According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has been for some time working on a new technology to deliver video to televisions and discussing whether to try launching a subscription TV service. WSJ stated its sources as “people familiar with the matter”. This quote is mentioned in a WSJ article on the demanding battle which Tim Cook faces as he settles into his new chair as Apple’s CEO.



Ever since Apple launched TV rentals on the iTunes Store last year, customers having been hoping to rent episodes from iTunes for a monthly fee. The WSJ states that Apple made an attempt at this in 2009 trying to get the various studios to agree to a subscription service for TV shows through the iTunes store but they weren’t able to bring it through.

In an interview held last June at the D8 Conference with ex-Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, he spoke at some length about the problems the company faces when dealing with the television industry due to the lack of a “viable-go-to market strategy.” Jobs explained that with the television industry providing a set-top box for everyone, innovation is undermined in this sector, and that the only way this is going to change is if Apple starts from scratch redesign the box in an appealing way to the customer. But right now, there is no way to do this. He said that the problem with this industry is not the technology but the go-to market strategy, and for that reason,Apple TV is a hobby.

It`s possible that Apple is preparing to release a new innovation into the market. It could be that new 55-inch TV we keep hearing Apple is working on,or may be the company has got the studios to agree to a subscription for the iTunes store.

Whatever the case is, it would be great news to hear Tim Cook announce that Apple TV is no longer a hobby.