Apple is planning a big event on September 10, 2013, and there has been a lot of speculation on what could be on the menu. While the exact lineup of products is subject of debate, almost everyone agrees that newer models of the iPhone are likely to take center stage next week. A blog post shared by the from New York-based global trade intelligence platform Panjiva, suggests that we should add Apple TV to the list.
Using the Panjiva Shipment Search, the company found the original bill of landing data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Based on that information, Panjiva suggests that
- On August 25th, Apple received a shipment described as “Set Top Box with Communication Function” from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China.
- On August 18th, Apple received another shipment, again from BYD, described as “Set Top Boxes.”
- And on August 11th, Apple received its first shipment from BYD of “Set Top Box with Communication Function.
Since Panjiva doesn’t have exact shape and size of the shipments, the best the company can do is guess as to what are these mysterious set-top boxes. It could be the newer version of the current Apple TV product, the much speculated-about television product or something brand new we don’t know anything about.
Panjiva’s report points out that in the past, when Apple received shipments for “set top boxes” — most recently, on December 5, 2012 — those shipments came from Hon Hai. A safe bet would be on a new Apple TV device. The last time Apple released a new model of Apple TV (one it calls a little hobby) was in March 2012.
With a new iOS 7 on its way, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect a newer model of Apple TV that accommodates the increasing number of channel options and brings some of the features of iOS 7 to the big screen.
MacRumors, which follows the device release schedules pretty closely, points out that Apple typically updates Apple TV devices every 377 days, so from that perspective it is long overdue for a makeover. Apple recently cut prices of refurbished Apple TV to $75. In June 2013, Apple had added HBO Go and ESPN to Apple TV channel lineup. Last week, the company bolstered its lineup with Vevo, Disney Channel, Disney XD, the Weather Channel and the Smithsonian channel.
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