablet — devices that would deepen its presence in the spaces where domestic life unfolds. Having shelved similar ambitions years ago over economic concerns, the company now appears to sense that the conditions, or its own confidence, may have shifted. This renewed interest reflects a broader human tendency: to return, with new eyes, to the roads not taken.
Apple is reportedly working on a dedicated television set and a wall-mounted tablet, according to Mark Gurman's newsletter — a development that would mark a meaningful reversal in the company's long-complicated relationship with the TV market. The effort sits within a broader smart home push, with both devices designed to integrate deeply with Apple's existing ecosystem of phones, computers, and services.
This is not Apple's first attempt. Years ago, the company built full-scale TV prototypes — essentially oversized iPads — only to shelve them when the economics failed to hold. Manufacturing a premium television cost too much relative to what consumers would pay, and the high-end TV market was too narrow to justify the risk. In 2019, when rumors resurfaced, Apple chose a different path: extend its software and streaming services to TVs made by Samsung and LG, gaining living room presence without the manufacturing burden.
Now, that calculus appears to be shifting. A dedicated Apple TV would represent a bet that deeper ecosystem integration can justify a premium price. A wall-mounted tablet would extend that logic further, functioning as a smart home control center woven into the fabric of daily life. The timing aligns with years of investment in services — streaming, fitness, news, gaming — and hardware like the HomePod, all of which would find natural homes on such devices.
No announcement has been made, and Apple has quietly canceled hardware projects before. But the renewed exploration suggests either the economics have changed, or Apple's confidence in its ability to differentiate has grown. In a crowded smart home market, the company's enduring strategy has been to win through integration and experience — and a television built from the ground up for the Apple ecosystem would be precisely that kind of move.
Apple is quietly working on a dedicated television set, according to reporting from Mark Gurman's newsletter, a move that would represent a significant reversal in the company's long-ambivalent relationship with the TV market. The effort is part of a broader push into smart home devices that also includes a wall-mounted tablet designed to integrate with Apple's existing ecosystem of phones, computers, and services.
This is not Apple's first time circling the television category. Years ago, the company built full-scale prototypes of TVs with large displays—essentially oversized versions of its iPad and Mac designs. The prototypes existed. The engineering was done. But Apple ultimately decided the economics didn't work. The cost of manufacturing a premium television was too high relative to what consumers seemed willing to pay, and the market for high-end TVs was simply too thin to justify the investment. The company shelved the project.
In 2019, rumors surfaced again that Apple might resurrect its television ambitions. Instead, the company chose a different path: rather than build its own TVs, it would expand the software and streaming services it offered to televisions made by Samsung, LG, and other manufacturers. This strategy allowed Apple to extend its reach into the living room without bearing the manufacturing burden or market risk of selling hardware.
Now, if the current reports prove accurate, Apple appears to be reconsidering that calculus. A dedicated Apple TV would signal a shift in thinking—a bet that the company can build a television that justifies its price through deeper integration with the broader Apple ecosystem. A wall-mounted tablet would extend that logic further, creating a smart home control center that works seamlessly with iPhones, Macs, and other devices.
The timing matters. Apple has spent years building out its services business—streaming, fitness, news, gaming—and its smart home platform through devices like the HomePod and Apple TV box. A television and wall-mounted display would be natural extensions of that infrastructure, places where those services could live and be accessed. They would also give Apple direct control over the hardware experience in two rooms where consumers spend significant time: the living room and, potentially, the kitchen or bedroom.
No official announcement has been made, and it remains unclear whether these projects will ever reach consumers. Apple has abandoned hardware initiatives before, and the company is known for working on products for years before deciding to cancel them. But the fact that the company is exploring these categories again suggests that either the economics have shifted, or Apple's confidence in its ability to differentiate a premium television has grown. The smart home market is crowded and competitive, and Apple's strategy has always been to win through integration and user experience rather than price. A television and wall-mounted tablet designed from the ground up to work with the rest of the Apple ecosystem could be a way to do exactly that.
Citações Notáveis
Apple previously designed full-scale television prototypes with large displays resembling oversized iPads and Macs— reporting from Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter
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