Apple could take 5% of HDTV market

In an industry dominated by power players from Samsung to Panasonic, Apple is expected to make a significant mark.

Barclays Capital analyst Ben A. Reitzes sees a world where Apple’s entry into the HDTV world could net the company $17 billion in revenue in just one year and climb its way up to earn 5% of the market share.

“Apple’s eventual television could be so much more than a TV — including gaming, video, communication, content delivery, apps, computing and all the capabilities of the current Apple TV — it is not really fair to compare it to products already available on the market,” said Reitzes.

Back in the day, I remember when Apple boasted that it could take 1% of the entire cell phone market. I even called the company out and suggested they were shooting too high. But here I am, five years later, eating crow as Apple has cemented its place in mobile history.

As such, I don’t think it’s so crazy for Apple to head toward a 5% market share range in the HDTV industry. The company has proven itself in its ability to shake up what once were very rigid and inflexible markets. The world of TV manufacturers fits that mold to a T.

In other Apple TV-related news, The Globe And Mail reports that Apple has approached Canadian carriers Rogers and Bell to integrate their services with iTV. The extent of such a partnership is obviously quite a mystery but it points to just how innovative Apple is trying to be.

By all estimates, the Apple-branded TV set will be on store shelves by the end of the year.