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Wild rumor: Apple & TiVo partner for iTV

I'm going to disclaim this upfront as a wild rumor that just landed in my inbox. I'd wager it's got about a 25% chance of being true but hey, I'd love to be wrong on it and see what launches next month at Macworld SF. Here's the rumor:

Apple will be licensing TiVo patented technology for iTV. Also, the name iTV has changed to Mac Media Capsule

I tried to find some shred of evidence this could be true. I took a look at pending Apple and TiVo patents and there's only one patent application owned by Apple that mentions TiVo, and it's in relation to buying a whole TV season at the iTunes store. Last summer TiVo was hiring Mac programmers, but I figured that was just for TiVo Desktop support. I couldn't find anything concrete.

Again, this is a crazy rumor with nothing to back it up and I'd be really surprised if any Apple device recorded TV, much less running the TiVo OS on it, but damn, if this is true, I would love to own such a device.

I do have to say the entire iTV concept as previously described is a little thin. People won't pay a couple hundred bucks just to have a device that plays iTunes Store purchases on their TV -- it has to do other stuff, but will it be TiVo recording TV for you? In that teeny form factor? I guess we'll know when Macworld happens in San Francisco on January 9, 2007.

by Matt Haughey December 5, 2006 in News

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